Ilmari Tapiovaara Permanente Cantu bookcase 1957

This monumental bookcase was designed by Ilmari Tapiovaara and manufactured by Permanente Mobili Cantu, Italy 1957. The grand sized bookcase is executed in teak wood which has a nice deep and warm colour. This bookcase can be used as a showcase as well, due to it clean lines it could create the perfect space for your special pieces. The fabric covered sliding panels can be arranged where you need or want them. The contrast of the beige sliding doors and the teak wood is astonishing. This combination creates a playful appearance. The partly open and partly closed parts also contribute to the lightness of the design, although this piece is very big in size, it doesn’t seem bulky because of that. This piece has a truly impressive size and can therefor fill up a room. It is in very good condition with normally age-related wear, especially to the sliding doors which are still fully original. The bookcase can be fully dis assembled for easy transport and moving.

Ilmari Tapiovaara (1914-1999) was trained as an interior designer and at the beginning of his career, during world war II, Tapiovaara designed gear for the Finnish army, meaning that he got used to work with very common materials such as local woods and no nails or screws where available. Later in his career he founded his own practice with his wife and had many assignments for schools and universities.