Carlo Santi

CARLO SANTI (Italy, 1925-2004)
Pair of Santina chairs. 1972.
Black lacquered aluminum.
Orange velvet upholstery.
Edited by MYC-Gavina.
Measurements: 75 x 50 x 50 cm.; 40 cm. seat height.

Pair of chairs designed by the Italian designer Carlo Santi in 1972 originally for Zanotta and distributed in Spain by MYC-Gavina. They are a modern reinterpretation of the classic Thonet chairs. Two pieces of black lacquered aluminum tubing form a structure with inverted V-shaped legs and curved backrest. The seat has a black frame with rounded edges and is upholstered in orange velvet. The original design and colors give it a pop and casual aesthetic.

Carlo Santi studied at the Milan Polytechnic School during the 1940s, where he met Vittorio Borachia. Among other collaborations, the duo was involved in the lighting company Arteluce, which at the time attracted the most talented architects and designers due to the visionary and experimental approach of its founder, Gino Sarfatti. Later, Carlo Santi and Vittorio Borachia's spheres of interest shifted to urban planning, but from time to time they continued to explore lighting and furniture design, both as a duo and under their own names. Carlo Santi and Vittorio Borachia were guided by the logical and formal principles of the latest industrial techniques and materials and sought an essential elegance in their design, whether in plastic, wood or glass.