Tacchini.

Tacchini

Tacchini is a discreet but central Italian edition house in the re-emergence of forgotten 1960s-70s Italian design pieces. Founded in 1965 in Baruccana di Seveso, Brianza, it ran for decades as a contract maker before editing under its own name from the 2010s. Its documented reissue strategy — most notably Mario Bellini's Le Bambole in 2018 under licence from the designer's estate — established it as a reference player in the historical Italian furniture market. LAPIERRE sources both vintage pieces and Tacchini reissues secondhand for the Paris and European market.

Brand history

The company was founded in 1965 in Baruccana di Seveso, in the Lombardy Brianza, by Antonio Tacchini. The region was then the manufacturing heart of Italian furniture — host to the factories of Cassina, B&B Italia, Cappellini, Poltrona Frau. Tacchini ran initially as a contract maker, producing pieces under contract for other editors. This industrial discipline, rooted in traditional Italian cabinetmaking and 1960s mechanisation, translated into mastery of the tubular assemblies and foam-leather upholstery characteristic of Made in Italy.

The repositioning came in the 2010s under the second family generation. Tacchini pivoted to its own edition strategy along two parallel tracks: contemporary editions (Edward Barber & Jay Osgerby, Lievore Altherr Molina, Studio Pastina) and documented reissues of forgotten historical Italian pieces. The editorial breakthrough came in 2018 with the reissue of Mario Bellini's Le Bambole, licensed from the Bellini Foundation. The piece, designed in 1972 for C&B Italia (later B&B Italia), had been pulled from catalogue in the 1990s and not republished since.

Followed reissues of Gianfranco Frattini's Sesann (1970), a chromed tubular bench with buttoned cushions, alongside Joe Colombo and Ico Parisi pieces in progressive reissue. Production remains centralised in Brianza.

Signature pieces we source

Le Bambole (Mario Bellini, 1972). Sofa and armchair in enveloping moulded foam on internal structure, no visible legs, floor-resting. Bellini's signature piece, Compasso d'Oro 1979 winner. Available in single, two-seat, three-seat, ottoman. Sought in black or cognac leather, or Kvadrat fabric.

Sesann (Gianfranco Frattini, 1970). Chromed tubular bench with buttoned leather or fabric cushions. 1970 model reissued by Tacchini in 2015. Sought in black or cognac leather.

Joe Colombo reissues. Tacchini has announced several Colombo reissues since 2020, to be confirmed per arrival.

Tobi-Ishi (Edward Barber & Jay Osgerby). Contemporary table edited by Tacchini. Stone or wood top, sculptural base.

Contemporary Tacchini. Studio Pastina, Lievore Altherr Molina, more rarely sourced secondhand but possible.

Authenticating original vs reissue

Three cases for Tacchini-related pieces in circulation. Original C&B Italia or B&B Italia Le Bambole (1972-1990). Genuinely vintage, rare in clean arrival. Specific B&B Italia or C&B Italia marking, period foam, original leather or fabric with patina. Tacchini Le Bambole (2018-). Documented reissue. Sewn Tacchini marking, contemporary foam, current Made in Italy finish. Unlicensed copy. No marking, lower foam and structure quality, basic finish. Valuation differs sharply across the three cases. The same distinction applies to Sesann — original 1970 Cassina production vs Tacchini reissue.

LAPIERRE process for this brand

The Tacchini protocol at LAPIERRE systematically distinguishes original from reissue. For Le Bambole, marking, foam (density, elasticity) and upholstery checks. For Sesann, chromed tubular structure, buttoning and leather condition checks. All pieces are cleaned before photography and shipped with provenance documentation when available. Le Bambole pieces with tired original leather can be entrusted to a specialist leather workshop for treatment without recover, when patina is judged worth preserving.

Request a search

Looking for an original 1972-1990 B&B Italia Le Bambole, a recent Tacchini reissue, or an original-leather Sesann? Write to LAPIERRE with your brief: model, configuration, period, target condition. Our team activates its sourcing network in Italy, France and Europe and returns within a few days.