34th annual East End festival returns Oct. 2–12 with premieres, Screenwriters Lab, SummerDocs and outdoor… Read More →
The Breakers hosted Palm Beach’s social and philanthropic elite as the Old Bags Luncheon™ auction… Read More →
See what’s trending this week—what’s opening, what’s closing, who’s showing, who’s making sparks. Food Scene… Read More →
Pop star’s lawyers say bodycam video would be a privacy nightmare Attorneys for pop star… Read More →
From Lady Gaga to Liza Minnelli (and not on the same stage this time), March… Read More →
Snow-capped mountains, mid-century modern design, Rat Pack lore and desert sunshine — why Palm Springs… Read More →
From stand-up comedy and live music to gallery openings, author talks and Oscar-night watch parties… Read More →
Long before Instagram summers and $100,000 rentals, the couple slipped away to a modest Sagaponack… Read More →
A $32 million estate at 200 Rose Hill Road swaps cedar shingles for concrete and… Read More →
After four weeks of testimony, prosecutors say the once–celebrated luxury real-estate siblings followed the same… Read More →
Memory & Modernity: Paola Lenti Revisits Angelo Mangiarotti’s Vision
View Gallery
9 Photos
In the world of Italian design, memory is rarely about nostalgia. It focuses on continuity, the threads that connect the bold visions of the mid-20th century to today’s design language. This season, Paola Lenti is embracing that conversation by reintroducing Légère, an armchair and sofa created by Angelo Mangiarotti and his partner, Chiara Pampo.
Légère was originally designed to challenge the norms of upholstered seating. It will be reintroduced in 2025 with materials and finishes that reflect Paola Lenti’s own aesthetic and ethical values. This is not a revival, but a continuation of the original. The frame is solid oak, either natural or stained, while the cushions are large and fully removable. They rest within a self-supporting textile shell made from the company’s special Piqué fabric.
The result is eye-catching in its informality. The cushions are not fixed in place but laid in position. This softens the strictness of the wooden frame while keeping a modern look. “I found the combination of the frame and cushions strikingly modern for its time,” Paola Lenti said in a statement. “It inspired me to reintroduce Légère in a textile version that can express a timeless sense of modernity through our own language.”
The Legacy of Mangiarotti
Born in Milan in 1921, Angelo Mangiarotti studied at the Politecnico di Milano before moving to the United States, where he worked with Frank Lloyd Wright and other prominent figures of the time. Upon returning to Italy in the mid-1950s, he brought a fascination for both industrial processes and artistic expression. This duality defined his work as an architect, urban planner, and teacher.
Unlike many of his peers, his designs avoided excess ornamentation in favor of a strict commitment to material and function. He used concrete, glass, and wood, respecting their natural qualities. In projects like Légère, this approach produced pieces that were both rational and deeply human.
Continuity, Not Revival
For Paola Lenti, a company that often blurs the lines between architecture and textile design, revisiting Légère is about emphasizing continuity rather than resurrecting a lost icon. The re-edition situates Mangiarotti and Pampo’s vision within the company’s own identity, which is refined, minimal, and quietly revolutionary.
In the busy world of contemporary design, where new ideas can sometimes overshadow the past, Légère serves as a reminder: The most modern concepts are sometimes those already envisioned, waiting to be expressed anew.