Skip to main content

Gianfranco Frattini

Italian, 1926-2004

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.

Average Sold Price
$4,689
Styles
Materials
Related Creators
XL Kyoto Graphic Coffee Table by Gianfranco Frattini for Ghianda / Knoll, 1974
By Pierluigi Ghianda, Gianfranco Frattini
Located in Amsterdam, NL
Magnificent and rare Mid-Century Modern extra large Kyoto graphic coffee table. Design by Gianfranco Frattini for Pierluigi Ghianda / Knoll. Striking Italian design from the 1970s. N...
Category

1970s Italian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Gianfranco Frattini

Materials

Metal

Pair of Gianfranco Frattini Armchairs Model 831 for Cassina, '50 in Cavallino
By Gianfranco Frattini, Cassina
Located in Rovereta, Repubblica di San Marino
Incredibile coppia di sedie modello 831 di Gianfranco Frattini per Cassina, anni Cinquanta. Questi modelli di sedie sono eccezionalmente rari. The fantastic design by renowned Ital...
Category

1950s Italian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Gianfranco Frattini

Materials

Textile, Wood

"Model 522" Table, Design by Gianfranco Frattini, Made by Bernini, Italy, 1960s
By Gianfranco Frattini, Bernini
Located in Wolfurt, AT
The Model 522 table was designed by Gianfranco Frattini and manufactured by Bernini in Italy during the 1960s. Crafted from rosewood, it showcases a refined aesthetic with geometric ...
Category

1960s Italian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Gianfranco Frattini

Materials

Wood

Gianfranco Frattini 780/783 Tables For Cassina
By Gianfranco Frattini
Located in Barcelona, Barcelona
Gianfranco Frattini 780/783 Low Tables For Cassina The series of round low tables designed by Gianfranco Frattini is emblematic of Italian design in the ...
Category

2010s Italian Mid-Century Modern Gianfranco Frattini

Materials

Wood

Gianfranco Frattini 780/783 Tables For Cassina
Gianfranco Frattini 780/783 Tables For Cassina
$8,979 / set
H 17.13 in W 24.02 in D 24.02 in
Gianfranco Frattini Black Beech Kyoto Coffee Table For Knoll, Italy 1974
By Gianfranco Frattini, Knoll
Located in Vienna, AT
Rare original Gianfranco Frattini Kyoto coffee table, Knoll Italy 1974 Dimensions are 44.5" x 44.5" x 13.78" This is the original production from cabinet-maker Ghianda, which was ma...
Category

1970s Italian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Gianfranco Frattini

Materials

Wood

Gianfranco Frattini for Bernini Italian Midcentury Dark Wood Tables Set 1960s
By Gianfranco Frattini, Bernini
Located in Reggio Emilia, IT
Italian midcentury modern design set of two dark wood console, coffe table or sofa table with 3 and 4 drawers designed by Gianfranco Frattini and producede by Bernini from 1960s Manu...
Category

1960s Italian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Gianfranco Frattini

Materials

Wood

Gianfranco Frattini, Bookcase, Rosewood, Italy, 1960s
By Bernini, Gianfranco Frattini
Located in High Point, NC
A modular rosewood bookcase designed by Gianfranco Frattini and produced by Bernini, Italy, c. 1960s.  Dimensions: 81.5” H x 49.5” W x 14” D
Category

1960s Italian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Gianfranco Frattini

Materials

Rosewood

Nesting Table By Gianfranco Frattini For Cassina Italy 1970s
By Gianfranco Frattini
Located in Čelinac, BA
Gianfranco Frattini Nesting Table for Cassina Italy 1970s
Category

1970s Italian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Gianfranco Frattini

Materials

Glass, Wood

Browse all Furniture from Gianfranco Frattini
Shop Now

Gianfranco Frattini Sale Prices

Sold DateSold PriceCategoryMaterialCreation Year
2025$2,205Coat Racks and StandsBrass, Wire, Teak1960s
2025$3,800Coffee and Cocktail TablesLaminate, Walnutcirca 1968
2025$5,150Night StandsJacaranda1960s
2025$2Lounge Chairs, ArmchairsFabric2025
2025$915Coffee and Cocktail TablesMetal, Glass1960 circa
2025$3,528Commodes and Chests of DrawersWood1960
2025$3,051Dining Room TablesRosewood1950
2025$2,500Desks and Writing TablesWood1950
2025$11,000Dining Room ChairsLeather1980
2025$21,413SofasCotton, Velvet, Chrome, Foam1972
2025$1,285Coffee and Cocktail TablesSteel, Smoked Glass, Chrome1970s
2025$4,095Coffee and Cocktail Tables, Nesting Tables and Stacking TablesLaminate, Walnut1970s
2025$2,400Coffee and Cocktail Tables, Nesting Tables and Stacking TablesGlass, Wenge1963
2025$5,220ArmchairsUpholstery, Chromec. 1970
2025$1,195Floor Lamps, Side TablesMetal, Aluminum1990's
2025$15,069BookcasesTeak1960s
2025$495Decorative Boxes, JarsResin, Compositioncirca Late-20th Century
2025$500Pier Mirrors and Console Mirrors, Wall MirrorsGlass, Woodcirca 1950
2025$3,071Carts and Bar CartsWalnut1950s
2025$1,400Coffee and Cocktail Tables, Nesting Tables and Stacking TablesWood1960s
$4,689
Average sold price of items in the past 12 months
$2-$29,382
Sold price range of items in the past 12 months

Creators Similar to Gianfranco Frattini

Gianfranco Frattini furniture for sale on 1stDibs.

Gianfranco Frattini furniture are available for sale on 1stDibs. These distinctive items are frequently made of wood and are designed with extraordinary care. There are many options to choose from in our collection of Gianfranco Frattini furniture, although brown editions of this piece are particularly popular. We have 297 vintage editions of these items in-stock, while there is 36 modern edition to choose from as well. Many of the original furniture by Gianfranco Frattini were created in the mid-century modern style in europe during the 20th century. If you’re looking for additional options, many customers also consider furniture by Ico Parisi, Arflex, and Saporiti Italia. Prices for Gianfranco Frattini furniture can differ depending upon size, time period and other attributes — on 1stDibs, these items begin at $261 and can go as high as $35,599, while a piece like these, on average, fetch $5,104.

Recently Viewed

View All