PANTALICA OUTDOOR COLLECTION SOFA
By Elisa Ossino, 2025

Molteni&C is expanding. Not just indoors — where its empire continues to grow with their new, multilevel Milan flagship on Via Manzoni — but outdoors, too. Somewhat of a latecomer to the open-air design scene, Molteni&C arrived with force in 2022, launching a collection by creative director Vincent Van Duysen, followed by a collection of their classic Ponti designs adapted for outdoor use — a testament to the trust between the Molteni family and the Ponti archive, which rarely allows this sort of reinterpretation of its treasured heritage. Now, Molteni&C adds another piece to this outdoor assemblage: the Pantalica sun lounge, designed by Italian architect and designer Elisa Ossino. Originally from Sicily, Ossino finds inspiration in her deep, uniquely Mediterranean relationship to the sun. Her Pantalica collection — named after the ancient necropolis in Sicily, a UNESCO World Heritage Site — draws from this heliacal sensibility, balancing rational geometry with elemental beauty. The collection includes a daybed, with cylindrical cushions chosen not only for their visual effect but also for their ergonomic benefits; a table; stools; and a rug.

Every piece in the collection is crafted from weather-proof polypropylene rattan, a durable and recyclable material; the intention is to create the possibility for these pieces to be reintroduced into production at the end of their lifecycles. “It’s crucial that we work in ways that minimize any impact on the environment,” says Ossino, who in addition to her own practice also runs a creative studio with her friend and fellow designer Josephine Yaa Akuamoah. The studio, called H+O, seeks to integrate ceramic tiles in the process of making furniture, objects, and surfaces. Sustainability, heritage, innovation — Molteni&C is playing the long game. And with Pantalica, it proves that outdoor spaces can be as thoughtful, and intentional, as the ones we create inside.

SURF SOFA
By Yabu Pushelberg, 2017

Sofas are inflexible things — structures made of wood, high-density foam, or sometimes springs — dictated by the rules of upholstery. But what if you took an ocean swell as the starting point? Who says sofas need to be rigid? That was the driving prompt behind Canadian partners in design and life, George Yabu and Glenn Pushelberg’s Surf sofa, designed for Molteni. It is one of the first pieces to catch the eye upon entering the Italian design brand’s new Milan flagship at 9 Via Manzoni — a seven-story neoclassical palazzo with over 3,000 square meters of showroom space. (The 19th-century building was thoughtfully reimagined by Molteni’s creative director, Vincent Van Duysen.)

Yabu and Pushelberg founded their studio in 1980, focusing on interiors, but their practice has since grown in every way — with offices in New York and Toronto and a team of more than 100 creatives, Yabu and Pushelberg have added buildings, landscapes, lighting, objects, graphics, and of course, furniture to their roster. Surf builds on their practice’s signature mix of “emotional and raw qualities,” as they’ve described it, with rounded forms inspired by the arc of ocean waves crashing onto the sand (as seen from the pair’s beach house). Seats blend seamlessly with the base, supporting snug, slight backrests that are both ergonomic and visually striking. A modular system of rectilinear, chaise longue, corner, and terminal elements allows for endless configurations, each maintaining the same fluidity and sense of undulation that inspired the design. Even the details are designed with movement in mind. A small side table can be added, made with a marble base and wooden top that doubles as a tray, meant to be moved. “Surf is modular, but it doesn’t feel modular,” Pushelberg explains. It’s a piece he likens more to sculpture. “People want options for where they live, flexibility — and so that’s how we came up with Surf,” Yabu remarks. “We live in a more fluid way,” Pushelberg adds. It’s the perfect sofa for days spent looking out at the waves.