THE RITO ARMCHAIR BY DÉSIRÉE IS NOW PART OF THE ADI DESIGN INDEX 2021

Exhibited at the ADI Design Museum in Milan until 7th November, it is entitled to compete for the Compasso d’Oro 2022 award as well as for the next Italian Innovation Award

The Permanent Design Observatory has chosen to publish the RITO armchair by Désirée in the "Design for living" category of the ADI Design Index 2021. The seat designed by Matteo Thun and Antonio Rodriguez is being exhibited at the ADI Design Museum in Milan from 27th October to 7th November, after which it will be showcased in Rome. The project set up in 1954 by “La Rinscente” and then passed on to ADI - that has been managing it uninterruptedly since 1956 - is the most prestigious acknowledgement of the manufacturing and design quality of Italian design. The chosen products, which now also include RITO, make up the largest collection of historical design which was proclaimed an “asset of national interest” in 2004 (Ministerial Decree 22.04.2004)

Since 1956, ADI has been collecting designers, businesses, researchers, teachers, critics and journalists around topics concerning industrial design as a cultural and economic phenomenon. Moreover, only the products selected by the ADI Design Index 2020 and 2021 are entitled to participate in the next edition of the Compasso d’Oro 2022 Award, one of the most sought-after acknowledgements in the world of design. Since 2009, ADI Design Index has also served to select products every year to compete for the Italian Innovation Award sponsored by the President of the Italian Republic.

RITO is a seat designed for domestic interiors but it also has a natural bent for outdoor spaces. A lightweight, tubular metal frame contrasts with a generously-sized cushion and accommodates it while giving the chair a minimalist yet comfortable appearance. The cushion can be taken off, has a fully-removable cover and is made up of feathers encased in multi-pocket fabric and of differentiated-density polyurethane. It is supported on the inside by self-bearing, polypropylene and fibreglass slats that distribute the weight of the cushion over the frame while ensuring ongoing elasticity over time, even making the chair suitable for outdoor use.

This piece of furniture plays with opposites and is an example of sophisticated simplicity based on a concept best-described by three keywords: lightness, simplicity and sleekness. Available in various colours, fabrics and leather, its frame has a matt, bronze-coloured finish.