Mid-Century Modern Italian Ashwood Chairs by Charles Rennie Mackintosh for Cassina, 1960s, Set of 2

Charles Rennie Mackintosh was a Scottish architect, watercolorist, and designer, who played an important role in the turn-of-the-century Post-Impressionist, Arts & Crafts, and Art Nouveau movements.

Born in 1868 in the industrial town of Glasgow, Mackintosh became interested in design and architecture at a young age. At fifteen, he enrolled in the Glasgow School of Art, where he befriended Herbert McNair (1868-1955), along with sisters Frances (1873-1921) and Margaret (1864-1933) Macdonald —his future wife. The foursome collaborated on designs for furniture, metalwork, and illustrations, developing a highly distinctive array of motifs, including abstracted female figures and swirling lines, reminiscent of illustrator Aubrey Beardsley. The aesthetic was deemed eerie (or “emo” in today’s parlance) by many of their contemporaries, who called Mackintosh and his group the “Spook School.”  History has redeemed them, however, and their penchant for romantic and refined stylization has since been renamed “The Glasgow School” of the international Art Nouveau style.

In 1889, Mackintosh became an apprentice at the architectural firm Honeyman & Kreppie, where he made partner in 1901. Using a simple and unique vocabulary of roses, geometric patterns, and attenuated lines, Mackintosh’s designs demonstrated a break from traditional Victorian architecture at the time—as he believed that architects should have the artistic freedom to design as they like. His inspiration came from Celtic and Japanese art, the Scottish Baronial style, as well as progressive art and architecture theorists, like William R. Lethaby (1857-1931), Charles Voysey (1857-1941), Richard Norman Shaw (1831-1912), Augustus Pugin (1812-1852), and John Ruskin (1819-1900). Mackintosh's architectural projects include the Glasgow Herald Building (1894) and several buildings for his alma mater, the Glasgow School of Art (1986-1909). Mackintosh was also famously commissioned by patron Catherine Cranston to design the Willow Tearoom interiors (1897-1917) and furnishings, which include the Argyle Chair (1897) and Willow Chair (1904). For his other patron, W.W. Blackie, Mackintosh designed the iconic Hill House Chair (1902), which was heavily influenced by Japanese design.

Unfortunately, Glasgow was not large enough to support the fame and recognition that Mackintosh coveted, so he sought out other places to work, such as Germany and Austria, where he was very well received. He was commissioned to design the Warndorfer Music Salon (1901) in Austria, as well as the Mackintosh Room at the 1902 Turin International Exhibition in Italy. 

Mackintosh died in London in 1928 unware of the impact his designs would bear on future generations. By the end of the 20th century, he had posthumously achieved his much desired fame. Today, he is recognized as a key pioneer in modernist design. 

Italian furniture manufacturing giant Cassina, originally named Amedeo Cassina, was founded by brothers Cesare (1909-1979) and Umberto (1910-1992) Cassina in Meda, Italy in 1927. Although initially specialized in bespoke woodworking and high-end interiors, by the 1950s the brothers took the company in a new direction, anticipating the growing demand for mass-produced home furnishings. Cassina is often credited with introducing industrial design to Italy and has built an international reputation for collaborating with some of the world’s most respected designers.

Notably, in 1964 (while famed architect Le Corbusier was still alive), Cassina signed the first exclusive licensing agreement covering the edition rights for designs by Le Corbusier, Pierre Jeanneret, and Charlotte Perriand. The company soon after launched the I Maestri Collection which over the decades has gathered major icons of design under the Cassina brand, such as the LC4 Lounge (1928) jointly designed by Le Corbusier, Jeanneret, and Perriand, as well as Dutch architect Gerrit Rietveld’s 635 Red & Blue Armchair (1918), Scottish architect-designer Charles Rennie Mackintosh’s Hill House Chair (1902), and many more.

With a focus more on partnering with the best designers rather than creating and maintaining a particular style, Cassina is responsible for some of the most recognized and beloved designs of the 20^th and 21^st centuries. Highlights include Italian architect-designer Gio Ponti’s Superleggera Chair (1957), German designer Konstantin Grcic’s Kanu Chair (2009), Iranian-British architect Zaha Hadid’s Zephyr Sofa (2013), and French designer Philippe Starck’s My World Sofa (2013).  Throughout its visionary collaborations with both design luminaries and cutting-edge experiments with new talents, Cassina has remained dedicated to the Italian design ideals of craftsmanship and quality, and the brand continues to excel in the fusion of industrial technology and artisanal production.

Cassina’s designs are included in permanent collections the world over, such as the Museum of Modern Art (New York), Vitra Design Museum (Weil am Rhein) and London Design Museum.

Cassina is now a part of the prestigious Poltrona Frau Group.

* All images courtesy of Cassina.