Magistretti was born in 1920 in the City of Milan, Italy. He graduated as an architect in 1945 and pursued a career chiefly in the fields of architecture, town planning and industrial design. His work was first recognised in 1948 when he won the coveted Gran Premio award. After that came forty years of activity with other prizes and awards. Throughout the course of his career, Magistretti held prestigious professorships at the Royal College of Arts in London and the Domus Academy in Milan.
Furniture, lamps and other objects that he designed may be found all over the world at important design museums which have given exhibitions in his honour and kept examples of his work in their permanent collections.