Driade

Driade is a furniture design company created in Piacenza in 1968 by Enrico Astori (architect, entrepreneur, art director), his sister Antonia Astori (architect, designer) and his wife Adelaide Acerbi (image and communication).

Since its inception it has been characterized as an aesthetic laboratory with a highly innovative industrial policy and for the quality of original proposals, comparing the components of the project: conception of a program, implementation, communication.

Driade as an "author's factory" stands out for producing designer furniture and furnishings as "author's objects" according to the logic of collecting.

In the first years of activity, Driade crossed paths with the history of Italian design through collaborations with Giotto Stoppino, Rodolfo Bonetto, Enzo Mari, Nanda Vigo, Massimo and Lella Vignelli, De Pas-D'Urbino-Lomazzi.

In 1968 Driade debuted with Driade1, designed by Antonia Astori, a "wardrobe and wall" capable of defining and organizing the space which in 1972 was transformed into a dividing wall with Oikos.

In 1982 Driade developed its communication with editorial initiatives, graphics and event planning. The following year the first furnishing manual was published and distributed on newsstands.

Driade makes itself known internationally, also thanks to the complex communication project, developed by the Adelaide Astori graphic studio. Adelaide Acerbi's graphics characterize the company's changes, from the minimalist rigor of the seventies to the changing complexity of recent years.

Driade meets Italian photography with Mulas, Ballo and Basilico who offer their contribution to define the image as a distinctive sign of products and company.

In the 1980s Driade developed through collaborations with a large group of designers, now international icons, also thanks to the projects and creations created for the company. Among these, in addition to Antonia Astori, Philippe Starck, Borek Sipek, Ross Lovegrove, Kazuo Sejima, Toyo Ito, Tokujin Yhosioka, Enzo Mari, Nanda Vigo, Paola Navone, Xavier Lust and Fabio Novembre, Oscar Tusquets, Lluís Clotet, Elliott Littman, Ron Arad, Borek Sipek, David Chipperfield, Kazuyo Sejima, John Pawson, Bellini.

At the end of the 1980s Driade develops a collection of objects by Borek Sipek, a Bohemian artist who creates blown glass, silver and precious woods in a neo-baroque style.   

In 1994 the showroom in Via Manzoni in Milan was inaugurated, a set of large rooms, frescoed rooms and galleries on the ground floor of the ancient Gallarati Scotti palace. Visitors are welcomed by the Driade catalog with furniture, kitchens, accessories, art and everyday objects.

In the mid-90s Driadestore was born, a collection of furniture and objects designed for the young audience, where Miki Astori, Platt E Young, Haberli, Grcic and many others interact with the great masters, Philippe Starck above all.

The contribution of the Japanese Tokujin Yoshioka, since 2002, confirms that the experimentation of new forms and new housing solutions continues to be the vital soul of the company.

In 2003, for the 35th anniversary, Driade, during the Salone del Mobile di Milano, organized the Clouds exhibition at the Rotonda della Besana in Milan, with the exhibition of 65 historical pieces.

In 2007 the Starckland event celebrates the long collaboration with Philippe Starck.

In 2008 Driade received the Compasso d’oro for the mt3 rocking chair, designed by Ron Arad, the third after those awarded for the Delfina chair (1979) and the Legato table (2001), designed by Enzo Mari.

In 2015 Driade opens the boutique on three levels with open and bright spaces in via Borgogna, in the center of Milan, where iconic pieces and novelties are exhibited.