Mario Bellini 413 "CAB" Chair for Cassina in Hazelnut Leather

Mario Bellini for Cassina model 'CAB 413', leather, Italy, designed in 1979.
 
The iconic ‘CAB’ chairs were designed by Mario Bellini in 1979. Conceptually new was the way Bellini uses leather to cover the whole chair in one monochrome layer. The red to brown leather is stitched at the sides in a precise manner and spans dynamically over the whole chair. A nice detail is how the back elegantly runs over into the armrests, developing in a delicate curved shape at both ends.
 
Mario Bellini (1935-) is trained as an architect and became one of the leading designers in postwar Italian style. In the beginning of his career, he worked together with Olivetti and Cassina which resulted in an early knowledge of synthetic resins and polyurethanes. His furniture is exciting, both in its use of material as in the originality of his designs. Bellini did not believe in precise boundaries of design, instead, he designed for the relationship of man and environment. It is impossible to pigeonhole Bellini's oeuvre, as his work is so complex and original.