Driade is an aesthetic lab in continuous search for beauty in living space. The vast Driade catalogue includes home, garden and public spaces modern furniture. Pieces of art and objects for daily use, souls that blend each other harmoniously. All this makes Driade unique in design world. The aesthetic lab is the result of the desire to introduce experimentation into mass-produced products. The search for creativity in each product constitutes the mission of the enterprise itself. Driade creates products that are unique, eclectic, eccentric but at the same time elegant, timeless and, above all, joyful. Within this alchemy of means of expression and sensations, everyone finds a Driade that it looks like him.
The art of living is based on the idea that eclecticism, blend of cultures, curiosity and surprise are the true essence of our age. A bent for listening, a state of alert, an attention to register the signs coming from outside and then translate them into daily products. Being permeable to differences makes Driade project one that is open to the future. Driade denies the flatness of globalization but grasps at the freshness coming from the multiplication of places and the development of ideas.
Driade is born in 1968 thanks to the joint efforts of a founding group formed by Enrico Astori, the art director who from the beginning defines the product and communication policies; Antonia Astori, a designer who is also the author of the company’s architectural image; Adelaide Acerbi in charge of the brand’s image and communication. Since the beginning Driade asserts itself for the quality of its creative offer and for an industrial policy heavily geared towards innovation, a synergy of three core designer elements: project planning, execution and advertising. Producing design furniture as individual art objects following the rules of collecting. This is how Driade develops as a factory of art.
In 1968 the onset of Driade coincides with the presentation of the system of containers “Driade 1”designed for laying the basis for an interpretation of the typical “container” as an active tool in designing spaces. With this silent revolution, Antonia Astori brings design back into the architecture: the wardrobe becomes a wall and, thanks to “Oikos” (1972) it turns into a partition wall. It is a global system of furniture with which you can build an infinity of piece of furniture, an interface between before and after. The history of Driade in early years is strictly bound to italian design, embracing the professional certainty of Giotto Stoppino and Rodolfo Bonetto, the moral revolution of Enzo Mari, the artistic and behavioural revolution of Nanda Vigo, the classic perfection of Massimo and Lella Vignelli, and the young brashness of De Pas – D’Urbino – Lomazzi.
1969 Due Cavalli armchair
The armchair with chromed tubular iron structure and quilted padding recalls in shape and detail the seat of the legendary CITROEN 2 HORSES car. De Pas, D’Urbino and Lomazzi, inventors of new shapes and new ways of using materials, perform a “pop” action.
1979 The first Compasso D’Oro for Driade: Delfina chair by Enzo Mari
Designed by Enzo Mari in 1974 and awarded with the Compasso d’Oro in 1979, the stackable Delfina chair excites with the minimalist elegance of the steel rod structure covered in removable fabric. It will be the first of three Compasso d’Oro won by Driade over the years.
1982 Alessandro Mendini: the beginning of a great collaboration
Starts in 1982 the collaboration between Driade and Alessandro Mendini who designs the Sabrina armchair, a strong and distinctive sign.
1982 Achille Castiglioni, another great Master of Italian design collaborates with Driade
Another great Master who will make the history of Italian design in the world starts his collaboration with the brand: Achille Castiglioni with the Sancarlo armchair, a synthesis of ergonomics and design.
1991 – 1995 The Art of the Table comes to life
From the white of the ceramic to the glass, from the silver to the steel and the gold, up to the use of the most vibrant colors such as blue and red, The Driade’s Art of the Table is a game of materials, shades and decorations. The protagonists of the collection are Antonia Astori’s The White Snow table service with all its forms and decorations as a rough canvas on which the painter places his original trait, the Victoria cutlery by Oscar Tusquets and Miamiam by Philippe Starck, the glasses collectible by Borek Sipek.
2001 One more Compasso d’Oro for Driade
For Driade, in 2001 Enzo Mari designs a square table, made from a chipboard top finished in ebony and steel legs with aluminum supports. This project wins the second Compasso d’Oro for Driade.
2008 The third Compasso d’oro for Driade: MT3 by Ron Arad
In 2008 Driade received the Compasso d’Oro for its MT3, a rocking armchair designed by Ron Arad. A long study carried out on industrial technology has made it possible to create the first two-colored piece of furniture through rotational molding. The two-phase introduction of mass-colored polyethylene powder diversifies the embossed external surface from the smooth internal surface, which is revealed by the final cut of the sides performed with a five-axis numerical control machine. This project paved the way for an established rotational molding technique in the outdoors.
2016 Konstantin Grcic designs the Mingx family, winner of the Wallpaper* Design Awards 2017
The design of the Mingx collection issues from the same tubular profile that also inspired the bookcase ZigZag, and develops into an extensive family of elements: seats, stools and tables, which establish a harmonious mutual dialogue that also extends to the bookcase. The name Mingx clearly refers to the Ming dynasty that most influenced the progress of Chinese culture, turning China into the heart of Eastern trade. The tables with American walnut top and tubular steel frame are proposed in the cantilevered or flush version, like the writing desk and the low table. The Mingx collection is also proposed in the outdoor version with quartzite and sheet metal table tops and frames subjected to protective cataphoresis treatment.
2018 Ziqqurat is born. A project by DriadeLab, winner of Wallpaper* Design Award 2019
What could be the design of a container today? This is the question that DriadeLab has set itself as a starting point for research. The result is Ziqqurat, a cabinet that is made up of different boxes which, superimposed, outline an always different shape. This system, in all respects constructive, allows compositions of three different sizes, adapting to living spaces. It is therefore no coincidence that the inspiration for the ancient Egyptian pyramid, such a strong leitmotiv of the project, was enough to choose to mention its name. The shapes and volumes offer a unique character to this special piece of furniture. The company presents the first project created by DriadeLab, the research center and creative heart of the company. Forge of minds, DriadeLab brings together heterogeneous talents who, in an alchemy of languages and sensations, develop their aesthetic inspirations by working closely with production.
2019 The new Driade starts again with architects
On the occasion of the Salone del Mobile, Driade has chosen to collaborate with three of the most important international architects. In fact, joining artistic director Fabio Novembre, Bjarke Ingels, founder of BIG, and Michel Rojkind of Rojkind Arquitectos have arrived to extend the wide-ranging line-up of the brand’s designers. For the occasion Michel Rojkind has created a leather and metal chaise longue, perfectly interpreting his own Mexican origins. Bjarke Ingels, on the other hand, has developed a totemic bookcase that is reminiscent of his project approach to buildings. Finally, with his new Italic armchair Fabio Novembre has attempted to interpret what will be the direction of Driade for the future with a single object: fast, fascinating and always on the move.
2020 Totem Shelf, designed by BIG, wins the Wallpaper* Design Award 2020
TOTEM SHELF, the project designed by BIG for Driade, won the Wallpaper* 2020 Design Award in the Best Block Party category. This award, recognized by such a referenced, global and crosswise magazine as Wallpaper*, and assigned by a jury made up of the most important names in the world of art, design and fashion, represents a perfect start of the new year for the brand.
2021 BLACK IS THE NEW GREEN , the first capsule collection 100% recycled
Driade launches Black is the new Green, a capsule collection composed of iconic chairs and armchairs such as Nemo designed by Fabio Novembre, Roly Poly by Faye Toogood, Pip-e by Philippe Starck and Sissi by Ludovica+Roberto Palomba, entirely made of recycled plastic material.This collection is made of material which comes from industrial recycling, partly from internal production waste, and therefore controlled, and partly from post-consumer recycling, Driade, the brand that has made eclecticism its signature style, is committed to developing a path to support sustainability, investing in increasingly innovative production systems that guarantee the lowest environmental impact while maintaining excellence and focusing on health and comfort. Black is the new Green, marks for Driade the turning point towards a green, eco-sustainable approach aimed at improving the impact on the environment, a trend that has already begun with the use of materials and solutions that do not negatively affect the environment, demonstrating that sustainability and sustainable development are not antithetical processes but that they can and must be complementary. In this, sustainability is a categorical global imperative.