Nuvola Rossa Bookcase

Vico Magistretti for Cassina — Nuvola Rossa Bookcase, 1977

The Nuvola Rossa (“Red Cloud”) is what happens when a designer strips a bookcase down to its structural logic and asks: what is the minimum required to hold a shelf? Vico Magistretti’s answer, arrived at in 1977 through a close analysis of the classical bookcase form, is a revelation: the diagonal bracing struts — which in a conventional bookcase are purely structural elements hidden inside the side panels — can themselves become the support, replacing the side panels entirely. The result is a bookcase of extraordinary lightness, reduced to diagonals, hinges, and shelves. The structure folds flat for storage or relocation, and the four central shelves are removable. It can function as a room divider as easily as a shelving unit.

In 1977, this was a structural invention as much as a design statement. Forty-eight years later, the Nuvola Rossa reads as precisely what it is: an icon that has been widely imitated but never equalled in its economy of means. It is available in solid steamed beech or American walnut, with finishes including natural, lacquered white, and lacquered red. H 192 × W 100 × D 39.5 cm.

About the Designer: Vico Magistretti (1920–2006) was among the most prolific and revered figures in Italian design, responsible for the Eclisse lamp (Artemide), the Atollo lamp (Oluce), and the Maralunga sofa (Cassina) — each awarded the Compasso d’Oro. Born in Milan, trained as an architect at the Politecnico, he worked across furniture, lighting, and product design with a philosophy of “simplicity achieved through understanding the problem.”

Specifications:

Designer: Vico Magistretti

Year: 1977

Materials: Solid steamed beech or American walnut; MDF for lacquered versions

Finishes: Natural matt, lacquered white, lacquered red, other colours to order

Shelves: 6 total (4 central shelves removable)

Dimensions: H 192 × W 100 × D 39.5 cm

Structure: Folding (flat-pack capable), usable as room divider

Country of manufacture: Italy

Lead time: 12–16 weeks from order confirmation

Warranty: Cassina manufacturer’s warranty applies

Available Through Le Belle Arti: Le Belle Arti is an authorised Cassina dealer. The Nuvola Rossa is available to order in your choice of wood and finish. Contact our Edmonton or Calgary showroom to discuss.

For full specifications, materials, and configuration options, visit the Cassina official website.

Material: Lacquered wood, steel | Style: Bookcase | Year: 1954 | Collection: Nuvola Rossa

Franco Albini (1905–1977) was a Milanese architect and designer whose rigorous, structural approach produced some of the most architecturally precise furniture of the 20th century. His Nuvola Rossa bookcase (1954), produced by Cassina, is a masterwork of visual tension and structural intelligence.

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