Magistretti practiced what he called "concept design," which "starts from a precise executive and functional concept. [That concept should be] so simple that it endows the object with its distinctive character." He rejected what he called "styling design," meaning the incorporation of useless decoration. Seeking to improve on traditional and functional objects, creating designs that appeared to have evolved naturally with technology, Magistretti’s modernist architectural designs were often deemed avant-garde.

SILVER

Magistretti's modernist approach carried over into his earliest product designs. A fascination with the possibilities of industrial production led to his realization of the first all-plastic chair. Magistretti continued to experiment with using contemporary materials to improve classic designs. His 1989 design, the Silver chair, pays homage to Thonet’s No.811 chair, trading its bentwood structure for aluminum, and its woven-cane seat for colored polypropylene. Available with or without arms, in indoor and outdoor versions, the Silver collection is the principal seating used at Paris’s Centre Pompidou.

RAFFLES

Raffles is Magistretti’s adaptation of another classic design: the traditional English Roll-Arm. This fully upholstered sofa is available in two or three-seater versions, its cushions filled with goosedown. Of its four wooden feet, the front two are fitted with swivel casters. Completely removable covers available in fabric or COM. Fixed covers available in leather or COL. Ottoman and armchair also available.

Vidun

Meaning “screw” in his native Milanese dialect, Vidun was Magistretti’s first table design for Italian manufacturer, De Padova. “Wood and screw,” he explained, “are like page and ink. The material, and the tool that transforms it.” Vidun consists of one or two oversized wooden screws which hold its thick glass top. Round or rectangular in shape, Vidun was included in the ADI's “50 Years of Compasso d’Oro” exhibit in 2006. Base in natural beech, black lacquer or aniline-stained violet/turquoise/green or red/yellow/amber. Height adjustable.

Flower

In the early 1990s, a young and ambituous Patricia Urquiola was placed in charge of new product development at De Padova. Magistretti, who was designing many works for De Padova at the time, recognized Urquiola’s talent and invited her to design a series of products with him, including their iconic Flower chair. Today, Urquiola, whose every work is a headline in contemporary design, credits Magistretti as one of her greatest mentors. With chrome-plated legs and a soft padded seat, the Flower chair's fully-removable cover is available in fabric or COM. Also available as a task chair.