Roots and Reeds: A Bonacina Family History
Rattan begins as a wild thing—climbing, twisting, unpredictable—until it meets the heat of human hands. In the book Bonacina: The Beauty of Rattan, this transformation becomes art, tradition, and a quiet revolution in material. More than a chronicle of furniture, it is a tactile history of how one Italian family has, for over a century, coaxed form from fibre—threading together memory, material, and mastery. From colonial outposts to Como workshops, from Gio Ponti’s sketches to the scent of steam in a century-old factory, Bonacina reveals rattan as a language fluent in elegance, durability, and the slow dance between nature and design. This is the story of furniture that breathes, that bends, and that, quite literally, sticks around.
Rattan sticks in the Bonacina studio. Photo Credit: Guido Taroni.
Today in Selvedge Stories, we invite you to enjoy this introductory extract from Elia Bonacina, from the published title Bonacina: The Beauty of Rattan:
I was born in the nineteenth-century villa built by Giovanni Bonacina, the patriarch of our dynasty. As was customary in Brianza at the time, the villa was adjoined to the company’s main workshop (ca’ e botega), so, right from the start, I experienced the sounds of the factory, the scent of rattan, and the dynamism of the company’s production. Inside the factory, I developed my senses of touch, sight, and smell, and, as I grew up, these became refined, enabling me to recognize every type of rattan, discern any aniline, natural, or lacquered color, and learn from our employees the art of taming rattan with fire to transform it into surprising new shapes. To me, at the time, it was like seeing Indiana Jones fighting with an anaconda—a feat of rare artistry every time.
Brando Bicolour Custom chairs, 1975. Mario Bonacina. Inspired by the Bonacina Historical Archive. Photo Credit: Guido Taroni.
Upon waking, I couldn’t wait to step onto the factory floor to enjoy the spectacle, and I always felt so lucky and grateful for who I was, where I’d been born, and what my family did for a living. I learned early on how to correctly insert a nail into a rattan frame and how to weave rattan core. The employees of my grandparents, Vittorio and Carla, and then of my parents, Mario and Antonia, have always been part of my family. I’ve spent so much time with them—laughing, joking, working, and talking seriously about life—that they couldn’t help but affect who I am. For an entrepreneur in Brianza—which is, incidentally, one of the most densely industrialized places in the world— business, family, and home are historically entwined into a single entity. Although certainly not always a simple way to live, in our case it paved the way to great satisfaction.
Bulgari Hotel, Rome. EVA Armchairs, 1965, Giovanni Travasa. Photo Credit: Guido Taroni.
It’s an honor and a privilege for me, at the age of thirty-three, to guide this company, which is an undisputed global leader and an emblem of design history, representing and glorifying a manufacturing tradition that a family, workers, and a specific territory have carried forward from generation to generation for over a century. Such dedication, as you will see in this book, has enabled the company to cross paths with some of the world’s most famous and sophisticated people. Bonacina can thus count on several extremely prestigious designers, whose collaborations have enabled many of our works a place in the world’s most illustrious books on decoration and design and in many important museums.
Over the last twelve years, since I’ve been leading the firm, we’ve shown how it is possible to keep a company fresh and dynamic even after 135 years of history. To me, there is no future without the present and no present without the past. Today, Bonacina continues to interweave these three concepts—past, present, and future—as it moves forward, also bestowing them on its products, both aesthetically and productively.
Agnelli Residence, Aïn Kassimou, Marrakech. DAMA Dining chairs, 2005. Mario Bonacina. Photo Credit: Guido Taroni.
Ours is one of the most ancient manufacturing traditions in Europe, relying on discipline and following specific rules that have enabled it to continue to live gloriously over time. Our products are made entirely by hand. No machines are used in any of our processes. Our employees make the products in the exact same way as my great-grandfather Giovanni Bonacina did. With a waiting list that can sometimes extend up to several months, our customers patiently anticipate a product that they know will be unique, which will become part of their personal histories and families. Ultimately, these are furnishing items on which we cry, laugh, rejoice, and watch the seasons pass. As Margherita—my sister, business partner, and product art director—says, these are objects that accompany us through life and that we grow fond of.
Organic shapes from the Grandi Maestri collection, from left to right: Foglia armchair, 1968; Eva armchair, 1965; Eureka armchair, 1958; and Palla armchair, 1966; designs by Giovanni Travasa. Photographed at the Bonacina Museum.
Our works acquire value over time, as shown by the numerous auction houses throughout the world that sell them for two to three times the original purchase price. To me, “Made in Italy” has become a much more complex designation than a label affixed to a product. It is something that can be seen, felt, and inhaled, and has to do with the story, territory, and unique atmospheres of this country, which in its 2,000-year history, continues to shape the aesthetics and culture of products.
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Further Information:
Bonacina: The Beauty of Rattan, is available now from Rizzoli New York.
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Image Credits:
LEAD: Federico Forquet Residence, Cetona. ELLE Armchairs and ottoman, 1974. Mario Bonacina and Renzo Mongiardino. Photo Credit: Guido Taroni.
All other images as credited in photo captions.