Molteni – D.847.1 Gio Ponti desk

More than 70 years after its original design, the D.847.1 console table is reborn thanks to the Heritage Collection reissue project by Molteni&C, in collaboration with the Gio Ponti Archives.
As with all the projects in the Heritage Collection, careful study of drawings, photos and period materials has made it possible to faithfully reproduce the D.847.1 desk in all its details, bringing to light a masterpiece, inspired by the high level of craftsmanship in solid wood processing.
The desk is characterised by a top with curved ends, resembling an aeroplane wing, and a small drawer underneath with a rounded front - a real innovation, which was to become a hallmark of many Ponti products in the following years.
"This elegant and refined desk was modern in its profiles and proportions, which are both classic and innovative, in the play of curves and in the invention of an elegantly rounded drawer.”

Salvatore Licitra - Curator of Gio Ponti Archives

Gio Ponti

Giovanni Ponti, known as Gio (1891–1979), is considered one of the masters of Italian architecture, designer and essayist, among the most important of the 20th century. The architectural works that bear his unique signature are accompanied by a vast production of furnishings, as evidenced by the three houses, fully furnished "alla Ponti". Indeed, we recall those in via Randaccio (1925), Casa Laporte (1926) in via Brin and those in via Dezza (from 1957), the "manifesto" of his design. Gio Ponti, promoter of Italian industrial design, proposes mass production in interior design as a "sophisticated", economic, "democratic" and modern solution. Molteni&C takes care of a re-edition project of furniture and furnishings designed by Gio Ponti, some originally produced precisely for these private homes. After a long process of research, selection and study of prototypes the collection was presented on the occasion of the Salone del Mobile 2012, thanks to the collaboration and exclusive agreement signed with the Ponti heirs. Gio Ponti graduated from Architecture at the Politecnico di Milano at the end of the First World War, where he served on the front line earning some decorations in the field. In 1921 he married Giulia Vimercati, with whom he will have four children: Lisa, Giovanna, Letizia and Giulio.

Molteni

Molteni; Angelo Molteni, born 1912, set up his own business in Giussano, today in the province of Monza and Brianza, a furniture district. His artisan workshop soon became a byword for top-quality products.

The workforce of the Giussano business already numbered over 60 people. “Arredamenti di Angelo Molteni” was developing fast, less of an artisan workshop and more of a industry. 

In 1955 Molteni took part in the first “Mostra Selettiva – Concorso Internazionale del Mobile” in Cantù, with a design by Swiss architect Werner Blaser, which won the first prize. The chest of drawers, with a 3-fork geometric joint, was the first prototype of a modern piece of furniture.

In 1959 conquered a double podium at the Cantù Mostra Selettiva, with designs by Yasuhiko Itoh and Donato D’Urbino and Carlo Volonterio, two avant-garde bookcases.

The 60’s started in the best way, indeed, Angelo Molteni joined a group of entrepreneurs to promote Milan’s first Salone del Mobile, the highly successful furniture fair that made its debut on 24 September 1961.

This is the decade of the revolution: in just a few months, manufacturing switched from classic to modern, well-designed furniture suitable for mass production. Luca Meda, an Ulm School graduate, was the man of the revolution, his Iride storage units were presented at the 1968 Salone del Mobile.

Afra and Tobia Scarpa made their debut in Giussano and Turate. For thirty years they designed successful buildings and furniture, distinguished by highly refined details.

In 1975 Molteni&C enters the Contract world, with a furniture supply to Saudi Arabia, which will make it the undisputed leader of "turnkey" solutions.

In 1980 enters Aldo Rossi, a partnership that was to last almost 20 years, with highly acclaimed designs, such as the Teatro series with Luca Meda , the Carteggio desk, the Milano chair, the Cartesio furniture and the Parigi armchair.

In the nineties, Molteni&C communication evolved with the arrival of the Swiss graphic designer Felix Humm, who redrew the Molteni&C logo and created a new look for our institutional and commercial communication.

In 2003 the Gran Teatro La Fenice is inaugurated in Venice, rebuilt according to Aldo Rossi’s design, with the wooden parts made by Molteni&C and the following year Molteni&C , to support its international expansion, created the Divisione Imbottiti [Padded Furniture] and, within the space of just a few years, it has become one of the world’s leading manufacturers with designs by Patricia Urquiola, Ferruccio Laviani, Rodolfo Dordoni, Hannes Wettstein and Ron Gilad, just to mention a few.

In 2008 the distribution has extended beyond the Italian borders and became international. New stores dedicated to the Molteni&C | Dada brand have opened: about 600 stores worldwide including 40 Flagship Stores, also present in the most important international design metropolis such as London and New York.

In 2015, Gruppo Molteni celebrated 80 years in the business with an exhibition at Milan’s Galleria d’Arte Moderna, 80!Molteni. Curated by Jasper Morrison and with graphic design by Studio Cerri & Associati, for the first time prototypes and furniture made by all the Group’s companies narrate 80 years’ experience, quality and innovation. The exhibition has become the nucleus of the Molteni Museum in Giussano.

MolteniGroup.com is the Molteni Group’s new website address. Key words are storytelling, inspiration and the contemporaneity of the Molteni&C and Dada brands. Starting from April 2016 the Belgian architect and designer Vincent Van Duysen is appointed Creative Director of the Molteni&C and Dada brands. After the success of the Gliss Master wardrobe system the new partnership will focus on coordinating the brands’ image and retail concept.

In 2018 New York first Molteni Group "Lifestyle Store". The Molteni Group opened a new window on the world in the heart of Manhattan, at 160 Madison Avenue. The spirit of a unique, evolutionary project, in line with modernity and true to its own stylistic principles, designed by Vincent Van Duysen. This was the first Flagship Store in the world to combine the Group’s three brands: Molteni&C, Dada, and UniFor.