BISTRA DINING ARMCHAIR
BY AMDL CIRCLE
A rattan reinvention of the classic bistro chair through an architectural lens
REFINING THE CLASSIC
BISTRO SILHOUETTE
The steam-bent, fiber-woven bistro chair has been an archetypal design form since it first emerged at the turn of the 20th century. With the Bistra Collection, Milan-based design studio AMDL CIRCLE, founded by architect Michele De Lucchi, reinterprets this iconic furniture category for the 21st century, refining the classic bistro silhouette into its most essential expression.
FLOWING CURVES AND LIGHTWEIGHT SILHOUETTES
Comprising a dining armchair, a lounge chair, and a three-legged stool, the Bistra Collection merges past and present. Rooted in nature, each design is organically inspired yet architecturally precise, defined by flowing curves and lightweight silhouettes.
ROOTED IN NATURE
AMDL Circle distilled the rattan chair to its purest form. At the heart of the design are three steam-bent rattan elements: the backrest, the armrests, and the double fork that forms the legs, rising from the ground like a sapling. Tone-on-tone rattan bindings are woven around the backrest canes, referencing classic bistro chairs. Inspired by rattan’s expressive, organic nature, Bistra’s structure appears to have grown from the ground.
‘The inspiration for Bistra comes from the plant world: the structural rattan elements emerge from a single point and branch out like tree limbs or fronds. Everything originates from the base, from which elements extend and transform into supports for the seat, backrest, legs, and armrests. It is a structure that grows from the ground up, like roots that evolve and transform into the final object.’
– Michele De Lucchi, Architect and Founder, AMDL Circle
RENEWABLE BY NATURE
Bistra is made from all-natural rattan from Indonesia, one of the world’s fastest-growing natural materials. Its durability and lightweight nature make it an ideal choice for crafting sinuous, rounded, visually expressive furniture forms. A transparent, water-based semi-gloss lacquer protects the material, reduces maintenance, and maximizes lifespan. Cushions are removable for easy replacement or repair.
REALES PATTERN
A HOMAGE TO DA VINCI
Extending Bistra’s ‘organic growth’ motif, AMDL Circle designed Reales Pattern, a custom 100% cotton fabric inspired by a Leonardo da Vinci fresco on the ceiling of the Sala delle Asse in Milan’s Sforza Castle. Hand-drawn black lines evoke the spontaneity of a pencil sketch, adding artisanal character and visual continuity between the rattan frames and upholstery.
A SEAT FOR EVERY SPACE
The Reales Patters is available in vibrant orange and green on beige; silvery gray on a dark olive green and soft beige-on-beige. The printed pattern complements the collection’s natural, ebony, and olive-stained rattan finishes, enhancing the sculptural clarity and material richness of each piece. With three seating options – dining armchair, lounge chair, and stool – three frame colors, and multiple custom upholstery designs, Bistra offers versatile elegance for any interior, refined or relaxed.
MICHELE DE LUCCHI’S
AMDL CIRCLE
Born in Ferrara, Italy, in 1951, architect and designer Michele De Lucchi is one of the most influential figures in the story of late 20th-century Italian design. In the mid-1970s, he rose to prominence as one of the people in Italy’s Radical architecture movement, and then as a founding member of Ettore Sottsass’ Memphis Group. De Lucchi’s humanistic and exploratory approach to design is the animating energy behind AMDL Circle, the multidisciplinary studio he founded in Milan with Angelo Micheli and Davide Angeli.