Zanotta
An Italian design house whose postwar experiments became museum pieces, from the Sacco bean bag to the Mezzadro stool, read for the US buyer.
A house built on Italian design radicalism.
Zanotta was founded in 1954 by Aurelio Zanotta in Nova Milanese, north of Milan, where its main plant still operates. It began with fairly traditional upholstered furniture, then turned through the 1960s and 1970s into one of the laboratories of Italian design, putting experimental and often provocative pieces into series production.
Its catalogue is shaped by designers including Achille and Pier Giacomo Castiglioni, Marco Zanuso, the studio De Pas, D'Urbino and Lomazzi, the trio Gatti, Paolini and Teodoro, and Superstudio. Since April 2023 Zanotta has been part of the Cassina group. For US buyers, collections reach the market through authorised dealers, with lead times that vary by line and finish.
A selection of lines.
Sacco
The 1968 bean bag by Piero Gatti, Cesare Paolini and Franco Teodoro, a frameless anatomical seat filled with polystyrene beads and a permanent fixture of design collections.
The current collection.
Sacco
Anatomic armchair filled with high-density expanded polystyrene beads, upholstered in Tux fabric, leather, or the outdoor-suitable Vip material. Considered one of the most iconic pieces of Italian design.
Maggiolina
Chaise longue with a pigmented leather frame, a backrest cushion filled with goose down, and a seat cushion filled with polyurethane and DuPont Dacron. Designed for industrial mass production.
Cumano
Folding side table reinterpreting a late-19th-century outdoor table archetype, in painted steel and featuring a hook for hanging it on the wall.
Mezzadro
Stool with a chromium-plated steel stem, a tractor-style seat lacquered in orange, red, yellow, white, or black, and a footrest in steam-treated beech.
Sella
Single-piece stool resembling a bicycle saddle on a stem with a rounded base, designed by Achille and Pier Giacomo Castiglioni in 1957 and still in the Zanotta catalogue.
Sciangai
Clothes stand of crossed wooden rods, remarkable for its simplicity, which won the Compasso d'Oro Award in 1979.
Albero
Rotating flowerpot stand with a painted steel frame in talc, amaranth, grass green, or black, with black polyamide pot-holder dishes and black polypropylene feet.
Alfa
Sofa with polyurethane and heat-bonded polyester fiber padding and a removable fabric or leather cover. The cushions are filled with DuPont Dacron or goose down.
Allunaggio
Garden seat with steel legs, an aluminum alloy seat painted grass green, and natural polyethylene feet.
April
Folding chair reinterpreting the director's chair, made of stainless steel with aluminum alloy joints and a removable cover in Vip for outdoor use, Telastrong, or 95 leather.
Basello
Dual-height coffee table with rotating shelves and a medium-density fiberboard frame in a scratch-resistant embossed finish, available in talc, hemp, amaranth, espresso, or black.
Bol
Modular collection of two round and two oval tables with rigid polyurethane bases in matte or glossy lacquer and MDF tabletops in matching lacquer finishes.
Bumper
Sofa available in one-piece and modular versions for corner and linear configurations, with a wooden frame and an elastic-strap suspension system. The seat and back are padded in polyurethane and DuPont Dacron with a removable fabric cover.
Celestina
Folding chair whose slats are covered in a high-quality material such as 95 leather to enhance seating comfort.
Derby
Armchair/bergere and pouf with a swivel or fixed steel base and a rigid polyurethane outer body covered with cowhide. The inner body is padded in polyurethane and polyester fiber with a removable fabric or leather cover.
Genni
Lounge chair designed by Gabriele Mucchi in 1935, noted for its formal elegance and enduring contemporary appeal.
Kilt
Collection of armchairs, one-piece and modular sofas, and ottomans with a steel frame and polyurethane/thermally laminated polyester fiber padding.
Leonardo
Archetypal trestle-style work table with an evaporated beech frame in its natural color and a top in white laminate or tempered glass. Height-adjustable.
Lia
Chair, also available with armrests, with an aluminum alloy frame in polished, talc, graphite, or black finish and seat, back and armrests upholstered in polyurethane with a removable fabric or leather cover.
Marcuso
Demountable table with an innovative design, available with a clear glass top and 18/8 stainless steel legs, or made entirely of 18/8 stainless steel.
Milano
Bed with a rationalist aesthetic and essential lines, enriched by a height-adjustable system.
Milano+
Designer sofa offering spacious linear modular configurations, completed by a matching armchair and rectangular ottoman.
Mombasa
Chest of drawers from the Zanotta Edizioni line, with an upper frame and feet veneered in open-pore dark brown painted ash, lower frame and drawers in polished pear-wood, and brass handles.
Nena
Armchair recognizable for the contrast between its minimalist frame and its comfortable, generously sized seat.
Noah
Line of compact, one-piece and modular sofas designed for versatility, with optional armrests and trays.
Nyx
Bed with a contemporary minimalist design, featuring a thin metal frame and two soft cushions as the headboard.
Oscar
Minimalist nightstand with a steel frame, an aluminum handle, and an MDF drawer veneered in ash stained to look like oak, gray, or talc.
Pianoalto
Sofa system available in monobloc and modular configurations with pouf elements, raised on graphite-colored painted steel feet. The multi-density padding uses CircularRefoam polyurethane and the upholstery is fully removable in fabric or leather.
Quaderna
Table based on regular geometric shapes covered with white laminate printed in a grid of squares, an icon of the Quaderna collection.
Reale
Table with a clear plate-glass top, with or without beveled edges, or in Emperador marble, and a frame in solid oak (natural, orange, or black varnished) or Canaletto walnut-dyed oak.
Servomuto
Side table from the Servi range, with a base in polypropylene and painted steel rod and a reversible black/white plastic laminate top.
Sirfo
Goose-shaped side table from the Zanotta Edizioni line, with a frame in natural-colored painted cast aluminum, a yellow painted beak, and a 6 mm tempered plate glass top.
Susanna
Upholstered armchair with a chrome-plated steel tube frame, a cushion support frame adjustable to two positions, and polyurethane cushion padding.
Talamo
Bed with polished painted aluminum alloy feet or a nickel-satin finish, a steel structure with bent beech strips, and an upholstered headboard.
Talia
Stackable, lightweight chair that is easy to carry. An optional trolley for transporting the stacked chairs is available.
Throw-away
A major innovation in the furniture industry and the first sofa with a frame made 100% of block polyurethane.
Tonietta
Chair with a polished or black-painted aluminum alloy frame and a seat and back in polypropylene covered in cowhide.
Tweed
Table with an oak-veneered or Canaletto walnut top and matching solid-wood legs, with black-painted adjustable aluminum feet.
William
Upholstered line that includes armchairs, one-piece sofas, modular sofas, lounge chairs, and designer shelving.
Zabro
Table-chair from the Zanotta Edizioni line, with a top and seat in lacquered wood with polychrome hand-decoration and leather-covered armrests. The top folds down to convert the chair into a table.
Sacco
Designed by Gatti, Paolini and TeodoroSacco is Zanotta's best known piece, designed in 1968 by Piero Gatti, Cesare Paolini and Franco Teodoro. It abandoned the frame entirely: a soft outer shell filled with polystyrene beads that takes the shape of whoever sits in it. The idea grew out of the trio's search for a chair with no fixed form, and it became a symbol of late-1960s design freedom.
The collection runs across small, medium and standard sizes, in fabric and leather, with a wide colour range. Sacco received the Compasso d'Oro and is held in museum collections including the Museum of Modern Art in New York and the Victoria and Albert Museum in London.
What the pieces are made of.
Across its catalogue Zanotta works in chromed and lacquered steel, expanded polyurethane foam, plastic laminate, glass, leather and upholstery fabrics, alongside the polystyrene-bead fill that defines the Sacco. The house built its reputation on frameless construction and on putting unusual materials into series production rather than leaving them as prototypes.
On every brand page these details stay factual and sourced. Collection names, designers and materials are checked against the maker before they go live.
Zanotta, answered.
Where is Zanotta made?
Zanotta is based in Nova Milanese, north of Milan, Italy, where its main plant has operated since the company was founded. It is now part of the Cassina group.
When was Zanotta founded?
In 1954, by Aurelio Zanotta, starting with upholstered furniture before moving into design-led production.
Who founded Zanotta?
Aurelio Zanotta, an Italian entrepreneur who led the company until his death in 1991, after which it stayed family-run.
What are Zanotta's signature pieces?
Among the best known are the Sacco bean bag by Gatti, Paolini and Teodoro, the Mezzadro and Sella by the Castiglioni brothers, the Quaderna table by Superstudio, and the Blow inflatable armchair.
Who designs for Zanotta?
Designers include Achille and Pier Giacomo Castiglioni, Marco Zanuso, the studio De Pas, D'Urbino and Lomazzi, the trio Gatti, Paolini and Teodoro, and Superstudio.
What is the Sacco?
Sacco is a 1968 bean bag by Gatti, Paolini and Teodoro, a frameless seat filled with polystyrene beads that adapts to the body. It is held in major museum collections and received the Compasso d'Oro.
What is the Mezzadro?
Mezzadro is a stool designed by Achille and Pier Giacomo Castiglioni in 1957, using a stamped tractor seat on a chromed steel stem. Zanotta put it into production in 1970.
What materials does Zanotta use?
Chromed and lacquered steel, expanded polyurethane foam, plastic laminate, glass, leather and upholstery fabrics, plus the polystyrene-bead fill used in the Sacco.
Is Zanotta available in the US?
Yes. Collections reach the US market through authorised dealers, with lead times that vary by line and finish.
Is Zanotta part of a larger group?
Yes. In April 2023 Zanotta was acquired by Cassina and became part of its design group, while keeping its own brand and catalogue.
What is Zanotta's design style?
An experimental, often radical take on Italian design that turned postwar ideas into series production, from frameless and inflatable seating to grid-laminate tables.
Can I buy from this site?
No. Premium Furniture is an independent editorial directory. We document the house and point you to the maker.
Zanotta joins Cassina, and Italian design keeps consolidating
In April 2023 Cassina acquired Zanotta, the maker of Sacco and Mezzadro, folding another icon house into the Haworth Lifestyle Design group.
Read the story