Bonaldo Biography
The history of Bonaldo began in 1936 with Giovanni Vittorio Bonaldo, a blacksmith specialized in the processing of metals used in the furniture sector. In 1958, his son Albino Bonaldo began the artisanal production of bed bases, beds and mattresses, marking the beginning of the industrial activity that would allow Bonaldo to establish itself in the furniture sector. The definitive transition from an artisanal activity to an industrial reality took place in 1971, when Bonaldo participated for the first time in the Salone del Mobile in Milan with a collection of folding beds and bed bases. Bonaldo Spa was founded in 1981, while nine years later the company founded Styling srl, specializing in transformable upholstered furniture, introducing a new idea of the sofa bed as a complete piece of furniture thanks to the use of flexible structures, removable fabrics and metal elements chromed.
The Young & Design Award, awarded in 1996 to the Più folding chair, designed by Chiaramonte and Marin, represents the first of a series of important international awards in the design sector. This chair was considered an innovative object capable of combining functionality, a sense of hospitality and formal research. Between 2013 and 2015, Bonaldo obtained important recognition in the world of design with the Sol and Tracks tables, designed respectively by Bartoli Design and Alain Gilles, awarded with the Good Design Award. In 2016, on the occasion of the brand's eightieth anniversary, the French designer signed a commemorative project called Mass Table: it is a table that exploits the archetype of the dining table by transforming the base into a transparent and light element, similar to a crinoline or a 3D CAD model. The wooden top, on the other hand, presents itself as a visual mass, creating a contrast with the base and overturning traditional aesthetic conventions.
