Piroscafo

single units

Molteni&C presents a new version of the Piroscafo for the 30th Anniversary. A new facade lacquered in a warm Spice colour with eucalyptus interiors re-proposes a classic piece in a contemporary version without betraying its origins as a rigorous but functional piece of furniture.

Design Aldo Rossi
Luca Meda

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To find the genesis of this original domestic architecture we have to take a step back in time.

On a cold afternoon, two friends, Luca Meda and Aldo Rossi, are walking through the Fontivegge Centre, the headquarters of the Umbria Regional Council. The two friends were talking animatedly and suddenly stopped to look at the large green glass facade next to the former Perugina chimney, a true relic of industrial archaeology. It was the moment of intuition: take the building’s facade and transform it into furniture!

In a few months, their intuition became reality. At the 1991 Salone del Mobile, four large compositions were presented, two with a white façade and two in Prussian green, which stood out in the centre of the Molteni&C stand. In 1993, based on an idea by Luca Meda, at the Salone del Mobile, a gigantic Piroscafo, 13 metres long, complete with red and black funnels reproducing a real ship, welcomed visitors.

It was an immediate success that has now lasted for thirty years.

Design

Aldo Rossi

Aldo Rossi (Milan, May 3, 1931 - Milan, September 4, 1997) was one of the greatest Italian architects of the 1980’s. His Molteni Group collaboration marked his passage from masterful architect to an industrial designer. He created models and furnishings for the Museum of Maastricht, the Teatro Carlo Felice in Genoa and the reconstruction of the Teatro La Fenice in Venice. Aldo Rossi designed items that were destined to become icons of the 20th century.

complete biography

“Perhaps it is snobbery but the more I see the world, the more I feel being a citizen of it and the more I want to go back to the old way of things”

Aldo Rossi

Design

Luca Meda

Luca Meda wrote an important chapter in Italian enterprise history. He contributed to the design culture of the Molteni Group with great passion and dedication. He was an example of a perfect symbiosis between creativity, business, art and industry. This is something of a paradox for a designer who loves drawing and uses a pencil more than any other tool to describe and reinvent reality. Since the late 70's Luca Meda was dedicated to the design of ranges. He created furniture which became icons. With Aldo Rossi he created the Piroscafo bookshelf, the Zim chairs and the Ho armchair, the Vivette armchair, the Primafila sofa, the 505 programme and the Pass system.

complete biography