MHC.1

Dresser | Prototype

Werner Blaser, 1955 - 2016

The first modem piece of furniture made by Molteni&C in 1955. designed by Werner Blaser and never put into production. won first prize at the “Prima Mostra Selettiva - Concorso internazionale del mobile” in Cantù. lts distinguishing feature is its construction. based on the simple triple fork joint. which recalls traditional Japanese architecture.

Design Werner Blaser, 1955 - 2016

“The intention was to make clear the essential nature of the structure even in the joints and demonstrate. to use a bold word, the art of joining ... A minimum of materiai and construction (system) creates a maximum of dimensions and proportions (types).”

(Werner Blaser)

Design

Werner Blaser

Born in 1924 and a student of Alvar Aalto, Blaser studied at the Illinois Institute of Technology in Chicago and in Japan. He opened his own studio in Basle in 1959 and for a long time worked with Mies van der Rohe, publishing various books about the latter’s architecture.
His chest of drawer won the Cantù "Prima mostra selettiva - Concorso internazionale del mobile", a competion designed to re-qualify the image of Italian furniture making. The jury included Gio Ponti, Alvar Aalto, Romano Barocchi, Carlo De Carli and Finn Juhl.

Complete biography

“I travelled widely in Japan and the details reflect the influence of that world. And since the competition was anonymous, the jury presumed that I was a Japanese designer, while I was actually from Basel!”.

Werner Blaser