La Danese Italian Domestic Goods Manufacturer

Advertisements
Itka table lamp, 1986 for Danese designed by Naoto Fukasawa
Itka table lamp, 1986 for Danese designed by Naoto Fukasawa

La Danese was founded in Milan by Bruno Danese and Jacqueline Vodoz. The company specialises in editing, designing, and marketing well-designed everyday products with a modern aesthetic. There were three significant focus areas: domestic and office products, artistic editions, children’s games and creative play stimuli. 

Formosa wall calendar for Danese
Formosa wall calendar for Danese

Designers employed

The company employed many well‐known avant‐garde designers, including Enzo Mari and Bruno Munari (responsible for much of its output), Achille Castiglione, and Angelo Mangiarotti. 

Works

Danese produced ceramics, wood, glass, plastic and children’s games. Amongst the most celebrated Danese products were; 

Tongareva Bowl 1969 designed by Enzo Mari for Danese
Tongareva Bowl 1969, designed by Enzo Mari for Danese
White Cubo Ashtray by Bruno Munari for Danese Milano, circa 1957, Midcentury (1stdibs)
White Cubo Ashtray by Bruno Munari for Danese Milano, circa 1957, Midcentury (1stdibs)
Canarie Desk Set for Danese 1958 designed by Bruno Manari
Canarie Desk Set for Danese 1958 designed by Bruno Manari

Exhibitions

The company’s history was celebrated in a 1988–89 travelling exhibition entitled Objects Danesi: profil d’une collection. Danese was sold to the French company Strafor/Facom in 1992, was acquired by Carlotta de Bevilacqua in 1999 and is now part of the Artemide group, which caters for a sophisticated metropolitan clientele.

Sources

Byars, M., & Riley, T. (2004). The design encyclopedia. Laurence King Publishing.

Woodham, J. M. (2006). A dictionary of modern design. Oxford University Press.

Design Store

Books| Product Design


More Italian Design

You may also be interested in

Jacqueline Groag Czech textile designer – Encyclopedia of Design

Jacqueline Groag (1903 – 1986) was a Czech textile designer and ceramicist. Born in Prague she studied in Vienna at the Kunstgewerbeschule during the 1920s. In 1937 she moved to Paris where she designed dress prints for Jeanne Lanvin, Elsa Schiparelli and others. She escaped to Britian with her husband in 1939.

Olivetti design standard-bearer – Encyclopedia of Design

Olivetti is an Italian office machinery and furniture firm, located in Ivrea, Northern Italy. Olivetti Lexikon, Poster 1953 For a large part of its history, Olivetti has followed the highest aesthetic standards in its business activities: architecture, interiors, advertising, graphics, corporate branding, as well as its manufactured products-office and computer equipment and office furniture.

More design articles

Leave a Reply

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.