Cab Armchair standard size
by Mario Bellini from Cassina
cab armchair standard size
Design Mario Bellini, 1977
Steel internal frame, saddle leather
Made in Italy by Cassina
"Perhaps the most ancient item of structurally complex furniture is the chair. This may also be the reason why it is the one item whose essential image - four legs, seat and backrest - is the most deeply rooted in the collective memory. With Cab I tried to design a chair the way it has always been, though in keeping with the approach described hitherto I also considered the chair as a prosthesis and extension of the body. The result is a load-bearing skeleton with its skin stretched over it to elastically accommodate the human body." - Mario Bellini
Thus Mario Bellini describes Cab, a best-seller that he designed in the 1970s, which is now a signature piece in Cassina's I Contemporanei collection.
Cab was the first-ever chair to feature a free-standing leather structure, inspired by how our skin fits over our skeleton. The upholstery consists of sixteen pieces of saddle leather. Individually die-cut, they then undergo fourteen discrete procedures, again by hand. The pieces are sewn together only when their outer edges have been trimmed to ensure a perfect fit.
Once assembled, the cover is attached to the chair's steel skeleton and held in place by means of a zipper fastening, as in a bespoke tailored garment.
standard: 24.4" w | 20.5" d | 32.3" h | seat: 17.7" h
maxi: 26" w | 22.4" d | 32.3" h | seat: 17.7" h
Steel internal frame, saddle leather
Made in Italy by Cassina
"Perhaps the most ancient item of structurally complex furniture is the chair. This may also be the reason why it is the one item whose essential image - four legs, seat and backrest - is the most deeply rooted in the collective memory. With Cab I tried to design a chair the way it has always been, though in keeping with the approach described hitherto I also considered the chair as a prosthesis and extension of the body. The result is a load-bearing skeleton with its skin stretched over it to elastically accommodate the human body." - Mario Bellini
Thus Mario Bellini describes Cab, a best-seller that he designed in the 1970s, which is now a signature piece in Cassina's I Contemporanei collection.
Cab was the first-ever chair to feature a free-standing leather structure, inspired by how our skin fits over our skeleton. The upholstery consists of sixteen pieces of saddle leather. Individually die-cut, they then undergo fourteen discrete procedures, again by hand. The pieces are sewn together only when their outer edges have been trimmed to ensure a perfect fit.
Once assembled, the cover is attached to the chair's steel skeleton and held in place by means of a zipper fastening, as in a bespoke tailored garment.
standard: 24.4" w | 20.5" d | 32.3" h | seat: 17.7" h
maxi: 26" w | 22.4" d | 32.3" h | seat: 17.7" h
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Mario Bellini
Mario Bellini worked in urban planning as well as product and furniture design. He began as an architect after graduating from Milan Polytechnic. Some notable works are business machines for Olivetti, the "cab" chair for Cassina, furniture for B&B Italia and Vitra. His design work expanded to TV sets for Brionvega, stereos for Yamaha and a 5-year stint as an automobile design consultant for Renault, Fiat and Lancia cars.
Cassina blends traditional skills with meticulous attention to detail. Passion, uniqueness, experimentation, wellbeing and sustainability are core values.