Nathalie

It was the 1978 when Vico Magistretti designed Nathalie, the forefather of all modern textile beds: a typological, aestetic and functional innovation that marked a waterched in the history of furniture

In the 70s, society was evolving: new styles were lunched, new necessities appared. People were demanding a more modern and informal way of everyday life. A major Italian company captured these signals from the market and studies a new product: the Duvet. Using a duvet meant thet the bed was made quickly and easily. It was a huge success, particularly with young customers.

However, the innovative idea of selling the duvet in furniture stores was not welcomed. Rosario Messina finds the solution: "I had to sell a duvet and so I needed a bed". Vico Magistretti was chosen for the design, at that time one of the Italy's most successful creatives.

In one of the first meetings, Magistretti sketched out two ovals on a piece of paper. One long, horizontal and one small, vertical: "A base like this, a head like this, and the bed is made". Where the two ovals represent the quilt, which in his idea must also rise on the headboard. To emphasize the softness of the duvet on the headboard, Magistretti suggests to stretch it at half height, leaving it free to swell up and down.

The designer completed a few test runs in the factory on a model of bed with a large wooden plank as the headboard. At the end of that days' work, the duvet was left draped over the backrest. To prevent the duvet moving or falling to the ground, one of the staff anchored it with a piece of string tied in a bow on one side. When Magistretti saw it, he decided that the effect created by the string was perfect. The bow was the solution he was looking for.

The project would take shape and in this case, it was a fairly simple bed but one that had never been seen before. It had no mattress support, it was robust yet extremely comfortable. The removable textile covers could be easily replaced to change the aestetic appearance without modifying the substance. The padding that covered the headboard was anchored with bows and this also created storage for the pillows to be tidily hidden from view. The time necessary for daily bed-making really had decreased. The materials used on the bedhead and for the duvet were the same. The whole ensemble matched perfectly.

Magistretti also had the honor of deciding what name he would give his creation. During Summer, he had re-read Tolstoy's 'War and Peace'. One of the main characters in the book was a young lady called Natalja Rostova: the designer was inspired and called his new bed a more international version of her name: Nathalie.

The rest is history.