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| Mattiazzi | |
|---|---|
| Name | Mattiazzi |
| Type | Private |
| Founded | 1979 |
| Founder | Mario Mattiazzi |
| Headquarters | Udine, Italy |
| Industry | Furniture |
| Products | Chairs, Tables, Stools, Seating |
Mattiazzi is an Italian furniture manufacturer founded in 1979 in Udine, Italy, known for producing plywood seating and furnishings with an emphasis on bending techniques and contemporary design. The company collaborates with international designers and architecture studios, supplying pieces to projects associated with museums, hotels, residences, and public institutions across Europe, North America, and Asia. Mattiazzi blends Italian craft traditions with partnerships involving figures from Scandinavia, the United Kingdom, and the United States, positioning itself within networks that include design fairs, biennales, and architectural practices.
Mattiazzi was established in 1979 by Mario Mattiazzi in the Friuli region near Udine, entering an Italian postwar manufacturing landscape shaped by brands such as Cassina, Poltrona Frau, and B&B Italia. During the 1980s and 1990s Mattiazzi expanded its profile through engagements with designers linked to the Milan Triennale, the Salone del Mobile, and the Venice Biennale, aligning with movements that included Radical Design and Postmodern currents associated with figures like Ettore Sottsass and Alessandro Mendini. In the 2000s the company intensified collaborations with Scandinavian studios influenced by the legacy of Alvar Aalto and Arne Jacobsen, while also working with contemporary UK and US designers whose networks intersect with institutions such as the Vitra Design Museum and the Cooper Hewitt.
Throughout its history Mattiazzi developed technical capabilities in steam-bending and composite plywood processes, echoing historical precedents from Thonet and the work of Charles and Ray Eames. The firm’s trajectory intersects with European design platforms including Design Miami, the London Design Festival, and Maison & Objet, enabling international distribution channels involving retailers and contract suppliers that serve hospitality clients like luxury hotels in Paris, Milan, and London.
Mattiazzi produces a range of seating and table solutions, including bent plywood chairs, stools, dining tables, and outdoor variants. Signature lines include plywood shell chairs reminiscent of classics displayed at the Museum of Modern Art and contemporary models that enter collections alongside works by Philippe Starck, Patricia Urquiola, and Jasper Morrison. The product range is positioned for contract and residential markets, marketed through showrooms that work with dealers such as Ligne Roset, Zanotta, and Knoll, and featured in catalogues alongside pieces by Marcel Wanders and Ron Arad.
The company offers customization options and collaborates with upholstery ateliers that have worked for brands like Minotti and Flexform. Mattiazzi’s pieces have been specified in projects by architecture firms such as Foster + Partners, Herzog & de Meuron, and Zaha Hadid Architects, appearing in installations alongside works by Daniel Libeskind and Renzo Piano.
Mattiazzi’s design philosophy emphasizes material honesty, craftsmanship, and functional simplicity, tracing conceptual roots to movements represented in museums like the Victoria and Albert Museum and the Design Museum in London. The aesthetic shows affinities with Scandinavian minimalism associated with Alvar Aalto and Hans J. Wegner, combined with Italian rationalism linked to Gio Ponti and Bruno Munari. Emphasis on bending plywood as a primary expression connects the company to practices celebrated by the Bauhaus archive and the Deutsches Museum.
The studio-based collaboration model invites contributions from designers who operate within networks that include the Royal College of Art, the Rhode Island School of Design, and the Politecnico di Milano. This cross-pollination produces pieces that seek balance between innovation and production feasibility, resonating with curators from the Centre Pompidou and the Stedelijk Museum.
Mattiazzi has commissioned and produced collections with designers and studios from Scandinavia, the UK, the United States, and Italy. Collaborators include designers whose projects have appeared in publications like Wallpaper* and Domus, and whose work is represented in public collections alongside names such as George Nelson, Eero Saarinen, and Isamu Noguchi. Notable projects include furnishing schemes for boutique hotels in Copenhagen and Amsterdam, seating for galleries that host exhibitions by artists represented by Tate Modern and the Guggenheim, and contract orders for corporate headquarters that engage architecture firms linked to OMA and Snøhetta.
The company’s pieces have been used in exhibition designs for institutions like the Royal Academy of Arts and the Museo Nazionale della Scienza e della Tecnologia, and in installations curated by critics from The New York Times and The Guardian.
Mattiazzi and its designers have received recognition at international trade events and awards juried by institutions including the Compasso d’Oro, the Red Dot Award, and the IF Design Award. Products have been shortlisted in competitions associated with the SaloneSatellite programme at the Salone del Mobile and acknowledged by juries that include members of the Design Museum and the Vitra Design Museum. Press coverage in ArchDaily, Dezeen, and Condé Nast Traveler has highlighted the company’s contributions to contemporary furniture design.
Company acknowledgements extend to procurement listings for hospitality projects accredited by organizations such as Relais & Châteaux and international design guides that include publications from Phaidon and Taschen.
The manufacturing process centers on molded and steam-bent plywood techniques, using birch and beech veneers sourced from European forestry regions managed under certification schemes such as PEFC and FSC. Production facilities near Udine combine CNC machining, vacuum pressing, and hand-finishing processes akin to those used by historical manufacturers like Thonet and modern producers such as Vitra. Finishes include lacquer, oil, and water-based varnishes compatible with standards referenced by EN and ISO norms for furniture durability.
Mattiazzi invests in in-house tooling and collaborations with engineering consultancies whose projects overlap with industrial partners in Emilia-Romagna and Lombardy, regions known for furniture clusters including the Brianza district.
Mattiazzi distributes through a network of dealers, contract suppliers, and international showrooms located in design hubs such as Milan, London, New York, Copenhagen, and Tokyo. The brand participates in trade fairs including the Salone del Mobile, IMM Cologne, and CIFF, and maintains relationships with contract specifiers who work on cultural, hospitality, and corporate projects in markets across Europe, North America, and Asia. Retail placements and installations often appear in curated interiors alongside brands like Molteni&C, Knoll, and Fritz Hansen.
The company leverages collaborations with galleries, dealers, and online platforms that feature curated contemporary design, enabling presence in curated retail environments and institutional procurement for museums and public projects.
Category:Italian furniture manufacturers