By Gabriele
New appointment with the Design Icon of the Week dedicated to one of Marco Zanuso’s best creations: the Lady armchair.
Designed in 1951, the Lady is one of the most iconic armchairs of Italian design of the twentieth century.
Awarded with the gold medal at the IX triennale di Milano, it was immediately appreciated for its innovative features.
To date, it is produced by Cassina in the I Maestri collection, like other iconic pieces we have written about in recent months (Red & Blue by Gerrit Rietveld and LC4 by Le Corbusier among others).
As evidence of the value and global appreciation it enjoys, it can be found in museums all over the world, from the MoMa in New York to our Triennale.
Lady represented a turning point in the production of upholstery.
Arflex, a division of Pirelli opened in 1948, began to realize this wonder with a new production process borrowed from car production.
The parts were made separately and assembled later. Metal structure covered with flexible polyurethane foam, foamed inside a mold, solid wood armrests covered with polyurethane, and painted metal legs.
With the Lady was also introduced the spring, a plus in the field of comfort, obtained with reinforced elastic belts.
Thanks to the new material used, Zanuso has managed to sculpt new shapes creating an armchair with iconic contours.
So the Milanese designer about the innovations introduced:
“Foam makes it possible to revolutionize not only the methods of padding, but also its structural realization and its formal potential. Our prototypes have acquired an appreciable look and new contours with hitherto unthinkable industry standards.”
Its iconic shape, its sinuous and feminine shapes – also the result of an ergonomic study – have represented a point of reference and inspiration for furniture design from the 50s to the present day.
