Veleiro Bookcase in Black Stained Wood by Franco Albini for Cassina

Bookcase designed by Franco Albini in 1940. Relaunched in 2011-19. Manufactured by Cassina in Italy. Defying the laws of physics, going beyond what we normally understand by the conditions of equilibrium, this bookcase is nothing short of a manifesto for Cassina’s design and construction capabilities. After a lengthy period of research and development, ably assisted by state-of-the-art technology, the company’s designers created a production prototype of the original 1940 piece that architect Franco Albini made as a one-off for his Milan home. Respecting the authentic underlying concept of the design, with its compelling experimental feel, as well as its surprisingly spare, linear looks, today’s model preserves the minimal ideal of the original: a feeling of air and light so that the books and objects seem to float free. Thus does Cassina restore to the contemporary world of design one of its most emblematic artefacts, a piece that has acquired the status of a work of art, as magical now as it was when it was first seen. Important information regarding images of products: Please note that some of the images show other colors and variations of the model, these images are only to present interior design proposals. The item that is selling is on the first image. Important information regarding color(s) of products: Actual colors may vary. This is due to the fact that every computer monitor, laptop, tablet and phone screen has a different capability to display colors and that everyone sees these colors differently. We try to edit our photos to show all of our products as life-like as possible, but please understand the actual color may vary slightly from your monitor About the designer: Minimal in form from concept to design, Albini’s furniture emerged from a traditional Italian craftsmanship practice. Using artisanal materials such as woven cane for the design of some of his most seminal works, such as the Margherita and Gala chairs, Albini applied a modern aesthetic to the design and construction of his products. Trained under the apprenticeship of famed Italian furniture designer Gio Ponti, Albini got his start with the design of a radio encased in glass revealing the inner mechanisms of the device. His later works developed from this tension between usability and style, and including products such as the Fiorenza, Luisa and Rocking chaise. Albini was also a celebrated architect working on important architectural projects in Italy such as the Rome Rinascente building and Milan subway stations. About the manufacturer: In a continuing dialogue between past, present, and future, Cassina has created the I Maestri collection, revisiting furnishing designs by the 20th century’s best-known architects, including Le Corbusier, Pierre Jeanneret, Charlotte Perriand, Charles Rennie Mackintosh, Gerrit Thomas Rietveld, Franco Albini, Frank Lloyd Wright and Marco Zanuso. While the designs and functional concepts have been precisely preserved, the models have been manufactured using evolved technology. This is also the company that has manufactured iconic pieces of contemporary design from the 1950s to the present day, ideated by some of the most important international designers. Today Cassina continues to look to the future of design with audacious, passionate curiosity and an open, holistic approach. It affirms its exclusive ability to furnish a home’s living and dining spaces completely and iconically with The Cassina Perspective: a concept, a philosophy, an informed, futuristic thought. A detailed, expansive horizon of combinations; when placed together, the products have an innovative soul and the modern icons create authentic, welcoming, personal atmospheres involved in a conversation dominated by a code of design excellence, formal sensitive awareness, solidity and cultural authority.