Acerbis International

Acerbis is a furniture company in the province of Bergamo with a history of more than 150 years. It is best known for the storage units and tables of the 1970s and 1980s with perfect glossy lacquers, designed by leading names in Italian design.

From workshop to industry

In 1870 Benvenuto Acerbis opened a carpenter's workshop in Albino, in the Seriana valley. The sign read “Upholstery, Carpenter and Joiner. Electric-Motor Furniture Factory”: even then craft was combined with technology. In 1963 the company moved to Seriate and leadership passed to Lodovico Acerbis, who created the Acerbis International brand: industrial production, collaborations with designers and foreign markets.

Stoppino and the Vignellis

The decisive meeting was between Lodovico Acerbis and the architect Giotto Stoppino. Together they developed polyester lacquers and new materials, and created products such as the Sheraton sideboard, awarded the Compasso d'Oro in 1979, and the Hilton, Brooklyn and Quartetto pieces. With Lella and Massimo Vignelli, the designers behind the graphics of many large American companies, Acerbis made furniture such as Serenissimo, Lago Dorato and Creso, where rigorous forms meet ancient techniques such as encaustic and gold and silver leaf.

Acerbis today

In 2019 the brand was acquired by MDF Italia, and since 2020 its creative directors have been Francesco Meda and David Lopez Quincoces. With the Remasters project they have brought historic products back from the archive, updating their proportions, materials and colours, inspired by vintage cars, alongside new pieces.

Sources

• Acerbis – About us