CRESPI’S

LOVE OF

Drawn to rattan for its strength and versatility, she conceived

these pieces at a time when the material was very much in

vogue within the high-society circles in which she moved,

viewed as the height of interior sophistication. Her deci-

sion to use repeating layers of vertically coiled rattan vines,

however, was unusual for the time, and results in a distinctive

and highly luxurious take on lounge furniture that has proven

truly timeless.

Crespi’s goal was to create a flexible rattan seating collec-

tion that felt equally at home in the city or the country, at

the seaside or high on a mountain slope. Her great ambi-

tion, she once said, was to create ‘a house of the sun’ – an

environment that radiated warmth, light and sophistication.

Rattan, with its gentle tones, natural appearance and the

way light passes between its canes, is the perfect material

to create such a setting.

“I wanted to create the house of the sun,” she said. “I

couldn’t help but do it with rattan and bamboo, materials of

which I’m very fond and that combine strength and flexibility,

the warmth of mellow tones, and the ability to be run through

by light. Very long spokes give an impression of the infinite

and indeterminate just as cane thickets that rise toward the

sky do in nature.”

To recreate Crespi’s original designs demands a high lev-

el of craftsmanship, as the rattan canes must be steamed

and then bent by hand around a die, specially made to the

dimensions of her drawings. Because it is a natural material,

standardizing rattan is a complex process, and color, texture

and dimension differ from vine to vine, introducing another

level of skill to the production process.

Bohemian 72 Floor Lamp

Bohemian 72 Lounge Chair