Gianfranco Frattini Centerpieces
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.
1970s Italian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Gianfranco Frattini Centerpieces
Aluminum
1970s Italian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Gianfranco Frattini Centerpieces
Coral, Brass
19th Century Italian Renaissance Revival Antique Gianfranco Frattini Centerpieces
Stone, Amethyst, Multi-gemstone, Silver
1970s Italian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Gianfranco Frattini Centerpieces
Silver Plate
1970s Italian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Gianfranco Frattini Centerpieces
Ceramic
1970s Italian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Gianfranco Frattini Centerpieces
Metal, Brass
1970s Italian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Gianfranco Frattini Centerpieces
Pottery
Late 20th Century Italian Classical Roman Gianfranco Frattini Centerpieces
Marble
1970s Italian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Gianfranco Frattini Centerpieces
Bamboo, Wicker, Rattan
1970s Italian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Gianfranco Frattini Centerpieces
Metal, Brass
Late 20th Century Italian Gianfranco Frattini Centerpieces
Sterling Silver
20th Century Italian Mid-Century Modern Gianfranco Frattini Centerpieces
Murano Glass
Mid-20th Century European Mid-Century Modern Gianfranco Frattini Centerpieces
Glass, Art Glass, Blown Glass, Murano Glass
