A flexible and constantly updated structure, which knows how to accompany the evolution of the house that hosts it. This is the Infinito bookcase, a project designed in 1956-57 by the prestigious architect Franco Albini and conceived to be able to combine the different components endlessly, as the name suggests.
Infinito is a modular and double-sided bookcase, a feature that makes it suitable for a wide range of solutions, and not just for leaning against a wall. The extremely light structure can in fact be fixed to the floor or ceiling, with the possibility of adjusting the height of the uprights.
Although born at the end of the 1950s, Infinito carries qualities that have become increasingly precious in recent years, such as the union of functionality, adaptability and a clean design: it is also for this reason that since 2008 the bookcase designed by Albini has been made by Cassina, which has chosen to focus on the serial production of the various parts, in order to expand the compositional solutions available and thus offer an ever greater degree of customization.
THE CONCEPT OF FRANCO ALBINI'S BOOKCASE
A simple idea in appearance, but so brilliant that it survived for over 60 years. It was in fact in 1956 when Franco Albini and Franca Helg conceived the design of a revolutionary bookcase: it was called LB7 and, initially produced by Poggi, it did not include any wall attachment and was transportable, flexible and modular, in other words able to always function.
The intuition aroused great success, to the point of convincing Cassina more than half a century later, in 2008, to re-propose the bookcase on the market with the name of Infinito 835, precisely to underline the countless (and potentially limitless) combinations through which it is It is possible to make the structure evolve.
In base of the concept conceived by Albini there are the uprights fixed by pressure between the floor and the ceiling, with an adjustable height between 268 and 290 cm, and equipped with holes that allow you to add shelves and drawers to the desired height, depending on your needs. But Infinito allows you to play not only with the heights, but also by developing the structure longitudinally, adding modules about 90 centimeters wide in order to create increasingly articulated and personal compositions.
Through the serial production of the various components made available by today's technologies, and thanks to the research of Filippo Alison, Cassina was able to give a new life to the project, further increasing the number of solutions available today, with the possibility of adding to the basic module containers with two doors or flap doors.
But beyond the years that have passed and the change of name, Infinito retains its original character thanks to the idea of transmitted lightness and its versatility that allows it to function at the same time as a bookcase, room divider or screen. Thanks to these distinctive features maintained over time, the piece of furniture is now part of Cassina's “I Maestri” collection, as well as being included in the permanent collection of the Milan Triennale Design Museum.
INFINITE BOOKCASE: THE MATERIALS
The evolution of the Infinito bookcase is also visible through the used materials to make it, which reflect the research and trends of the moment, while remaining faithful to the identity of a simple structure with a sober elegance.
If in the 1950s the master Franco Albini had chosen walnut, rosewood or teak as materials, Cassina decided to re-edit the furniture in the finishes in natural ash, black stained ash or canaletto walnut.