Bonacina Museum explores the heritage of rattan home furnishings

The 1st issue you understand at Bonacina is that rattan must by no means be mistaken for bamboo. To confuse them is a criminal offense at this relatives-owned enterprise, which can make furniture in the good former, not the hollow latter. The 2nd matter you learn is that, during its 134 several years, Bonacina has rolled out masterpiece following masterpiece, signed by a roll get in touch with of grandi maestri. And now, for the initially time, it’s doable to see them all, on lasting display in the Bonacina museum. 

Bonacina’s Museo Galleria Giardino 

The 600 sq m area is found at the HQ, in the village of Lurago d’Erba in Brianza, which has extensive been the heartland of Italian furnishings and design. It was listed here, in 1889, that 21-calendar year-old Giovanni Bonacina started off producing rattan furnishings soon after 1st coming throughout it in Milan. So began a rich background of innovation that has spanned four generations, world wide income and a seat in lots of a stately household, from The White Residence to the palazzi of the Agnellis and the Rothschilds.

For the museum, fourth era entrepreneurs Mario Bonacina and his wife Antonia plundered the 1,000-piece archive for prototypes and patterns dating back again more than 100 years. All the stars are there Franco Albini’s ‘Margherita’ and ‘Gala’ armchairs, developed in 1951 Joe Colombo’s 1964 ‘Nastro’ armchair Giovanni Travasa’s ‘Palla’ (1966), which will take the sort of a ball crushed by a fist. These, together with under no circumstances-witnessed-just before is effective from the likes of Raffaella Crespi, Gianfranco Frattini, Ico Parisi and Gio Ponti, reveal Bonacina’s daring plastics and metals, not sustainable, pure elements, dominated the midcentury structure agenda. But Bonacina’s loyalty to rattan compensated off, and items from this era are in many a museum’s long-lasting selection.   

The HQ, created in 1969 by Italian architect Lorenzo Forges Davanzati, has constantly been a showroom also, and elsewhere, outdated and new sit facet by facet. Present-day items by Piero Lissoni, Francesco Bettoni and other folks occur in water resistant products – a new frontier – and upstairs, the Decor collection is the outcome of Mario Bonacina’s experiments and collaborations with the likes of Renzo Mongiardino and Mattia Bonetti.

The entire spouse and children was associated in the renovation of the HQ, which presents an extraordinary overview of Bonacina’s skills. ‘A fil rouge of eclecticism is mirrored in every single solution,’ states Antonia. ‘The very same hands, the exact components, the similar good quality and the exact techniques. Variety lies in the creative imagination and eyesight of a stellar crew of designers and architects.’

1 of these visionaries is Francis Sultana. The London-based mostly designer has collaborated with Bonacina for 20 many years, and the pair want to rejoice. Their 20-piece capsule assortment, launching all through Salone del Mobile 2023, capabilities all the Bonacina logos: exquisite, resilient, and ready to stand the exam of time.