Image source: Molteni&C — MHC.2
© Molteni&C and the respective rights holders. Quoted to accompany INTEBEE's independent design commentary and research.
MHC.2
Yasuhiko Itoh's curved-wood bookcase, conceived in 1959 and re-edited by Molteni&C.
685 × 1389 × 282 mm
1959
Official product information
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Go to the official product pageDescription
Overview
MHC.2 is a bookcase by Yasuhiko Itoh for Molteni&C, a re-edition of a prototype first conceived in 1959. The page describes a gently curved structure in shaped wood with carefully proportioned shelves, offered in a walnut finish.
Construction
The datasheet lists the module and base as slats of curved moulded multilayer made of poplar (Populus alba) and American walnut (Juglans nigra) veneer, with a side joint in solid American walnut. Under the base sits a metal regulator with a ferrule in non-slip plastic.
Specifications
- MHC.2/4: 685 x 282 x 1389 mm (axes not labelled on the drawing)
- MHC.2/3: 685 x 282 x 1083 mm (axes not labelled on the drawing)
- Finish: American walnut
Story
From a 1959 prototype
The datasheet describes MHC.2 as a re-edition of the bookcase prototype designed in 1959 by Yasuhiko Itoh. Making it in curved wood was a complex process for that period, and it won an award at the third Selettiva competition held in Cantù in 1959.
Itoh and Molteni&C
Molteni&C says Yasuhiko Itoh worked closely with its production department during the founding years of the brand. The page quotes him on the shared love of wood in Japanese and Italian culture. After a limited run of 100 numbered pieces, the bookcase is now a standard, unnumbered piece in curved wood covered in walnut.