"Sesann" Lounge Chair by Gianfranco Frattini for Cassina
About the Item
- Creator:Cassina (Manufacturer),Gianfranco Frattini (Designer)
- Dimensions:Height: 26 in (66.04 cm)Width: 41 in (104.14 cm)Depth: 34 in (86.36 cm)Seat Height: 14.5 in (36.83 cm)
- Style:Mid-Century Modern (Of the Period)
- Materials and Techniques:
- Place of Origin:
- Period:
- Date of Manufacture:1960
- Condition:Repaired: In excellent original condition with vintage wear to the fabric. Price includes new upholstery in your choice of fabric. Wear consistent with age and use. In excellent original condition with vintage wear to the fabric. Price includes new upholstery in your choice of fabric.
- Seller Location:Berkeley, CA
- Reference Number:1stDibs: LU1353236056252
Gianfranco Frattini
Gianfranco Frattini is widely regarded as a mid-century master of Italian modern design. He was an award-winning architect and designer, and specialized in creating furniture and decor that is both decorative and practical — Frattini’s vintage desks, armchairs, nesting tables and other works are celebrated for their sophisticated merging of function and form.
Born in Padua in 1926, Frattini studied architecture at the Polytechnic University of Milan. He later apprenticed with his teacher and mentor, Gio Ponti. Through Ponti — arguably the most important figure in 20th-century Italian architecture and design — Frattini met many notable modernist designers such as Oscar Niemeyer and Le Corbusier, but an introduction to famed Italian entrepreneur Cesare Cassina would prove incredibly significant in helping launch his career.
During the mid-1950s, Frattini began to collaborate with Cassina’s eponymous company. He designed the brand’s acclaimed leather and walnut Model 849 lounge chair — a winner of the Compasso d’Oro award — the Marema nesting tables and the iconic Sesann collection. The latter, an enduring 1970s suite of impossibly welcoming leather-covered seating, is now produced by Tacchini. In addition to Cassina, Frattini created furniture and lighting for other manufacturers such as Bernini, Arteluce, Artemide, Knoll and more.
While many of his designs incorporate glass, tubular steel and other materials, Frattini loved working with wood. The sculptural Albero bookcase — an innovative floor-to-ceiling structure made in walnut that swings on a 360-degree vertical swivel axis — is a striking example of Frattini’s dedication to traditional woodworking techniques. In the early 1970s, he traveled to Japan with friend and collaborator Pierluigi Ghianda — a master Milanese cabinet maker — in order to study the work of artisans in Kyoto. The trip inspired his design of the Kyoto table, a work of solid beech with Canaletto walnut inserts that is part of the permanent collection of the Milan Triennale’s Design Museum. The Kyoto and Albero have been revived by Poltrona Frau.
Frattini’s designs are in the permanent collections of prestigious museums such as the Museum of Modern Art and the Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum.
Find vintage Gianfranco Frattini furniture, lighting and decor on 1stDibs.
Cassina
Furniture manufacturer Cassina is a prolific design house for more reasons than one: It not only owns the licenses to an exquisite collection of iconic chairs, sofas, tables and other pieces from the 20th and 21st centuries but also produces original works that are characterized by innovation and the finest Italian craftsmanship.
Cassina’s illustrious legacy includes being one of the first companies to bring industrial design to Italy in the 1950s. Founded in 1927 in Meda, Italy, by brothers Cesare and Umberto Cassina, the Italian manufacturing giant originally specialized in bespoke woodworking. In nearly a century since its founding, the company has shown incredible foresight about design trends and the evolution of technology.
In 1964, Cassina signed an exclusive licensing agreement to manufacture furniture by Le Corbusier and his collaborators — such as the LC4 chaise longue made with trailblazing French modernist Charlotte Perriand and Pierre Jeanneret — a move that would shape the future of the company. Cassina’s I Maestri collection is an ongoing initiative to restyle landmark designs from the 20th century, such as pieces by Gerrit Rietveld (the Red and Blue armchair from 1918), Charles Rennie Mackintosh, Erik Gunnar Asplund, Franco Albini and Frank Lloyd Wright. The company preserves the intentions and original styles of their designs but adds updated techniques, materials and processes — rendering them the best possible combination of past, present and future. The brand has also worked with contemporary icons like Zaha Hadid, Gio Ponti and Philippe Starck.
Cassina’s original designs are cutting-edge as well. They include pieces for everyday use, the development of which is guided by comfort and the marriage of Italian craftsmanship with industrial technology.
Some of Cassina’s pieces, both from its contemporary and I Maestri collections, can be found in the collections of museums like the Museum of Modern Art and the Vitra Design Museum. In 2014, the company became part of Haworth in its acquisition of Italian furniture group Poltrona Frau, and in 2015, Spanish designer Patricia Urquiola joined Cassina as its art director, leading the brand into its next century of inventive style.
Find a collection of new and vintage Cassina furniture on 1stDibs.
- ShippingRetrieving quote...Ships From: Berkeley, CA
- Return PolicyThis item cannot be returned.
- Pair of maralunga lounge chairs by vico magistrettiBy Vico Magistretti, CassinaLocated in Berkeley, CAOrigin: Italy Designer: Vico Magistretti Manufacturer: Cassina Era: 1973 Materials: Leather Measurements: 39″ wide x 31.5″ deep x 27.5″ tall Condition: In excellent original condition.Category
Late 20th Century Italian Mid-Century Modern Lounge Chairs
MaterialsLeather
- Set of 4 Ps142 Lounge Chairs by Eugenio Gerli for TecnoBy Eugenio Gerli, TecnoLocated in Berkeley, CAOrigin: Italy Designer: Eugenio Gerli Manufacturer: Tecno Era: 1960s Materials: Wool, metal Measurements: 26.5? wide x 19.75? deep x 26.25? tall Condition: In good original c...Category
Mid-20th Century Italian Mid-Century Modern Lounge Chairs
MaterialsMetal
- Norwegian Midcentury Lounge Chair in Rosewood by Torbjørn Afdal for BruksboBy Torbjørn Afdal, BruksboLocated in Berkeley, CAOrigin: Denmark Designer: Torbjørn Afdal Manufacturer: Bruksbo Era: 1960s Dimensions: 30 wide x 31 deep x 31 tall Seat: 21 wide x 23 deep x 16 tall Condition: Frame in excelle...Category
Mid-20th Century Danish Mid-Century Modern Lounge Chairs
MaterialsRosewood
- Vintage Jetson High Back Swivel Lounge Chair by Bruno Mathsson for DUXBy Dux of Sweden, Bruno MathssonLocated in Berkeley, CAOrigin: Sweden Designer: Bruno Mathsson Manufacturer: Dux Era: 1960s Dimensions: 23 wide x 30 deep x 28 tall Seat: 17 wide x 18 deep x 16 tall Condition: Frame in excellent or...Category
Mid-20th Century Swedish Mid-Century Modern Lounge Chairs
MaterialsChrome
- Vigna Lounge Chair by Ragnar HelsenLocated in Berkeley, CAOrigin: Sweden Designer: Ragnar Helsen Manufacturer: AB Stjernmöbler Era: 1950s Materials: Beech Measurements: 30? wide x 29? deep x 28? tall Seat:...Category
20th Century Swedish Mid-Century Modern Lounge Chairs
MaterialsBeech
- 1950s "Winni" Lounge Chair by Ikea #2By IKEALocated in Berkeley, CAOrigin: Sweden Designer: Unknown Manufacturer: IKEA Era: 1950s Materials: Beech, Wool Measurements: 21.75″ wide x 23" deep 28.75″ tall, Seat: 15.75" tall Condition: In good original...Category
Mid-20th Century Swedish Mid-Century Modern Lounge Chairs
MaterialsWool, Beech
- Sesann Leather Lounge Chair by Gianfranco FrattiniBy Gianfranco Frattini, TacchiniLocated in Boston, MAAn icon of Italian design in the 1970s, the Sesann collection by Gianfranco Frattini was part of a new vision of contemporary living in which ergonomics were adapted to social change...Category
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Lounge Chairs
MaterialsChrome
- Sesann Sofa by Gianfranco Frattini for CassinaBy Cassina, Gianfranco FrattiniLocated in London, EnglandThe "Three-seater sofa Mod. Sesann," crafted by Gianfranco Frattini for Cassina in 1970, epitomizes a harmonious blend of style and practicality. With a sleek chrome-plated steel frame, the sofa exudes timeless elegance. The polyurethane foam padding ensures comfort, while the rich brown cord upholstery adds sophistication. The Sesann sofa...Category
Vintage 1970s Italian Sofas
MaterialsChrome
- Gianfranco Frattini for Cassina Ivory Kalgan Lambskin Lounge Chairs Model 836By Gianfranco Frattini, CassinaLocated in New York, NYGianfranco Frattini for Cassina rare pair of lounge chairs model 836 with walnut frames, black painted tubular metal legs, and back and seat cushions upholstered in a luxurious ivory...Category
Vintage 1950s Italian Mid-Century Modern Lounge Chairs
MaterialsMetal, Brass
- Gianfranco Frattini, Pair of Lounge Chairs, model 849 for Cassina, 1950sBy Gianfranco Frattini, CassinaLocated in Wargrave, BerkshireStunning pair of lounge chairs, designed by Gianfranco Frattini and produced by Cassina, 1950s. Model 849 in walnut, newly reupholstered in white bouclé fabric 74cm high, 84cm wide...Category
Vintage 1950s Italian Mid-Century Modern Lounge Chairs
MaterialsUpholstery, Walnut
- Gianfranco Frattini Alpaca Sesann Lounge Chair for Cassina, 1972, Set of 2By Gianfranco Frattini, CassinaLocated in Vicenza, ITThe Sesann lounge chair was designed by Gianfranco Frattini in 1970 and produced by the Italian manufacturer Cassina. This set is composed of two lounge chairs upholstered in tobacco and chocolate brown alpaca velvet. Sesann is characterized by an organic and informal shape and is defined by the tubular metal detail that wraps around the soft, upholstered seat. In the 1970s, the Cassina catalogue...Category
Vintage 1970s Italian Space Age Living Room Sets
MaterialsChrome
- Pair Of Gianfranco Frattini Model 831 Lounge Chairs For Cassina, 1950sBy Gianfranco Frattini, CassinaLocated in ABCOUDE, UTIncredible pair of model 831 chairs by Gianfranco Frattini for Cassina, 1950s. These model chairs are exceptionally rare. The fantastic design by renowned Italian designer Gianfranco...Category
Vintage 1950s Lounge Chairs
MaterialsUpholstery, Bentwood
Recently Viewed
View AllRead More
The 21 Most Popular Mid-Century Modern Chairs
You know the designs, now get the stories about how they came to be.
Billy Cotton Layers His Interiors with Lived-In Comfort
The Brooklyn-based designer is adept at styles ranging from austere to over-the-top, espousing an architectural, detail-oriented approach also evident in his line of furniture and lighting.