Born in 1920 and died in 2006, designer Vico Magistretti would have been 100 years old in 2020. To celebrate the 100th anniversary of the birth of this great master of Italian design, Fritz Hansen is reissuing the Carimate, an essential icon of Italian design. Respecting the original design, Danish design house Fritz Hansen brings its Scandinavian sensibility to the chair. A champion of formal purity, Vico Magistretti never stopped inventing pure, lasting design. Carimate speaks of the great Italian designer’s attraction to strong geometric and majestically balanced shapes. Its pure, stripped-down form is enhanced with subtle details. Combining wood and natural straw weaving, the Carimate armchair was created in 1959 by Vico Magistretti for a golf club in Lombardy. For the sake of sustainability, Fritz Hansen has decided to use environmentally friendly materials in this new edition. Natural straw, which was too fragile, has been replaced by extremely resistant non-GMO European linen cord. No less than 110 metres of hand-woven cord are required to make the seat of this armchair. The structure is made of FSC110-certified solid beech. To improve their comfort, minimal modifications have been made to the original model, on the seat height and shape of the backrest. Christian Andresen, head of design at Fritz Hansen, explains: “The Carimate is a special armchair with a lot of presence and personality. Vico Magistretti has made a modern classic with this design. This armchair is “strong” on its own or around a dining table.” Awarded the Compasso d’Oro on multiple occasions, Vico Magistretti is recognised for his simple, innovative approach to design. His work is exhibited in numerous museums and is part of permanent collections around the world.

In detail:

Variation : Natural beech / Natural seat

Brand : Fritz Hansen

Designer : Vico Magistretti

Type : Armchair

Colour : Natural beech – Seat: natural cord

Material : FSC-certified natural solid beech – Seat made with approximately 110 metres of organic, non-GMO, natural-coloured, hand-woven European linen cord on a plywood frame

Dimensions : L 58 x Depth 52.3 cm x H 76.4 cm – Seat: H 46 cm – Armrests: 62.4 cm

Weight : 19.8 lb

Characteristics : Created by the famous Italian designer and architect, Vico Magistretti (1920-2006) – Created in: 1959 / Reissue date: 2020 – Hand-assembled – Hand-woven seat with approximately 110 metres of cord – Made in Italy