Italian elegance: B&B Italia and Luigi Caccia Dominioni

Among the pantheon of great Italian postwar architects and designers, Luigi Caccia Dominioni may not be the most well known, but he was nevertheless an important figure in the evolution of 20th-century Italian design. In celebration of the architect’s significant and wide-ranging legacy, B&B Italia is returning several of his key furniture designs into production, which will enable a new audience to discover and enjoy his inventive and expressive style.

At the beginning of April, B&B Italia announced that it has signed a licence agreement to exclusively produce and distribute a selection of Caccia Dominioni’s iconic designs, including the classic Catilina armchair; the ABCD and Toro armchairs and sofas, the Chinotto armchair; the Cilindro ottoman; the new outdoor seating system Nonaro; the tables and small tables Cavalletto, Fasce Cromate and Fascia spectate; and the lamps Poltrona, Base Ghisa, Monachella and Imbuto.

And, on the occasion of the Milan design week, the company presented an installation of Caccia Dominioni’s original furniture, along with photographs of key architectural works, in the frescoed hall of Milan’s famous Chiostri dell’Umanitaria, in order to celebrate Luigi Caccia Dominioni and display his cultural heritage. The exhibition outlined how the innovative Milanese architect helped to pioneer a holistic approach to architecture and interior design that began with the everyday needs of the eventual users.

Luigi Caccia Dominioni was among a group of architects and designers who established Italy as a centre for creative industry and manufacture in the period following the Second World War. As an architect, he was responsible for significant projects in his home city of Milan, including the redevelopment of Piazza San Babila near the city’s famous Duomo. He was also known for his furniture and industrial design work, and was awarded the Compasso d’Oro for important projects such as the C.d.o. Chair and the Super door. In 2008, he was honoured with the career Compasso d’Oro award for his outstanding contribution to Italian design.

In both his architectural and design work, Caccia Dominioni applied a pragmatic approach guided by his understanding of materials and industrial processes. His contemporary, the revered architect Gio Ponti, claimed that Caccia Dominioni does not furnish homes; instead, he “interprets them and expresses their personality”, giving “a value (of environment or space) to the sequence of rooms”. His furniture and products promote different behaviours through their carefully constructed forms and structure in a way that still feels relevant today. It is partly for this reason that B&B Italia has chosen to reissue some of these groundbreaking products.

The company’s President, Giorgio Busnelli, commented: “B&B Italia and Caccia Dominioni have distinctly different stories and styles, but they share an origin guided by a deep vocation to innovation and experimentation. These elements have produced iconic pieces that have made the history of design. Therefore, I am particularly proud of this collaboration, which will allow us to use the global network of B&B Italia to reveal to the world another symbol of Italian excellence and design”.

At the 16th International Architecture Exhibition organised by La Biennale di Venezia and taking place from 26 May to 25 November 2018, B&B Italia is the main sponsor of an exhibition presenting a series of themed interpretations of one of Caccia Dominioni’s key architectural works – the multipurpose building at Corso Italia 22-24 in Milan. The exhibition designed by Cino Zucchi Architetti is entitled Everyday Wonders/Meraviglie Quotidiane, and is located inside the Central Pavilion in the Giardini. B&B Italia’s support for the event represents the latest stage of its ongoing commitment to preserve and disseminate the output of this under-appreciated maestro, and will enable many visitors to the Biennale to join in Caccia Dominioni’s design adventure for the very first time.

© Architonic