Molteni Group Remains A Leader In Design And Manufacturing Innovation

Eighty years into the business, the Molteni Group remains a leader in design and manufacturing innovation — a feat it has accomplished by sticking to the same principles of making furniture that would hopefully last a lifetime

- Marc Almagro

This year, Italian furniture manufacturer Molteni&C launched an important experiment in its wardrobe design, with the adoption of a new bi-fold door system. The experiment is important for at least three reasons: It incorporates clever yet unobtrusive technology that allows its wardrobe systems to retain the well-known minimalist profile; it relies on the collective expertise of Molteni&C, which has been in the trade for the past 80 years; and it is a system conceived and designed as tools for architects and interior designers to interpret new wardrobe spaces in radically different ways.

“You can now use it as dividers,” says Mr. Andrea Molteni, who heads the product development at Dada, a company that the family-owned Molteni Group acquired in the 1970s, together with Unifor, which specializes in office furniture. “They can use the doors to divide different areas; in fact, use them as doors for spaces, not just for cabinets,” he elaborates.

A Storied Legacy

Molteni&C’s storied legacy in furniture manufacturing has always been matched by its sustained interest in trying out new ideas and techniques in production. For instance, it was an early champion of design as integral to excellent furniture by collaborating with the leading designers of the day. In 1955, it entered the Mostra Selettiva – Concorso Internazionale del Mobile with a chest of drawers designed by Swiss architect Werner Blaser. The seemingly simple piece, with slim legs, an unadorned front, and a distinctive three-point geometric joint — a prototype of modern furniture — would win the top prize. Implicit in that win was the degree of Molteni’s commitment to fine craftsmanship applied to high-level design.