{"id":51224,"date":"2025-06-22T18:30:26","date_gmt":"2025-06-22T16:30:26","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/hartdesignselection.com\/?p=51224"},"modified":"2025-09-03T22:49:30","modified_gmt":"2025-09-03T20:49:30","slug":"iconic-maralunga-sofa-by-vico-magistretti","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/hartdesignselection.com\/en\/iconic-maralunga-sofa-by-vico-magistretti\/","title":{"rendered":"Iconic Maralunga Sofa by Vico Magistretti"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Design:<\/strong> Vico Magistretti
Manufacturer:<\/strong> Cassina, 1973<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n\n\n\n

The Softer Revolution<\/em><\/em><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Some designs don\u2019t arrive with noise. They slip into the world quietly \u2014 intuitive, tactile, perfectly timed.
The Maralunga<\/strong> sofa, designed by Vico Magistretti<\/strong> and produced by Cassina<\/strong> in 1973, is one of them. Softly shaped, surprisingly smart, and emotionally intelligent, it became an instant icon \u2014 and redefined the future of comfort.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

At first glance, Maralunga is almost modest: low arms, plush cushions, a slouched profile. But inside that softness hides a radical idea.
It was the first sofa in design history with an adjustable backrest<\/strong>, allowing each sitter to change the angle of their head and posture, independently. A revolutionary feature \u2014 hidden in plain sight.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n\n\n\n

A Bicycle Chain, a Garden Hose, and a Brilliant Accident<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

The story of Maralunga\u2019s invention is design legend.
During prototyping, a Cassina executive was reportedly so frustrated with the backrest that he punched it<\/strong>, breaking it downwards. Where others saw failure, Magistretti saw potential.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Using a combination of a bicycle chain and a rubber garden hose<\/strong>, he developed a mechanism that allowed the backrest to be folded up or down by a simple push. This solution \u2014 brilliantly basic, entirely intuitive \u2014 became the defining feature of the sofa.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It was a moment of pure creative thinking: turning a defect into innovation. Turning softness into structure. Turning frustration into one of the most important design gestures of the 20th century.<\/p>\n\n\n

\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n
\n\n\n\n

Quiet Form, Deep Function<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Trained as an architect, Magistretti was a master of proportion, and it shows. The silhouette of Maralunga is never showy, but always right.
He once said he wanted to create something \u201cwhere one can feel totally at ease.\u201d That comfort wasn\u2019t only physical \u2014 it was emotional.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Maralunga isn\u2019t an object that demands attention. It\u2019s one that earns affection. It adapts, lives with you, grows with your interior. It ages well \u2014 precisely because it wasn\u2019t trying to be trendy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n\n\n\n

Timeless by Design<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

The Maralunga won the Compasso d\u2019Oro<\/strong> in 1979 and has remained in production ever since. It has been reissued in new dimensions (Maralunga 40<\/strong>, Maralunga Maxi<\/strong>) and new materials, yet its essence has never changed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Today, it\u2019s seen not only as a comfort icon, but as a masterclass in design thinking: user-centered, invention-led, built to last.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\n\n\n\n

Why HART Loves It<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Because it whispers rather than shouts.
Because it\u2019s proof that innovation doesn\u2019t need spectacle.
It becomes presence. Memory. Culture.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Who made it ?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Cassina is the brand that is still making this sofa.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Design: Vico MagistrettiManufacturer: Cassina, 1973 The Softer Revolution Some designs don\u2019t arrive with noise. They slip into the world quietly \u2014 intuitive, tactile, perfectly timed.The Maralunga sofa, designed by Vico Magistretti and produced by Cassina in 1973, is one of them. Softly shaped, surprisingly smart, and emotionally intelligent, it became an instant icon \u2014 and…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":50870,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_kad_blocks_custom_css":"","_kad_blocks_head_custom_js":"","_kad_blocks_body_custom_js":"","_kad_blocks_footer_custom_js":"","_kad_post_transparent":"","_kad_post_title":"","_kad_post_layout":"","_kad_post_sidebar_id":"","_kad_post_content_style":"","_kad_post_vertical_padding":"","_kad_post_feature":"","_kad_post_feature_position":"","_kad_post_header":false,"_kad_post_footer":false,"_kad_post_classname":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[165],"tags":[442,373,377,211],"class_list":["post-51224","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-furniture-en","tag-annees-60","tag-canape-design-haut-de-gamme","tag-couch","tag-italian-design-en"],"taxonomy_info":{"category":[{"value":165,"label":"Furniture"}],"post_tag":[{"value":442,"label":"Ann\u00e9es 60"},{"value":373,"label":"Canape Design"},{"value":377,"label":"High End Sofa Design"},{"value":211,"label":"Italian design"}]},"featured_image_src_large":["https:\/\/hartdesignselection.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/sofa-maralunga-white-3-places-hart-design-selection-1024x683.jpg",1000,667,true],"author_info":{"display_name":"C\u00e9line Vanier","author_link":"https:\/\/hartdesignselection.com\/en\/author\/admin2836\/"},"comment_info":0,"category_info":[{"term_id":165,"name":"Furniture","slug":"furniture-en","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":165,"taxonomy":"category","description":"Essential to any refined interior, furniture bridges function, design, and lifestyle. HART highlights high-end furniture crafted in France and beyond\u2014sculptural seating, statement tables, bespoke storage, limited editions, and gallery pieces. From iconic lines to contemporary creations, each piece expresses exceptional craftsmanship and a lasting design vision.","parent":203,"count":12,"filter":"raw","cat_ID":165,"category_count":12,"category_description":"Essential to any refined interior, furniture bridges function, design, and lifestyle. HART highlights high-end furniture crafted in France and beyond\u2014sculptural seating, statement tables, bespoke storage, limited editions, and gallery pieces. From iconic lines to contemporary creations, each piece expresses exceptional craftsmanship and a lasting design vision.","cat_name":"Furniture","category_nicename":"furniture-en","category_parent":203}],"tag_info":[{"term_id":442,"name":"Ann\u00e9es 60","slug":"annees-60","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":442,"taxonomy":"post_tag","description":"Ann\u00e9es 1960: explosion du design Pop et Radical, des couleurs vives et des nouvelles mati\u00e8res qui r\u00e9volutionnent les int\u00e9rieurs.","parent":0,"count":14,"filter":"raw"},{"term_id":373,"name":"Canape Design","slug":"canape-design-haut-de-gamme","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":373,"taxonomy":"post_tag","description":"Qu\u2019il soit sculptural, modulaire ou enveloppant, le canap\u00e9 reste une pi\u00e8ce ma\u00eetresse du salon. HART explore les grandes ic\u00f4nes du design, les nouveaut\u00e9s, les cr\u00e9ateurs visionnaires et les tendances qui r\u00e9inventent cet \u00e9l\u00e9ment central du confort et de l\u2019esth\u00e9tique.","parent":0,"count":5,"filter":"raw"},{"term_id":377,"name":"High End Sofa Design","slug":"couch","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":377,"taxonomy":"post_tag","description":"Whether sculptural, modular or cocooning, the sofa is the heart of the living room. HART explores design icons, new collections, visionary creators and trends redefining this symbol of comfort and aesthetic balance.","parent":0,"count":4,"filter":"raw"},{"term_id":211,"name":"Italian design","slug":"italian-design-en","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":211,"taxonomy":"post_tag","description":"","parent":0,"count":14,"filter":"raw"}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/hartdesignselection.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/51224","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/hartdesignselection.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/hartdesignselection.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hartdesignselection.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hartdesignselection.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=51224"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/hartdesignselection.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/51224\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":51225,"href":"https:\/\/hartdesignselection.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/51224\/revisions\/51225"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hartdesignselection.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/50870"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/hartdesignselection.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=51224"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hartdesignselection.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=51224"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hartdesignselection.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=51224"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}