Cassina stands as an icon of Italian design, and this year the company celebrates a milestone anniversary of great importance.
The “Amedeo Cassina” company was founded in 1927 in Meda, in the Brianza district north of Milan, Lombardy, by brothers Cesare and Umberto Cassina. In 1935, it became “Figli di Amedeo Cassina.” The Great Depression and World War II made its early years especially difficult, but in true Brianza fashion the company pressed forward and began to take root.
The turning point came in the 1950s, when Cassina entered the world of cruise ship furnishings. For the Andrea Doria - the legendary ocean liner of the Italia Navigation Company - the young Brianza firm produced more than 500 exquisite pieces, outfitting reading rooms, dining halls, and cabins. It was aboard the Andrea Doria that Cassina’s creations first set sail for the United States.
The Andrea Doria project also led the Cassina brothers to meet Giò Ponti, one of Italy’s greatest architects and designers, who would play a decisive role in the rebirth of Italian design after the war. This marked the beginning of a fruitful collaboration: for Cassina, Ponti created one of his most celebrated designs, the 646 chair, better known as the Leggera, followed later by the Superleggera.
In 1954, the first edition of the Compasso d’Oro took place - the award that officially marked the birth of Italian design. Cassina won its first Compasso d’Oro with the 683 chair, designed by Carlo De Carli.
The company’s success continued into the 1960s. After Giò Ponti came collaborations with a host of world-renowned designers, architects, and artists, from Andrea Branzi to Mario Bellini, from Rodolfo Dordoni to Philippe Starck.
Fast forward to today. Cassina, already looking toward its centenary, celebrates a major anniversary in 2025: the 60th year of production of its iconic pieces by Le Corbusier, Pierre Jeanneret, and Charlotte Perriand - designs that have become part of the company’s very DNA.
In 1964, Cassina acquired the worldwide exclusive rights for the serial production of their first four pieces, with production officially beginning in 1965. Since then, Cassina has been the only company authorized to manufacture the models of these three masters, working closely with the Fondation Le Corbusier, Pernette Perriand-Barsac, and Jeanneret’s heirs.
For Milan Design Week 2025, the four legendary LC models - the LC1 Fauteuil dossier basculant, the LC2 Fauteuil Grand Confort, petit modèle, the LC3 Fauteuil Grand Confort, grand modèle, and the LC4 Chaise longue à réglage continu - were unveiled in three new monochrome-inspired versions. These special editions preserve the aesthetics, proportions, and essence of the originals, but the tubular steel frames are finished in a glossy red, blue, or green, paired with lush velvet and leather upholstery.
Color is the centerpiece of this anniversary collection. The 2025 limited editions explicitly celebrate the importance of color in the philosophy and work of the three great creators. From their earliest projects, color played a vital role - from Le Corbusier and Jeanneret’s iconic buildings such as the Pavillon de l’Esprit Nouveau and Maison La Roche, to the furniture the trio first presented to the public at the 1929 Salon d’Automne in Paris.
Le Corbusier, beyond being an architect, was also a painter, constantly studying color. His exploration of chromatic harmony sought to create balance and visual unity, developing combinations that felt coherent and seamlessly integrated with their surroundings. Charlotte Perriand and Pierre Jeanneret shared this vision, applying the same sensitivity to furniture design so that finishes interacted with each other and with the spaces they inhabited.
In 1978, Perriand expanded this exploration with Cassina by introducing the first colored editions to the company’s I Maestri collection.
The 2025 anniversary editions reinterpret these masterpieces with a contemporary spirit, also emphasizing sustainability. The LC2 and LC3 armchairs are presented in a new “durable” version, produced with eco-friendly, circular materials. Cushion padding now incorporates recycled polyester fibers, while the foam elements use polyurethane with a percentage of bio-based polyols.
Cassina’s 2025 celebration of these iconic pieces - anchored in Color - brilliantly bridges Past and Future, Tradition and Innovation.
As Pablo Picasso once said: “Colors, like features, follow the changes of the emotions.”
