Bonacina Museo Galleria Giardino

Every business is born from an intuition, but often it is the founder who has the vision that transforms an idea into reality. Giovanni Bonacina was one of these pioneers.
When Giovanni discovered reed and rattan—materials from Southeast Asia—it was a true revolution. Like Horacio Pagani with carbon fiber in the automotive industry, Giovanni intuited the extraordinary qualities of a new material.

Vittorio Bonacina, Giovanni's son, carries on his father's vision. Frequenting the cultural scene of the Polytechnic University of Milan, Vittorio became part of a network of architects and intellectuals, coming into contact with names such as Franca Helg, Franco Albini, Angelo Mangiarotti, and Bruno Morassutti.

Vittorio married Carla, who already had administrative skills and worked in a large local company with over 200 employees. Their union represented a turning point: Carla had a structured managerial vision and contributed to the company's modern development, commissioning, with Vittorio, the building that now houses the museum and gallery.

At the time, it was said that "if an architect were interested in the product, he should go to Brianza." It was there that experimentation was possible, and Brianza, alongside Bonacina 1889, has always been home to historic design brands that are still active today, and a few other companies capable of combining artisanal production with an openness to modernity.

Since the 1950s, the collaboration with Renzo Mongiardino, a master of scenic and picturesque design, has flourished. Throughout his life, he has contributed significantly to the creation of the collection we now call Decor. Bonacina, already active in the company alongside his father, shares a relationship of mutual respect and friendship with him. They proposed a bold idea: re-editing several historic models from the founder's catalogs, adapting them to the aesthetic needs of an elite clientele.

Under the enlightened direction of Mario Bonacina and Renzo Mongiardino, their private projects include spectacular interiors for Valentino Garavani, Yves Saint Laurent, Pierre Bergé, and major industrial families such as the Agnellis, Rothschilds, and Thyssen.

Parallel to Giovanni's story was Pietro, his younger brother. He joined the company about ten years after its launch, following its founding by his brother, and worked side by side with Giovanni for another decade. Subsequently, the two brothers went their separate ways: Pietro founded his own company, giving rise to a second branch of the family.

Thus, two distinct businesses were born, both with common roots in Lurago d'Erba. The second generation would take on the names of their children: "Vittorio Bonacina," belonging to Giovanni's family branch, and "Pierantonio Bonacina," developed by Pietro's descendants.

Pierantonio Bonacina, represented by Isabella Bonacina—cousin of the current generation—and her husband Gianfranco, pursued a parallel but complementary entrepreneurial journey to that of Vittorio Bonacina. Pierantonio Bonacina collaborated with exceptional designers such as Joe Colombo, Gio Ponti, Tito Agnoli, and Ico Parisi.

In 2012, a new chapter began: the fourth generation of the family, Elia and Margherita Bonacina, took an active part in the family business, creating a brand that is now a leader in the field of designer rattan and wicker furniture. It was Elia who, with a fortunate intuition, finalized the acquisition of the Pierantonio Bonacina brand by Vittorio Bonacina in 2015.

In the 1990s, Antonia Bonacina—an interpreter by training, with a solid knowledge of languages ​​and working in the company alongside her husband Mario—had the intuition to launch a new project that marked a turning point for Bonacina. Observing the continued interest of the great aristocratic and entrepreneurial families in the products from the historical archive created up until then, Antonia realized the possibility of giving new life to that aesthetic heritage: thus the first Decor catalog took shape.

Presented during a challenging period for Italian design—marked by the rise of synthetic materials and a minimalist taste—the Decor catalog serves as a counterpoint, offering a refined, decorative language capable of attracting an international clientele sensitive to the value of craftsmanship and history. This choice proved strategic: it allowed the brand to navigate a difficult market phase and consolidate a distinctive identity.

In 2012, Elia Bonacina officially joined the company, followed a few years later by his sister Margherita Bonacina, determined to build a new era for Bonacina.
In 2014, the business unit of the Bonacina Cousins, Isabella and Gianfranco Bonacina, was acquired, effectively reunifying what had been divided over a century earlier. Thus was born Bonacina1889.

The merger of the two brands represents a pivotal moment in Bonacina's history: a union that has given rise to an extraordinary cultural and manufacturing heritage. On the one hand, the most important decorative rattan collection ever created; on the other, technical expertise and an innovative vision in the field of outdoor.

The convergence of these two spirits has allowed for a new comprehensive offering, with products designed for both indoor and outdoor environments, and has strengthened the brand's unique international identity.

With Elia and Margherita, the company inaugurates a new phase of comprehensive experimentation, involving both brand identity and production. One of the most emblematic examples of this renewed momentum is the kitchen designed with Ronen Joseph: the first kitchen made entirely of rattan.