Cover Antonio Citterio
Antonio Citterio
1 / 1
Iconic Italian designer, Antonio Citterio, revisits his first collaboration with Maxalto in a collection encapsulating the brand’s DNA
It began in 1975 as an exercise in creating iconic objects that would to stir the imagination of an informed consumer. The Maxalto brand was a collaboration between architects Afra and Tobia Scarpa and B&B Italia owner, Piero Ambrogio Busnelli. It was named, on Tobia’s suggestion, from a neologism taken from the Venetian “Massa Alto”, meaning “the highest.”
The goal was to embody the design culture that Tobia Scarpa inherited from his father, the renowned architect, Carlo - furniture with a strong artisanal content and the highest quality standards in materials and production method.
See also: Design Icon: The Eames Chair That's Always Seen in Korean Dramas and Hollywood Films
1 / 1
The first collaboration paved the way for a new era with Antonio Citterio as its sole designer. Citterio, who is widely known as the most influential figure in modern Italian design, debuted a collection in 1996 inspired by French design of the interwar period while interpreting contemporary aesthetic trends.
For Citterio, Maxalto became a production workshop in which to research and manufacture a collection of modern neo-classics. Neo-classics because they were filtered, in terms of form and finishes, through the contemporary eyes of an Italian architect, and modern because they were designed to provide comfortable solutions for the home where furniture and objects interact fluidly.
Don't miss: 12 Stylish Striped Furnishings from Fendi Casa, B&B Italia, Kelly Wearstler and More Designer Brands
Above Lucrezia
Soft is named
for its newly
rounded form
Lucrezia Soft is named for its newly rounded form
1 / 1
PERSONAL SPACE
For 2021, Maxalto pays homage to Citterio’s initial Déco ideal. The collection features a coherent update recreated in its colour tones, dimensions, materials and models.
Its original natural feel is reimagined in new colour schemes: the light tones of untreated wenge and oak, the bronze and chrome metal finishes, the burnished aluminium of certain structures. The textiles in the collection are similarly inspired by the 1920s and the work of that era’s design icon, Jean-Michel Frank.
Above The Dives Soft
sofa is a new
design and
updates the
Chesterfield
The Dives Soft sofa is a new design and updates the Chesterfield
1 / 1
A precise re-elaboration of all models and their many variations, Citterio has integrally redesigned the existing typologies, rethinking the structures, proportions, details, functionality and use of the furniture and its components.
Whether it was redesigning classics like the Xilos table or the addition of new models like the Max writing desk, these pieces come together to create “rooms” of an ideal home as envisioned by a designer and a company, neither of which has ever forgotten their roots.
As the maestro himself puts it: “After many years of designing, I am confident that the outcome has been the creation of a range of products totally in line with and faithful to that initial scenario. Products which can freely roam the world and its homes, independent of their creator, having become a rich and varied reality in contemporary living which will endure with time.”
Maxalto is available at Space Furniture
NOW READ:
Home Tour: An Art Deco-Inspired Home With Tropical Accents
Mood Board: Luca Nichetto on Combining His Italian and Swedish Design Influences
Home Tour: A Modern Rustic Italian House Designed For Mindful Living
Jennifer Choo is Regional Managing Editor of Tatler Homes, covering architecture, interior design, and art across Asia. Based in Malaysia, she oversees regional content on luxury residential design and contemporary art collections. Legally trained but choosing to pursue her passion for design, she previously led notable design publications and worked as an interior stylist and art consultant for property developers, design firms, and private clients.
