Mercury, the collection composed of an armchair and a sofa designed by the sculptor Rito Valla in 1961 for IPE, is back with a limited edition by Visionnaire.
Mercury was presented in its two versions, sofa and armchair, in 1961 on the occasion of the first edition of the Salone del Mobile in Milan, by IPE, a company founded in 1959 in Bologna by the brothers Pompeo and Vittorio Cavalli. Immediately recognized as an experimental company, it was the first to interpret a revolutionary system involving the use of polyesters molded around lightweight metal lattice structures in place of kapok, horsehair, springs, elastic cords and nails in the manufacture of upholstered furniture.
The company was able to adapt this engineering and new method of construction to soft, rounded shapes that were previously impossible to achieve, perfectly embodied by Mercury, the first example of this approach. Because of this unique characteristic, the few original examples remaining today have a very high technical and economic value. The contemporary style of the model convinced Visionnaire, a brand born in 2004 as a spin-off of IPE and which has become a reference point for the meta-luxury lifestyle, to repropose the model with the current polyethers and put it back on the market.
“Visionnaire’s products,” explains artistic director Eleonore Cavalli, “combine craftsmanship and exclusivity, becoming one-of-a-kind or very limited-edition collectibles. In recent years, our brand has increasingly focused on experimenting with the relationship between art and design and offering desirable products. Re-editing a legendary model designed by Professor Rito Valla seemed like a natural step, fully in line with the creative direction of the brand. The partnership with 1stDibs allows us to be part of the leading market for luxury collectible furniture.”