My own private Italy: EMU

EMU, specialists for life under the open sky, have been bringing a taste of the Italian lifestyle into the outdoor areas of the world for almost 70 years.

By EMU Group, Studio Massaud, Studio Sebastian Herkner and

May 12, 2019 | 10:00 pm CUT

EMU’s Riviera collection is designed by Lucidi/Pevere. It consists of a chair, small armchair, lounger and stool and is made of welded tubular steel, demonstrating the company’s skill in metalworking

EMU is a furniture company with a mission to encourage everyone to appreciate outdoor living, a concept that is so intrinsic to the Italian culture. EMU began as a family business almost 70 years ago, when twins Aldo and Angelo Biscarini, together with their brother-in-law Dante Menconi, set out to produce well-designed metal furniture for outdoors, conceived to be instantly recognisable, using the most innovative manufacturing processes. Its founders wanted EMU’s product range to enhance outside spaces, whether that was at home or in a commercial setting, whatever the interior style or wherever in the world it was.

“The obsessive attention to detail and the materials’ exclusive protection treatments make our product designs ideal both for indoors and outdoors spaces”, says Stefano Zajotti, EMU’s Design&Communications Manager. Steel used in EMU’s furniture undergoes an anti-corrosive process, so it can withstand the elements, while aluminium is treated in a similar way and is also powder coated. Its special EMU-Tex fabric is highly durable, able to withstand UV rays, humidity and sudden changes in temperature.

Top: The Mia collection of tables and chairs is suitable for either indoor or outdoor spaces. Above: Heaven is one of EMU’s best selling collections of steel chairs and tables

The company manufactures its furniture in Marsciano, an industrial town in the region of Umbria, famous for its rolling hills and lush, green valleys, with some phases of production in ancillary companies as an integrated network, as Mr Zajotti goes on to explain. “All production processes are managed inside the company from inspecting the raw materials to the tube cutting, bending and welding, in order to check the assembled product before the coating process and the approval of the finished product.”

In order to put its philosophy about stylish outdoor living into practice, EMU has realised a Design&Simulation Centre at its Marsciano headquarters, which is the work of designer Andrea Pascucci. This reinforced concrete building is partially clad in expanded metal, as is the adjacent office block. This serves as a reminder of a material traditionally used for EMU products.

Top: At the 2019 Salone del Mobile, EMU presented new collections among them Carousel by Sebastian Herkner. Middle: It celebrated fifty years of its classic Rio chair. Above: The Como chair hints at a classic shape and is for residential settings

The Design&Simulation Centre replicates both residential and contract settings with relaxing and living areas as well as verandas and outdoor spaces. Indoor areas are connected with the outdoors, thanks to large expanses of glazing to give unobstructed views and bring the outside in. Here EMU’s product range can be shown in different contexts and the centre serves as a place for the company’s sales teams to show its customers how its products look and perform in a real-life setting, as opposed to a showroom. It is also somewhere to inspire EMU’s research and development department, where technicians and designers alike can continuously develop processes and products.

“EMU was the first outdoor furniture company to draw on the creativity of internationally renowned designers,” adds Mr Zajotti. These include Christophe Pillet, Jean Nouvel, Jean Marie Massaud, Patricia Urquiola, Paola Navone and Sebastian Herkner.

Working with budding young talent is also important to EMU. At the Salone del Mobile in 2019, the company worked with young designer Sebastian Herkner on the Carousel collection, which has an aluminium structure, a plastic fabric element making it easily adjustable and an upholstered seat and back.

EMU has strong Italian roots and has had its headquarters in Marsciano in Umbria for nearly 70 years. The company has always had a focus on producing stylish steel and aluminium outdoor furniture that uses innovative manufacturing techniques

The company also worked for the first time with young design duo Meneghello Paolelli Associati to create Re-Wood seats. This collection of five pieces, a chair, two types of armchair, and a two and three seater sofa consists of a bamboo fibre frame, with an aluminium structure and represents a real breakthrough in outdoor furniture production.

At the Salone, EMU also presented the dining area of industrial designers Angeletti and Ruzza’s new Como collection. “The new collections received a lot of interest but particular attention was also paid to the famous RIO chair, designed by Emanuel Gargano and Anton Crystel, which celebrates its 50th anniversary and has been produced in over 8 million pieces,” says Mr Zajotti.

In a balance between classic design, new collaborations and constantly evolving manufacturing techniques, EMU’s products ensure comfort and aesthetics, so that people can enjoy all the benefits of being outside.

Project Gallery

Related Products

EMU Group

Heaven Chair | 485

1 Variant

EMU Group

Heaven Armchair | 486

1 Variant

Related Brands

EMU Group

Manufacturer

Marsciano, Italy