HERITAGE PERSPECTIVES. Collection designed and coordinated by Antonio Citterio

Maxalto was established in 1975 to support B&B Italia in defining their precise role in the production of furniture with a strong artisanal content. By seeking the highest quality standards in materials and production methods, #maxalto aims at #design par #excellence - even the name, inspired by the term “massa alto”, which in the Venetian dialect means “the highest”.

After a first important collaboration with Afra and Tobia Scarpa, in 1993 #maxalto heralded a new era with Antonio Citterio as its sole designer, introduced by the creation of his first collection in 1996. Antonio Citterio’s work centred initially on the early twentieth century style and subsequently drew inspiration from the French #design of the interwar period, always finding new and effective ways of interpreting contemporary aesthetic trends.

For Citterio, #maxalto became a production workshop in which to research and manufacture a collection of “modern neo-classics”. Neo-classics because they are filtered, in terms of form and finishes, through the contemporary eyes of an Italian architect, and modern because they are designed to provide comfortable solutions for the home intended as a homogeneous, coherent environment in which furniture and objects interact fluidly.

Similar yet very different, the furniture in the #maxalto collection customises the home, its rooms becoming an expression of an entirely personal and unique lifestyle.

The brand’s products have never been tied to the latest fads and fashions, offering instead a wealth of variations of comfort, of conviviality, and of the home as a private, domestic environment with a social dimension.

The 2021 #maxalto collection opens with a re-elaborated style, recreated in its colour tones, dimensions, materials and models. What is proposed is a warm environment, with a lighter touch in terms of aesthetics; a coherent update, totally faithful to Antonio Citterio’s initial Déco ideal.

Underscoring the collection’s successful natural feel are principally the new colour schemes: the light tones of untreated wenge and oak, the bronze and chrome metal finishes, the burnished aluminium of certain structures. Highlighted are the warm nuances of leathers and fabrics, enriched by top quality stitching. The textiles in the collection, inspired by the 1920s and the work of Jean-Michel Frank, define a sophisticated, luminous ambiance, with textures and neutral toned designs easily combined with abstract black and white graphics.

A precise re-elaboration of all models and their many variations lies behind this collection. Indeed, Citterio has integrally redesigned the existing tipologies, rethinking the structures, proportions, details, functionality and use of the furniture and its components. For example, the structure of the Xilos table, redesigned to accommodate chairs more easily, and the Abseo table, made with a special folding technique that enhances the distinctive quality of the wood. And then, the variety of upholstered products, such as the Lucrezia and Dives sofas, presented in a new “Soft” edition. Finally, the Cuma table/ extendable console and the Max writing desk, a small jewel of the cabinet-maker’s art, are examples of the new models created.

The entire collection creates the idea of rational luxury, animated by the search for a candid, non-aggressive aesthetic for furniture and objects, not a mere change to the structure, colours, materials, but creating a sense of balance in every single piece and in the whole collection.

Tables, chairs, armchairs, sofas, beds, storage units are certainly functional objects, but together they create living spaces, “rooms” of an ideal home as envisioned by a designer and a company, neither of which have ever forgotten their roots. The ability of a long tradition of craftsmen, the intelligence to understand the evolution in living styles and what will endure and what must necessarily change, the capacity to constantly regenerate, form part of the DNA of this collection.

MAXALTO 2021 · HERITAGE PERSPECTIVES

Lucrezia Soft

Lucrezia, one of the most beloved sofas in the #maxalto collection, now comes in a new Lucrezia Soft version defined by generous padding and rounded forms.

The many elements making up the series of linear and modular sofas, available in two depths and multiple sizes, come in two versions. The first offers a plain seat cushion with a band and piping, the second a seat cushion with capitonné stitching.

Both offer two options as regards the back cushions: a more compact version with lumbar support, for more restrained, formal seating arrangement; and a softer version with down feather cushions, for a more comfortable, laid back look.

The upholstery, in fabric or leather, is enriched by refined “haute couture” detailing: faux leather profiles for the fabric versions, and refined “profile” stitching for the leather ones.

The Lucrezia Soft version with plain seat cushions may also be made to measure. All the elements may be customised in terms of width and depth, while preserving the product’s formal and comfort-related qualities.

Dives Soft

Dives Soft is a family of linear and modular sofas available in various sizes and in two seat depths.

The version with a narrower seat depth (cm.89) is distinguished by its armrests and backrest, which feature two different upholstery styles: smooth on the exterior and quilted in classic Chesterfield style on the interior. A sophisticated and refined detail to be enjoyed.

In the version with a wider seat (cm.104), the upholstery is entirely smooth, with soft down feather cushions making for an even more welcoming and relaxed looking sofa. Both versions share the same, soft and generous padding, for optimal comfort.

The upholstery comes in a wide range of fabrics and leathers with special couture details: decorative, matching or contrasting blanket stitching for the fabric versions, and elegant “envelope stitching” for the leather ones.

The feet are either covered in fabric or leather or available in a black shellac finish.

Abseo

A striking table, with an essential #design underscored by thick profiles and asymmetrical legs, making it a piece of furniture that dominates any room. Available in one square and two rectangular sizes (cm.160x160, cm.110 x 240, cm.110x300), the table now comes in a new version in semigloss Chilean tineo wood, a precise stylistic feature also found in other pieces in the collection, as well as in more classical natural wenge or brushed light, brushed black and grey oak. The special folding technique used to create it highlights the table’s refined workmanship, creating perfect continuity between the surface and the edges of the top.

Cuma

Practical, discreet, and suited to a variety of environments, Cuma is a starkly linear console table that can turn into a dining table for up to eight people. A simple mechanism opens and closes the top, performing its dual function with ease. The table comes in a single size (cm.260x45/90), in various wood finishes: brushed light oak, grey oak, brushed black oak, and natural wenge.

Max

A writing desk reminiscent of a classic bureau with a contemporary twist, Max is a small jewel of the cabinet-maker’s art. It stands out due to its extraordinary attention to detail, making it a precious treasure chest. The main features of this flip-top desk are the special X-shaped #design of the steel structure and the geometric #design of the drawers. The desk comes in one size (cm.124x50/90), in various wood finishes: brushed light oak, brushed black oak, and natural wenge.

Elios

Elegant and refined, the Elios coffee tables feature round tops in smoked glass back-painted black, combined with steel structures in bright chromed or bronzed nickel finishes. The tops come in two sizes, cm.86 or 120 in diameter.

Alcor

A series of low tables combining slender die-cast aluminium structures with beautiful marble tops. Available in one square and two rectangular sizes (cm.90x90, cm.90x130, cm.130x180), the tables can be customised in a wide variety of finishes. For the tops: Calacatta white marble, Marquinia black, Guatemala green and Sahara noir. For the structures: aluminium with a bronzed nickel finish, black chrome, graphite, or amber bronze.