Demetrio

coffee table
stackable

project

1964

production

1966 - 1990

manufacturer

Artemide

description

Magistretti told the story of how the idea came from some plastic containers used to wash photographs in and that were stamped in Germany: "I thought I could cut the container and only leave the corners and the bottom. It gave rise to a plastic table easy to stack and press. Perhaps it was my first industrial and serial production design (with little handiwork)". Artemide was among the first Italian companies to exploit the plastic processing technology and apply it to furniture. The Demetrio tables system, pressed and stackable (in model 45) to form shelves, were designed by Magistretti in 1964 and put into production two years later, mark a key moment in the success of plastic design furniture that had to match up to traditional products. Demetrio, whose form derives directly from the curves and folds necessary to strengthen the frame, represents an emblematic case among the objects designed by Magistretti in which the aesthetic aspect, far from being a pure question of taste or style, derives directly from a structural requirement and from the technical possibilities offered by this material. Demetrio also represents the ideal evolution of the T8 stackable wooden tables designed in 1949 and produced by Azucena and subsequently reproduced by Cassina in 1965. The Demetrio system, developed in two models with different dimensions (45 and 70 cm wide), is produced by casting in a single piece thermosetting plastic material consisting of glass fibres impregnated with polyester resins.

technical data

GRP. Thermoset plastic material consisting of glass fibres impregnated with polyester resins; white, dark brown, red, green

awards, acknowledgements, etc.

Demetrio 45, Museum of Modern Art Collection, New York

notes

Demetrio 45 and 70 appear in a building at Porta Romana 49-51-53.

bibliography

Coerenza nel design di Vico Magistretti, in Ottagono 1, aprile 1966

A. Tassinari, Incontro con Vico Magistretti, in Cinquemattoni 4, aprile 1973

Designers d'oggi Vico Magistretti, in La rivista dell'arredamento Interni, ottobre 1978

A. Mosca, Il Vico: "l'architetto", in Casa Amica, ottobre 1979

A. Belloni, Neuheiten von Studio Artemide, in MD 1, gennaio 1967