Vico Magistretti: the architect who designed the most comfortable Italian chairs
Vico Magistretti's sofas and chairs are the comfortable, civilised Italian post-war work. He designed for Cassina, De Padova and Oluce, and his pieces are the ones I most often recommend for everyday use.
Vico Magistretti (1920 to 2006) is the Italian post-war designer whose pieces are easiest to actually live with, because he designed chairs and sofas to be sat in for hours rather than photographed. He worked with Cassina, De Padova and Oluce, and all three still produce his work today. On Whoppah a vintage Cassina Maralunga from the 1980s or 90s sells at €2,500 to €5,500 against roughly €7,000 new, the Carimate dining chair at €180 to €450, and an Oluce Atollo lamp at €600 to €1,400. We think he is underpriced for the quality, because Castiglioni and Sottsass get the press. His Cassina pieces are among the most actively traded Italian designs here.
A Milanese with patience
Vico Magistretti (1920 to 2006) trained as an architect in Milan and worked his entire career in the city. He's the post-war Italian designer whose pieces I most often live with myself. There's a reason for that. His chairs and sofas are designed to actually be sat in for hours. The proportions favour the body, not the photograph.
Magistretti's lifelong working relationships were with Cassina (furniture), De Padova (furniture) and Oluce (lighting). Each of those brands continues to produce his work today, and the secondhand market for his pieces is one of the more rational corners of Italian mid-century. Prices reflect quality without the speculative premium some of his more famous contemporaries carry.
The pieces
The Maralunga sofa (1973, Cassina) is his calling card and one of the most-imitated sofas of the 20th century. The headrest folds up from a flat back via a hinge mechanism, so the sofa can be a clean low-line piece or a tall lounge sofa depending on use. Cassina has produced it continuously since 1973. Vintage Cassina Maralungas from the 1980s and 90s sit at €2,500 to €5,500 on Whoppah; current retail is around €7,000.
The Carimate chair (1959, Cassina), a stained-beech country-style dining chair with a rush seat, is the affordable Magistretti. €180 to €450 each used. A set of four is a sensible long-term buy.
The Selene chair (1969, Artemide), one of the earliest single-piece moulded plastic stacking chairs (predating the Vitra Panton in production), is the technical-history piece. Vintage examples €300 to €700.
The Atollo table lamp (1977, Oluce) is the iconic conical-shade lamp that won the Compasso d'Oro in 1979. Authentic vintage Oluce Atollos from the 1980s sit at €600 to €1,400 on Whoppah; current Oluce retail is around €1,600.
The Eclisse table lamp (1965, Artemide), the spherical lamp with an inner moveable shade that "eclipses" the bulb, was the design that won the 1967 Compasso d'Oro. Vintage examples are €200 to €500 used.
Why is Vico Magistretti good value right now?
Magistretti is, in my view, slightly underpriced relative to designers of equal quality. Castiglioni and Sottsass get more press; Magistretti's work is quieter and gets less. That asymmetry creates buying opportunities, especially on the Maralunga and on his Cassina seating in general.
How do you recognise an authentic Vico Magistretti piece?
All authentic Cassina-produced Magistrettis carry the standard Cassina label inside the upholstery with model and serial. Oluce lamps have Oluce marking on the base or inside the diffuser. Artemide pieces have Artemide branding on the underside.
The Maralunga has been heavily copied. Watch for the hinge mechanism: original Cassina hinges have Cassina-branded screws and a specific geometry. Generic Italian copies use Allen-key bolts and a simpler folding mechanism.
