Cassina S.p.A

Cassina was founded in 1927 by the brothers Cesare and Umberto Cassina as the “Amedeo Cassina” in Meda, Brianza, Italy. Initially focusing on woodworking before expanding to modern furniture after WWII, the company made a broad range of modern furnishings. During the 1950s, the company collaborated with some of Italy’s top architects and designers, such as Gio Ponti, Afra and Tobia Scarpa, Mario Bellini, and Vico Magistretti. The company grew further with commissions for high-end hotels, restaurants, and cruise ships. In 1964, the “Cassina Maestri” collection was created, after the company attained the license to reproduce designs by Le Corbusier, Pierre Jeanneret, and Charlotte Perriand. These included the LC1, LC2, and LC3 armchairs and the LC4 chaise lounge. In 1968, the company acquired a license to reproduce designs from the Bauhaus-Archiv in Berlin, followed in 1971 with the rights to reproduce designs by Gerrit Rietveld, Frank Lloyd Wright, and Charles Rennie Mackintosh. They have continued to manufacture high-quality reissues of 20th-century modern designs and collaborate with contemporary designers. In 1972, they co-sponsored the highly regarded MoMA exhibition “Italy: the New Domestic Landscape.” The company was purchased by the Poltrona Frau Group in 2005.