Molteni & C

Molteni was founded in 1934, when Angelo Molteni started a small artisan workshop, “Arredamenti di Angelo Molteni”, which in less than ten years became a real company with over 60 employees. The first opportunity to get noticed was in 1955, with the first “Mostra Selettiva – Concorso Internazionale del Mobile” in Cantù, when the chest of drawers designed by the architect Werner Blaser, a pupil of Alvar Aalto and assistant of Ludwig Mies van der Rohe, won the first prize . The real revolution took place in 1968, when manufacturing switched from classic to modern: the symbol of this change is the Iride chest of drawers collection by Luca Meda, introduced during the “Salone del Mobile” of the same year. In 1975 Molteni started the Contract Division furniture, realizing a series of international projects such as hotels and embassies in the Middle East, the Fondation Cartier and the Musée du quai Branly in Paris, the reconstruction of La Fenice Theater in Venice, the Condé Nast headquarters in New York, the offices and TV studios of Bloomberg and the new headquarters of the New York Times, designed by Renzo Piano. In 1980 Molteni began a partnership with Aldo Rossi, which lasted almost 20 years and which gave birth to design icons such as the Teatro collection by Luca Meda, the Carteggio desk and the Milano chair. Patricia Urquiola, Ferruccio Laviani, Rodolfo Dordoni, Hannes Wettstein and Ron Gilad are just some of the most famous designers that contributed to increase the international fame of this brand. Today the Molteni group is made up of four Italian companies specialized in the furnishing field: Molteni&C, home furniture and large realizations, Dada kitchens, Unifor and Citterio, office furniture.

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