From the 30th

Designed in 1953 for Rima, the Du 30 chair represents the pinnacle of Gastone Rinaldi's methodological research in this period and an absolute icon of Italian industrial design, consecrated in 1954 by the award of the first Compasso d’Oro.

Technical Profile and Innovation

The model masterfully achieves the goal of converting a flat surface into a self-supporting three-dimensional shell capable of forming a seat and backrest in a single piece. The structure is made from a single sheet of shaped and stretched metal plate, whose edges join under the seat to form a central reinforcing “rib”. The legs, formed by two paired elements, are fixed to this rib and to the bottom of the seat by screws and the interposition of elastic media, avoiding the use of spot welding.

Design Philosophy and Influences

Du 30 was born from a reflection on the American productions of Charles Eames, reinterpreted by Rinaldi through empirical solutions dictated by the technological limitations typical of small Italian industries of the time. The designer solves the problem of obtaining sufficient structural rigidity by folding the sheet metal. The shell is completed with a foam rubber padding and a covering that, in the first versions, used the plastic fabric Flexa (recommended by Gio Ponti for its adaptability), sewn directly along the profile of the sheet metal.

Critical Reception and Historical Success

In 1954 the jury of the Compasso d’Oro awarded Du 30 for its "essential form and structure", defining it as the expression of a "lively and brilliant" production capable of taste-fully complementing modern decor. Its aesthetic validity is confirmed by the fact that the outline profile, graphically reworked by Albe Steiner, was chosen for the cover of the first issue of the magazine Stile Industria in June 1954. Exhibited at the 10th Milan Triennale, the chair is today considered a point of reference in its ability to merge technical rigor, production economy, and formal elegance.