Veliero Bookcase by Franco Albini

Veliero

Design Franco Albini

STATE OF BALANCE

The iconic Veliero bookcase re-invents the concept of balance, becoming the furniture poster child for the visionary work of Franco Albini. Given its flexible use, this double-sided bookcase with solid wood uprights can serve as a room divider, as a ‘furnished window’ with a view of fresh new scenarios in contemporary living.

SETTINGS

GALLERY

DESIGNER

PRODUCTION YEAR

2011

Defying the laws of physics, going beyond what we normally understand by the conditions of equilibrium, this bookcase is nothing short of a manifesto for Cassina’s design and construction capabilities. After a lengthy period of research and development, ably assisted by state-of-the-art technology, the company’s designers created a production prototype of the original 1940 piece that architect Franco Albini made as a one-off for his Milan home. Respecting the authentic underlying concept of the design, with its compelling experimental feel, as well as its surprisingly spare, linear looks, today’s model preserves the minimal ideal of the original: a feeling of air and light so that the books and objets seem to float free. Thus does Cassina restore to the contemporary world of design one of its most emblematic artefacts, a piece that has acquired the status of a work of art, as magical now as it was when it was first seen.

I Maestri

Franco Albini

He was a major figure in the Rationalist Movement, excelling in architectural, furniture, industrial and museum design. After receiving a degree in architecture from the Politecnico di Milano in 1929, he worked with the Ponti and Lancia design studios.is work for the magazine Casabella also played a key part in his development, marking his conversion to the Rationalist Movement and his becoming its spokesman on the Italian cultural scene.