Incredibly lightweight and elegant, this innovative chair was designed by Gio Ponti in 1957 for Cassina.

Inspired by traditional vernacular chairs produced in the Italian town of Chiavari, Ponti used state-of-the-art methods to create this chair. Crafted from light and stable ash wood with a natural woven Indian cane seat, the struts forming the chair frame are slot together using Ponti’s own ingenious system.

Whilst aspiring to create the ultimate minimal chair, Gio Ponti was also committed to functionality and durability. In order to test the design, he threw a prototype from a four-storey building and was only satisfied when it landed intact.