Everything started with a punch, launched by Cesare Cassina against a prototype sofa that just did not convince him. And it was such the impetus that the back of the sofa folded. That sofa, which will never go into production, was designed by Vico Magistretti, and inspired the Maralunga, one of the most imitated upholstered furniture in the history of design, a forerunner of all the adjustable back sofas that they would come later.

Maralunga by Cassina

It was 1973 and Magistretti brought innovation in a sector, that of upholstery, as well, in those years, had made Michel Ducaroy with Togo for Ligne Roset , Mario Bellini with Camaleonda for B&B Italia  and also Afra and Tobia Scarpa with the Soriana for Cassina . It was therefore an era of change for the sofa, and Magistretti stands out because it brings a discreet innovation, which affects not only the lines but also the possibilities of use and adaptation of the sofa itself. Not surprisingly, in 1979, Maralunga was awarded with the Compasso d'oro.

Maralunga by Cassina

"I do not think of designing furniture and things that will have a short life, otherwise I would give up at the start. I never made cardboard furniture or other material destined to deteriorate. In my opinion, a good design must never end, but it tends to repeat itself over a very long period of time and will remain valid even in a hundred years ". This was how Magistretti defined the good quality design and the Maralunga sofa is a testimony, since, almost 50 years after its conception, it is not dated, in materials, functionality and style.

Nuvola by Cassina

The collaboration between Magistretti and Cassina was, after all, among the most important in the Italian design scene of those years, it also resulted from the Nuvola bookcase (in 1977, in the picture) and the 905 chair (in 1964): iconic furniture, on which to rely on to create a functional and stylish interior.

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