Dining Chairs by Carlo Ratti for Industria Legni Curvati, 1950s, Set of 4

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The set of four Lulli dining chairs, designed by Carlo Ratti for ILC Lissone in the 1950s, features black painted … Read more The set of four Lulli dining chairs, designed by Carlo Ratti for ILC Lissone in the 1950s, features black painted steel legs combined with a curved and shaped veneered wood seat and backrest.

At the beginning of the 20th century in Italy, industries specializing in bentwood furniture emerged, thanks to a license from Michael Thonet and the spread of the technique through International Exhibitions. The Ratti brothers from Monza stood out by using laminated wood sheets to create innovative furniture, also drawing inspiration from avant-garde art movements like Cubism, Futurism, and Abstractionism.

In 1919, at the first Lombard Exhibition of Decorative Arts in Milan, the Ratti brothers presented solid wood furniture as well as curved panel pieces using their own bending system called Telo, which allowed them to create complex, three-dimensional shapes without limits on thickness.

In 1921, at the first Salone del Mobile in Stuttgart, they gained international recognition by exhibiting solid wood and load-bearing plywood furniture with interchangeable covers. In 1939, the brothers parted ways: Mario stayed in Monza and founded Società Compensati Curvi, while Carlo moved to Lissone and established Industria Legni Curvati with his children and son-in-law.

After the war, both companies collaborated with prominent Italian architects such as Gardella, Magistretti, and the Castiglioni brothers, also producing technological objects with curved plywood bodies.

In 1954, a chair designed by Carlo de Carli for Cassina and manufactured by Carlo Ratti won the prestigious Compasso d’Oro award.
After Carlo’s death in 1961, the family continued the business, transforming the company into Carlo Ratti s.a.s., maintaining collaborations with young architects and driving technological innovation in bentwood furniture. This piece has an attribution mark,
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