Mid-Century Italian 751 Coffee Table attributed to Ico and Luisa Parisi for Cassina, 1960s

Italian Husband-and-wife team Ico and Luisa Parisi designed together and alongside each other in their studio La Ruota in Como, Italy. With a look that epitomized the modern Italian style of the 1950s, the pair created many classic pieces of design together, the most famous perhaps being the Model 813 Uovo (Egg) Chair for Cassina (1951).

Born in 1916 in Palermo, architect-designer Domenico “Ico” Parisi trained in building construction in Como between 1931 and 1935. The following year, he worked in rationalist architect Giuseppe Terragni’s office in Como, which marked the beginning of his professional career—which briefly turned to filmmaking in the late 1930s. Returning to his original vocation in design, Ico was a founding member of both the Alta Quota and Gruppo Como architecture groups.

In 1947, he married fellow designer Luisa Aiani, the talented former protegée of Gio Ponti. Also a member of Alta Quota, the pair founded their studio La Ruota in Como, in April 1948. Between 1949 and 1952, Parisi studied architecture under Alberto Sartoris at the Institute Atheneum in Lausanne, Switzerland. In 1952, he became a member of the Art Club of Milan. In 1956, he became a member of the Associazione per il Disegno Industriale (ADI).

Parisi designed numerous interiors, furniture (primarily in wood and metal), glass, jewelry, and architecture projects, both independently and with Luisa. Their studio was a meeting place for collaborations between established artists and designers of the day. Clients included Singer & Sons, Altamira , M.I.M. , Longhi , and Cassina. Ico, in collaboration with architects Silvio Longhi and Luigi Antonietti, designed the Living Room Pavilion (Padiglione per il Soggiorno) for the tenth Triennale di Milano. Resembling the form of a circus tent, the reinforced concrete and glass walls formed a spiral shaped living room. Parisi and his team dedicated the space to a large communal lounge with library and bar.

Featured in the prestigious Domus magazine, the Parisis were celebrated for their organic designs and interiors. The Parisis’ friend Gio Ponti famously wrote to Ico Parisi to say: “My dear, your egg chair is a marvel. You are a master, and all that is left for me is to retire and live in Civate [near Como] in oblivion.” The duo’s collaboration with Cassina was a fruitful one, resulting many other famous designs including the Model 691 Chair (1955) and the Model 839, which were both short-listed for the Compasso d’Oro award in 1955.

Luisa Parisi passed away in 1990; Ico six years later in Como.

Italian furniture manufacturing giant Cassina, originally named Amedeo Cassina, was founded by brothers Cesare (1909-1979) and Umberto (1910-1992) Cassina in Meda, Italy in 1927. Although initially specialized in bespoke woodworking and high-end interiors, by the 1950s the brothers took the company in a new direction, anticipating the growing demand for mass-produced home furnishings. Cassina is often credited with introducing industrial design to Italy and has built an international reputation for collaborating with some of the world’s most respected designers.

Notably, in 1964 (while famed architect Le Corbusier was still alive), Cassina signed the first exclusive licensing agreement covering the edition rights for designs by Le Corbusier, Pierre Jeanneret, and Charlotte Perriand. The company soon after launched the I Maestri Collection which over the decades has gathered major icons of design under the Cassina brand, such as the LC4 Lounge (1928) jointly designed by Le Corbusier, Jeanneret, and Perriand, as well as Dutch architect Gerrit Rietveld’s 635 Red & Blue Armchair (1918), Scottish architect-designer Charles Rennie Mackintosh’s Hill House Chair (1902), and many more.

With a focus more on partnering with the best designers rather than creating and maintaining a particular style, Cassina is responsible for some of the most recognized and beloved designs of the 20^th and 21^st centuries. Highlights include Italian architect-designer Gio Ponti’s Superleggera Chair (1957), German designer Konstantin Grcic’s Kanu Chair (2009), Iranian-British architect Zaha Hadid’s Zephyr Sofa (2013), and French designer Philippe Starck’s My World Sofa (2013).  Throughout its visionary collaborations with both design luminaries and cutting-edge experiments with new talents, Cassina has remained dedicated to the Italian design ideals of craftsmanship and quality, and the brand continues to excel in the fusion of industrial technology and artisanal production.

Cassina’s designs are included in permanent collections the world over, such as the Museum of Modern Art (New York), Vitra Design Museum (Weil am Rhein) and London Design Museum.

Cassina is now a part of the prestigious Poltrona Frau Group.

* All images courtesy of Cassina.