Indochine

Rigorous and poetic

Clean and soft

In addition to the new table versions (dining, two new low table heights and a bar version), the Mexique family is now enlarging with the introduction of two new stools available in two different heights, 45 cm. and 72 cm. The “en forme libre” seating, in solid wood, is highlighted by the lightness of the geometric frame of the legs. The product is suitable for residential and contract use.

Produced by Cassina until 2000, this chair has now been relaunched, the finishes and details having been updated from the original archive model. The sophisticated elegance of the frame, which features cylindrical legs and curved arm-rests, has been rejuvenated thanks to Cassina’s extensive experience in handling leather, not to mention the company’s high quality carpentry skills. The complex nature of this piece is expressed in a design that looks simple but fully reflects the genius quality of the original concept, a veritable masterpiece of the crafts tradition proper to Meda, in the Brianza area north of Milan, and known as MedaMade, the trademark registered by Cassina and a guarantee of utmost quality. The frame, in finest quality wood, bespeaks the perfect combination of the artisanal tradition and premier CNC technology, while the overall design stands out for the self-supporting seat crafted from one single piece of saddle leather, curved and slotted into the frame. The decorative stitching has been discontinued, while the rear of the chair still features the leather belt that lends support to the back and enhances its comfort quotient.
 

An icon of design and what has been dubbed MedaMade crafts mastery, the Leggera – its lines clean-cut refined, and versatile – adapts effortlessly to a variety of requirements and settings. It is now available in the normal version as well as in the one with armrests. A wood chair, par excellence, the Leggera marks one of the key points of the relationship, both in terms of design and production, which started in the 1950s between Gio Ponti, Cesare Cassina, and the Cassina company’s artisans. The experience and the crafts capabilities of Cassina’s carpenters were put to the test in addressing the challenge of lightening the chair frame – the ultimate outcome being the inimitable slimline Superleggera chair – concentrating on its essential lines while respecting its resistance and stability. The many combinations and contrasts in colour between the ashwood frame and the seat-cover keep the Leggera constantly up-to-date, as well as making it a perfect partner for any setting.

Chair “Superleggera” available in the following versions: frame in natural ashwood or lacquer finish in the colour white or  black with seat in India cane; frame in natural ashwood, white or black stained open pore ashwood with padded seat, fabric or leather upholstery; frame in bicolour white/black lacquered ashwood with padded seat, upholstered exclusively in white or black leather. This chair came to represent modernity in Italian design: with its new design standing as a model for Italy’s new industry. Superleggera was a “first” in terms of its design in that it stood for a moment of great transformation made possible by real collaboration between the designer and skilled manufacturers. The challenge was to reduce the triangular cross section to a bare minimum Ponti said: “ the more minimal the shape, the more expressive the shape becomes”.

Siège tournant, fauteuil
Revolving small armchair with polished trivalent chrome plated (CR3) or semigloss grey, light blue, green, brown, mud and ivory or black enamel steel frame. Available in two versions: with 4 or 5 legs. Back and seat cushion padded with CFC-free polyurethane foam and polyester wadding. Leather or fabric upholstery. An outdoor version is also available for this model.
Designed by Charlotte Perriand in 1927 for her flat in place Saint-Sulpice, Paris, this small armchair was first exhibited at the 1928 Salon des Artistes Décorateurs in the Salle à Manger 28, and subsequently at the 1929 Salon d’Automne, integrated within the collection co-signed by Le Corbusier, Pierre Jeanneret and Charlotte Perriand.

Curved lattice back chair, ashwood frame stained black. Seat cushion upholstered in a special fabric either green or beige.

A lightweight chair which takes its form, with graceful folds, from a single die-pressed piece of curved ply in natural or stained black oak. Due to the thin structure, it is advisable to limit use of the product in domestic areas. Designed in Japan in 1954 for the Synthèse des Arts exhibition this light stackable chair pays tribute to the traditional Japanese art of Origami with its delicate proportions and carefully conceived design: like a piece of paper takes shape with every fold.

Small armchair with backrest and seat steel frame and polyurethane foam padding. Available in American walnut, natural ashwood or ashwood stained black. Upholstery available in fabric or leather. Franco Albini spent fifteen years honing his design for this chair by increasing the thickness at the joints for every wooden part of the chair, the piece is one of the cornerstones of his design aesthetic. This frank new language transformed uncomplicated ideas into a new method of design winning him a Compasso D’Oro in 1955.

Siège tournant, tabouret
Revolving stool with polished trivalent chrome plated (CR3) or semigloss, grey, light blue, green, brown, mud and ivory or black enamel steel frame. CFC-free polyurethane foam and polyester wadding. Leather or fabric upholstery. An outdoor version is also available for this model. This stool is a version of the “fauteuil tournant” minus its back. It responds to diff erent uses and to a specifi c need: as the base is the same for both items, industrial production of the two is that much simpler.

Designed by Rietveld in 1934, this chair sees the normal legs-seatback sequence replaced by a single sheet of wood in an overturned Z shape. It was also one of the first examples of a cantilevered seat. The dovetail joints, visible on the rear between the seat and the back show off the quality of Cassina carpentry. In addition to the version in natural cherry wood, the chair also comes in natural ash and in a coloured version with an open-pore finish to show off the wood vein, featuring primary colours (red, blue and yellow) and non-colours (black and white) for the horizontal parts and natural ash for the side sections.

Ladderback chair, ashwood frame stained black. Seat upholstered in a special fabric, either lavender and oil green.
The Hill House chair combines figurative and symbolic ideals with a linear geometry, no doubt inspired by the abstract graphics of Japanese design. It is more than a mere chair in that it illustrates Mackintosh’s articulation of space with its high back and rows of horizontal bars, topped with a grid: with slats and straight poles crossed together to create a resistant frame.