MOSEL, Bilbao. © Carla De Benedetti.
Since its founding in Vitoria in 1962 by José Patricio Alvarez de Arcaya, the family-owned company MOSEL has focused on selling great design and high-quality furniture, especially Italian and Nordic creations. José’s fascination for design did not stop with the furniture he imported, though, and so in 1974 he commissioned the award-winning Italian architect Cini Boeri to design their new shop in the Gran Vía in Bilbao.
The 1,500 square meter furniture shop, located in a late nineteenth century building, united the ground floor with the basement, creating several areas on the intermediate levels. The two acute triangles facing the street are the front of an internal section that continues along the length of the shop, allowing the basement floor to be visible from the street. Architect Pierluigi Cerri designed the iconic neon sign located in the windows.
MOSEL, Bilbao. © Carla De Benedetti.
MOSEL, Bilbao. © Carla De Benedetti.
MOSEL, Bilbao. © Carla De Benedetti.
MOSEL, Bilbao. © Carla De Benedetti.
Plan, MOSEL, Bilbao. © Cini Boeri Architetti.
Sections, MOSEL, Bilbao. © Cini Boeri Architetti.
The new shop put MOSEL on the international scene, making it one of the most acclaimed furniture stores in Europe. Yet this would not be last collaboration between MOSEL and Cini Boeri. In 1992, she was hired once again to design their new shop in Vitoria.
We want to honor MOSEL and the architect Cini Boeri for their commitment to bringing the best international design to Bilbao, long before the city embraced modern design.