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Massimo losa Ghini Plana Bench, in 1930's Pendleton Glacier Park Blanket

Creator: Massimo Iosa Ghini
Offered by: Habitat-Gallery

Description
What do you get when you combine iconic Italian design with nearly a century of American textile history? This Plana bench right here.

This is a Plana bench, designed by the wildly imaginative Massimo Iosa Ghini for Moroso — but she’s got a twist. Instead of the usual upholstery, she’s wrapped in a genuine, well-worn Pendleton Glacier National Park blanket dating back to the 1930s. That’s right — this textile predates WWII, and it’s lived a whole life before being lovingly reimagined as couture for this bench. The bold stripes — black, yellow, red, and green — were originally designed to honor Glacier National Park and debuted in 1916, the same year the National Park Service was founded. It’s a woven love letter to American wilderness, and this vintage blanket wears its age like a badge of honor: soft patina, visible history, and all the charming marks of a long, full life. We even had the original Pendleton tag hand-stitched right onto the top, for provenance.

It’s also important to recognize the deeper cultural significance of Pendleton blankets within Native American communities. For over a century, these blankets have played a meaningful role in ceremonies, gift-giving, and storytelling traditions across many tribes. They’re not just decorative — they’re deeply symbolic, often given to mark major life events like births, graduations, weddings, and honorings. While this particular Glacier Park blanket was part of Pendleton’s National Park series — originally launched in 1916 to celebrate America’s natural landscapes — it exists within a broader legacy of Indigenous use, respect, and connection. We acknowledge that this piece carries a layered history, and it’s with care that we’ve preserved and presented it in a new form.

Now let’s talk design pedigree. Massimo Iosa Ghini — a name that sounds like poetry, and designs that feel like it too. He’s a celebrated Italian architect and designer known for his contributions to the Memphis movement and Bolidismo, both of which dared to blur the lines between futurism and function. His work is sculptural, joyful, and utterly distinctive — think speed-meets-sensuality with a dash of Jetsons glamour.

The bench itself was made by Moroso, the legendary Italian manufacturer known for its bold collaborations with design greats. Founded in 1952, Moroso is family-run and fiercely contemporary, mixing high-concept aesthetics with meticulous craftsmanship. Their pieces live in museums, design fairs, and celebrity homes — but they play just as nicely in spaces that value wit, warmth, and wow factor.

This is not just furniture. It’s story, sculpture, and a slice of two legacies stitched into one: American heritage meets Italian design fantasia.

Condition: The blanket bears age, patina, and signs of prior life — exactly as it should. The bench’s chrome legs are clean and elegant. Original Moroso tags intact on the underside.

This bench would look incredible in any mid century modern, modern, or contemporary home or environment. This isn't just a piece of furniture-- this one has a heartbeat.

More Information

Documentation:	Signed
Notes:	See Images
Origin:	Italy
Period:	1980-1999
Materials:	Wool, Steel
Condition:	Fair. There is wear consistent with age and use on the blanket which has been used to upholster this bench. This is a nearly 100 year old textile.
Creation Date:	C. 1990's
Styles / Movements:	Modern, Mid Century
Incollect Reference #:	799264