Designer: Rodolfo Bonetto
Maker: Driade [ Italy ]
Year: 1970
Size: H 700 x W 710 x D 690
Condition Report: Good vintage condition. Surfaces show general markings with age, a few small chips to the gel coat in places and a few scratches that have been touched up over the years. No cracking or structural issues to the fibreglass, just aesthetic wear with age. Please reach out for detailed images of condition.
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The Melaina chair is a landmark of Space Age furniture design. Conceived at a moment when new materials and manufacturing techniques were radically reshaping domestic objects, Melaina embodies the era’s optimism through its fluid geometry, continuous surface, and sculptural presence. Its seamless monoblok shell reflects Bonetto’s background in automotive and industrial engineering, where ergonomics and structural clarity were paramount.
Moulded from a single piece of hand-finished fiberglass, the chair forms a deep, enveloping seat defined by soft curves and balanced proportions. The absence of visible joins or mechanical fixings gives the design a striking purity, while the generous bucket profile offers both visual lightness and surprising comfort.
Produced by Driade during the early 1970s, Melaina stands as one of Bonetto’s most iconic furniture designs and an enduring expression of Italian modernism. Equally suited to contemporary interiors or collector-led settings, it remains a powerful statement piece rooted in a period of fearless design experimentation.
Designer: Rodolfo Bonetto
Maker: Driade [ Italy ]
Year: 1970
Size: H 700 x W 710 x D 690
Condition Report: Good vintage condition. Surfaces show general markings with age, a few small chips to the gel coat in places and a few scratches that have been touched up over the years. No cracking or structural issues to the fibreglass, just aesthetic wear with age. Please reach out for detailed images of condition.
.
The Melaina chair is a landmark of Space Age furniture design. Conceived at a moment when new materials and manufacturing techniques were radically reshaping domestic objects, Melaina embodies the era’s optimism through its fluid geometry, continuous surface, and sculptural presence. Its seamless monoblok shell reflects Bonetto’s background in automotive and industrial engineering, where ergonomics and structural clarity were paramount.
Moulded from a single piece of hand-finished fiberglass, the chair forms a deep, enveloping seat defined by soft curves and balanced proportions. The absence of visible joins or mechanical fixings gives the design a striking purity, while the generous bucket profile offers both visual lightness and surprising comfort.
Produced by Driade during the early 1970s, Melaina stands as one of Bonetto’s most iconic furniture designs and an enduring expression of Italian modernism. Equally suited to contemporary interiors or collector-led settings, it remains a powerful statement piece rooted in a period of fearless design experimentation.
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