Molteni&C Embarks On A New Chapter With Palazzo Molteni

Coming off its 90th anniversary in 2024, Italian luxury furniture and design company Molteni&C recently opened Palazzo Molteni, a breathtaking pavilion in the heart of Milan. Just steps from Piazza della Scalla at number 9 Via Manzoni, this historic seven-story building interiors were recently reimagined by designer Vincent Van Duysen for the modern era, tracing Molteni&C‘s origins in 1934 and growth thereafter.

First built in the late 19th century as the home of an art and design collector, the locale underwent a sweeping redesign by renowned Italian architects Giuseppe Mentasti and Stefano Lissoni in 1922, fusing Liberty influences and neoclassical elements. The most recent refresh reimagines the eclectic, roughly 32,291-square-foot space as neither a showroom nor a shop. Rather, Palazzo Molteni is a flexible location that expands the Molteni&C identity and values. Preserving the intimate character details typical of many buildings in Milan, Palazzo Molteni invites visitors to journey through its seven floors, each offering a different experience. The top two levels house the Molteni Galleria, which serves as part of the corporate headquarters and a space for cultural gatherings.

Thanks to its versatility, Palazzo Molteni is a place where aficionados can observe a grand, open showcase of Italian furniture and design, while simultaneously learning more about Molteni&C’s important influence on the industry.

Yabu Pushelberg Designs Elegant Outdoor Collection

Sway right this way! Interior Design Hall of Famers George Yabu and Glenn Pushelberg of Yabu Pushelberg debut an 11-piece seating system for the great outdoors whose elements can be arranged in an elegant interplay of shapes. Plush cushions with removable covers perch on slim teak platforms, the two elements clamped together by C-shape aluminum strips that also serve as pivots for the woven polypropylene-rope backrest modules. The Sway collection includes chaise lounges, two sofas, a corner module, pouf, and more. Teak coffee tables in three sizes round out the range, with ceramic and tatami-style woven-polypropylene textile inserts adding a host of decorative possibilities to the tops. Through Molteni&C.

Molteni&C Makes a Splash With Debut Outdoor Furniture Collection

The Italian brand dives into outdoor furniture for the first time and it’s all about liminal space. “I was inspired by modernism to recall the permeability and transparency between indoors and out, and that intimate con­nection with light and nature,” Molteni&C creative director Vincent Van Duysen says of the collection, which en­com­passes vintage reissues alongside newer releases. From the early 1950’s are two pieces by Gio Ponti: a rigid poly­ure­thane rendition of his wraparound D.154.2 armchair that can be customized in myriad weatherproof polyester upholsteries, and his D.150.5 chaise longue, now produced in solid teak, its precise angles accurate to Ponti’s original drawings. Among the more recent is Arc Outdoor, a cement-finished version of the parabolic 2009 table by Foster + Partners, and the Palinfrasca armchair in supersized woven bands of teak or EVA polyurethane, an all-weather rein­vention of a 1994 Luca Meda design.

Molteni&C Expands its Headquarters With a New Pavilion Designed by Vincent Van Duysen

What does the future of the workplace look like? For Molteni&C, the answer is constantly evolving. The brand’s headquarters in Giussano, Italy, just north of Milan, features a new hospitality pavilion by creative director Vincent Van Duysen—his first architectural addition to the grounds. The Molteni Pavilion, which sits within the Molteni Compound, expands the brand’s space by more than 15,000 square feet, reflecting its growth and global reach.

“We are proud to host within our compound a piece of architecture designed by our creative director, a new contemporary which is integrated into the historic site and signals the company’s new path towards the future,” shares Carlo Molteni, chairman of the Molteni Group, in a statement.

The Pavilion, which includes a new reception and dining area, builds on earlier site reconfigurations from the mid-1980s and ’90s, including the brand’s showroom, designed in-house by Luca Meda. Original midcentury details remain visible throughout the Compound, such as the façade cladding and window frames. 

“The expansion of the Compound represents the Molteni Group’s determination to provide an all-round holistic experience for visitors. The new annex areas bring a breath of innovation and modernity to the headquarters,” shares Van Duysen in a statement. The project “stems from the idea of creating a continuous dialogue between domestic and open spaces. This is why, in addition to the new Pavilion and the transformation of the existing ground floor, I wanted to place great value on the exterior,” he adds.

Visitors en route to the Pavilion encounter paths punctuated by dark columns engulfed in greenery—a collaboration with landscape architect, Marco Bay—while the structure’s concrete roof and ground-level platform anchor the space within its surroundings. With custom furnishings throughout, the new Molteni Pavilion emanates an elegant yet understated sophistication, showcasing the brand’s roots in Italy with an eye toward the future.