Veliero Bookcase
Made by Cassina
Designed by Franco Albini
Designed in 1940 for Franco Albini's own Milan apartment, the Veliero remained a private gesture for over seven decades before Cassina brought it into production in 2011. Its name, Italian for "sailing ship," speaks directly to its structure: glass shelves suspended between vertical steel cables held under tension, the whole composition reading as rigging rather than furniture.
Albini's governing principle was lightness, understood not as fragility but as the deliberate reduction of form to its irreducible minimum. He described the result as "unstable equilibrium," a condition in which the piece appears simultaneously architecturally rigorous and almost impossibly delicate. Gravity, here, feels negotiated rather than obeyed.
- Designed by Franco Albini, 1940
- Produced by Cassina from 2011 as part of the I Maestri collection
- Glass shelves anchored by tensioned steel cables
- Available in natural ashwood frame
- A foundational work of Italian rationalist design
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Veliero Bookcase
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Luminaire is an authorized retailer of Cassina. The product comes with a full manufacturer warranty.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the Cassina Veliero bookcase?
The Veliero is a bookcase designed by Franco Albini in 1940 for his personal Milan apartment. Cassina introduced it to production in 2011 as part of the I Maestri collection, which preserves works by the great masters of Italian design.
How does the Veliero's tensioned cable structure work?
The shelves are suspended between vertical steel cables that are held under tension between a top and bottom frame. The tension distributes load across the structure, allowing glass shelves to appear to float without conventional supports or brackets.
Is the Veliero bookcase structurally stable for storing books?
Yes. The tensioned cable system is an engineered structural principle, not purely a visual gesture. Cassina's production version meets contemporary standards for load-bearing furniture, though it is calibrated for objects and books of moderate weight distribution.
Who was Franco Albini and why is the Veliero significant?
Franco Albini (1905-1977) was one of the central figures of Italian rationalism, known for designs that pursued structural transparency and formal economy. The Veliero is considered a canonical example of that sensibility, conceived decades before it entered public production.
What collection does the Veliero belong to within Cassina?
The Veliero is part of Cassina's I Maestri collection, a program dedicated to producing and preserving designs by architects and designers who shaped the course of twentieth-century Italian modernism.
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