30 years of lightness, challenge and wonder with MDF Italia

Brand story by Alyn Griffiths
Mariano C. (CO), Italy
24.05.22

Since its founding in 1992, MDF Italia has worked with some of the world's best designers, creating furniture that has always responded to the demands of contemporary living.

MDF Italia celebrates 30 years as one of Europe’s foremost design brands in 2022. Photo: © Thomas Pagani

Italian furniture brand MDF Italia is celebrating three decades in business this year – an achievement that is testament to the company’s consistent focus on innovation, internationalisation and identity. Since Bruno Fattorini founded the company in 1992, it has worked with some of the world’s best designers and has scooped several awards for its groundbreaking products. A lot has changed in those 30 years, including the incorporation of MDF Italia into the holding group of the Cassina family in 2008, but the brand continues to deliver simple, timeless products that respond to the demands of modern living.

The company’s reputation for quality design is based on sophisticated and elegant products such as the Random bookshelves, Neil chair and Tense table. Photos: © Thomas Pagani

Lightness, challenge and wonder

Today, MDF Italia’s identity displays a clear focus on three key values: lightness, challenge and wonder. Lightness means concise and graceful forms that are reduced to their essence; challenge means constantly striving for progress and innovation; wonder means seeking out new shapes, materials and functions to create bold and surprising solutions. These three concepts help ensure consistency throughout a collection developed in collaboration with leading names such as Jean Marie Massaud, Piergiorgio Cazzaniga, Jean Nouvel and Xavier Lust.

One product that perfectly embodies the MDF Italia philosophy is the NVL Table created by Jean Nouvel Design. The pure geometric shapes, formal lightness and graphic lines of the mono-material table set it apart as a simple yet sculptural object with a bold character. Jean Marie Massaud’s Neil seating collection also epitomises the design approach that MDF Italia has adopted since its early years. Massaud says the chairs are based on the principle of ‘doing better with less’ and seek to balance comfort with structural reduction, lightness and elegance.

The Tense table designed by Piergiorgio Cazzaniga and and Michele Cazzaniga embodies the versatility and simplicity of MDF Italia’s collection. Photo: © Thomas Pagani

Sophisticated, contemporary designs

The NVL Table and the Neil chairs join the iconic products of the MDF Italia range, including the Tense table, Random bookshelves, Flow chair and Cosy sofa system. These modern classics are regularly used in projects around the world that require sophisticated contemporary designs. Looking ahead, MDF Italia is committed to continuing its pursuit of lightness, challenge and wonder through the development of new products that will complement and enhance the existing range. If the last 30 years are anything to go by, the results should be worth looking out for.