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.
$7,327Sale Price|20% Off
Sculptural wood Italian cabinet by Gianfranco Frattini for Berini
By Bernini, Gianfranco Frattini
Located in Milano, IT
Rare and beautiful wood cabinet by Gianfranco Frattini for Bernini, Italy, 1950 - 60s. A true classic of Italian Mid-Century design, capable of speaking with style and sophisticatio...
Wood
20th Century, Gianfranco Frattini for Bernini Cabinet with Desk mod. 804
By Gianfranco Frattini, Bernini
Located in Turin, Turin
Frattini graduated in architecture from the Milan Polytechnic in 1953. He opened his professional studio in Milan, after working in the studio of his teacher and mentor Gio Ponti. Hi...
Glass, Wood
Tacchini Serie 500/3 Storage Cabinet by Gianfranco Frattini
By Gianfranco Frattini, Tacchini
Located in New York, NY
Serie 500/3: three-unit sideboard with shutters and drawers in the left compartment; glass or wood shelves available as optional. Optional wooden shelf or Optional glass shelf - Se...
Walnut
Gianfranco Frattini for Cantieri Carugati Cabinet in Cherry
By Cantieri Carugati, Gianfranco Frattini
Located in Waalwijk, NL
Gianfranco Frattini for Cantieri Carugati, cabinet, cherry, Italy, 1958 This piece of furniture is crafted with a solid design, characterized by clean, straight lines and angular sh...
Cherry
Mid-Century Wooden Bar Cabinet on wheels by Gianfranco Frattini for Bernini
By Gianfranco Frattini
Located in Brussels, BE
Mid-Century Wooden Bar Cabinet on wheels by Gianfranco Frattini for Bernini, 1970s Gianfranco Frattini was born in Padua in 1926 and graduated in architecture at the ...
Glass, Wood
Gianfranco frattini cabinet by Bernini Italy 1957
By Gianfranco Frattini, Bernini
Located in Roosendaal, Noord Brabant
Behold the exquisite craftsmanship of the small sideboard or cabinet, a testament to the visionary design of Gianfranco Frattini and the masterful production of Bernini, Italy, in 19...
Rosewood
Gianfranco Frattini Highboard Model 504 Bernini, Italy 1960
By Gianfranco Frattini
Located in Paris, IDF
Rare high credenza in Brazilian rosewood by Gianfranco Frattini Model 504 made by Bernini, Italy around 1961. Vertical rolling curtain doors Good condition
Wood, Rosewood
Series 500/3 Three-Element Sideboard by Gianfranco Frattini for Tacchini
By Tacchini, Gianfranco Frattini
Located in Alcamo, IT
The Serie 500/3 by Gianfranco Frattini, reissued today by Tacchini, is far more than a storage unit: it represents a fundamental chapter in the history of Italian design. Originally ...
Wood
Tacchini Serie 500/4 Storage Cabinet by Gianfranco Frattini
By Gianfranco Frattini, Tacchini
Located in New York, NY
Optional wooden shelf or Optional glass shelf - Serie 500/4: four-piece sideboard with shutters and drawers in the lower left compartment; glass or wood shelves available as optio...
Walnut
Cabinet / End Table by Gianfranco Frattini for Bernini, 1950s
By Gianfranco Frattini, Bernini
Located in Sagaponack, NY
A Mid-Century Modern walnut cabinet / end table designed by Gianfranco Frattini. This cabinet has two (2) top drawers having round handles and three (3) drawers with oval integral ha...
Aluminum
$22,000
H 82 in Dm 72.38 in
Italian Modern Rosewood Wall Unit/Bookcase by Gianfranco Frattini for Bernini
By Gianfranco Frattini, Bernini
Located in Brooklyn, NY
Model 540 modular bookcase designed by Gianfranco Frattini for Bernini (ca. 1960s, Italy). Uncommon rosewood example composed of four vertical slatted-rails creating three bays inclu...
Metal, Aluminum
Black Desk by Gianfranco Frattini for Bernini, Italy, 1960s
By Gianfranco Frattini
Located in Greding, DE
Refined black-lacquered desk on cylindrical legs, designed by Gianfranco Frattini for Bernini. The desk features ten drawers, a pull-out writing surface, and a tambour top that conce...
Wood
Gianfranco Frattini wardobe by Bernini Italy 1957
By Bernini, Gianfranco Frattini
Located in Roosendaal, Noord Brabant
This rare sliding door wardrobe, designed by the celebrated Gianfranco Frattini and manufactured by Bernini, Italy in 1957. It epitomizes the refined elegance of mid-century modern d...
Rosewood
Storage Cabinet by Pia Manu, Belgium, 1970s
By Pia Manu
Located in Antwerp, BE
This cabinet, produced by Pia Manu in Belgium during the 1970s, is defined by a compact and architectural composition in which storage elements are carefully integrated into a unifie...
Resin, Wood, Coating
Gianfranco Frattini Attributed Credenza
By Gianfranco Frattini
Located in Chicago, IL
c. 1970s, Italy. The lacquer has some scuffs and scratches along with some chips to the edges - see photos for details
Lacquer
Bertu Storage, Carsen Modern Storage Cabinet, Maple
By Bertu Furniture
Located in Oak Harbor, OH
This Carsen Cabinet in Maple is made in the heart of Ohio with locally sourced wood. Each unit is handmade with solid maple (or wood of your choice) and finished with a beautiful com...
Maple
$5,223
H 31.11 in W 39.38 in D 25.6 in
Mid-Century Modern Italian Desk Table by Gianfranco Frattini for Bernini, 1960s
By Bernini, Gianfranco Frattini
Located in Puglia, Puglia
Rare and unusual desk model N°804 designed by Gianfranco Frattini for Bernini. Pulling out the desk top opens the rolltop. This desk cabinet has plenty of storage space, 10 drawers a...
Ash
Strings Storage Cabinet by Nika Zupanc
By Nika Zupanc, Scarlet Splendour
Located in Kolkata, IN
Strings storage cabinet by Nika Zupanc is a tall metal cabinet made of multiple steel "strings" with a lace like edge to make an elegant storage cab...
Metal
Gianfranco Frattini Walnut Sideboard
By Gianfranco Frattini
Located in Brussels, BE
Gianfranco Frattini walnut sideboard.
Wood
$5,934Sale Price|20% Off
H 28.25 in W 31.5 in D 32.5 in
Rare Sesamo Pop Up Desk / Secretary by Gianfranco Frattini for Bernini, 1981
By Gianfranco Frattini, Bernini
Located in Basel, BS
Exquisite and very rare Pop Up Desk by Gianfranco Frattini in Italy for Bernini. Label present, and all drawer pulls are stamped with the logo. When you p...
Leather, Beech
$14,274Sale Price|20% Off
H 28.75 in W 82.68 in D 27.56 in
Bilateral Sideboard by Gianfranco Frattini for Bernini
By Bernini, Gianfranco Frattini
Located in Piacenza, Italy
Iconic sideboard designed by Gianfranco Frattini for Bernini. Italy 1960 ca. Three vertical tambour doors on one side, with three large and two smal...
Wood
Dovetail 2 x 1 Vinyl Storage Cabinet
By Andrew Forseth, Matt Richmond, Blake Tovin
Located in Nyack, NY
Our Dovetail Vinyl Storage Cabinets utilize a “file drawer” approach to store LPs and allow you to easily flip through an entire record collection while enjoying a visual display of record cover art across the front of the cabinet. The design incorporates many of the same details found in our Dovetail Record Crates...
Brass
Gianfranco Frattini for Bernini Cabinet with Built-in Desk
By Bernini, Gianfranco Frattini
Located in Waalwijk, NL
Gianfranco Frattini for Bernini, cabinet with desk model 804, lacquered wood, glass, suede, metal, Italy, 1960s This black cabinet with integrated desk...
Metal
Sold
H 46.46 in W 55.12 in D 20.48 in
Madia Serie '504' di Gianfranco Frattini per Bernini anni 60 restaurato
By Bernini, Gianfranco Frattini
Located in Milano, IT
Mobile credenza anni '60 della serie '504', disegnato da Gianfranco Frattini per una produzione Bernini. Restaurato con cura nei nostri laboratori, presenta ante a serranda avvolgibi...
Wood
Sold
H 46.46 in W 55.12 in D 20.87 in
Gianfranco Frattini model 504 cabinet in rosewood Bernini Italy 1960
By Bernini, Gianfranco Frattini
Located in Etten-Leur, NL
This beautiful model 504 cabinet was designed by Gianfranco Frattini for Bernini, Italy, 1960. A superb example of Italian modern craftsmanship, it combines functional design with ar...
Rosewood
Cabinet with writing desk 1960s Bernini production
By Bernini, Gianfranco Frattini
Located in Milano, IT
Vintage furniture made of wood with exotic wood veneer characterized by three modules, two of them with hinged doors and interior shelves, one with open compartment and pull-out desk...
Wood
Sold
H 24.41 in W 43.31 in D 23.63 in
Wooden sideboard by Gianfranco Frattini, Bernini production, italy, 1960s
By Bernini, Gianfranco Frattini
Located in Milano, IT
Wooden sideboard by Gianfranco Frattini, Bernini production, italy, 1960s wooden sideboard with two separate doors with steel base decoration. Iconic collection designed by Frattini ...
Steel
Modular Cabinet by Gianfranco FRATTINI fro BERNINI, Bergamo
By Gianfranco Frattini
Located in Berlin, Berlin
A cabinet with four doors, placed on the typical Frattini base with round wooden feet and a black metal frame. Each compartment has a height-adjustable shelf. A beautiful walnut com...
Wood
Sold
H 39.38 in W 25.6 in D 25.6 in
Midcentury Wooden Bar Cabinet on Wheels by Gianfranco Frattini for Bernini
By Gianfranco Frattini
Located in Brussels, BE
Midcentury Wooden Bar Cabinet on wheels by Gianfranco Frattini for Bernini, 1970s.
Wood
Gianfranco Frattini Drawer Console Bernini, Italy, 1957
By Bernini, Gianfranco Frattini
Located in Roosendaal, Noord Brabant
Drawer console table designed by Gianfranco Frattini and manufactured by Bernini, Italy 1957. This stunning quality low console or side table is a unique piece in its genre. This mul...
Rosewood
1960's Wall Unit Cabinet
By Gianfranco Frattini, Cantieri Carugati
Located in Milano, IT
Cabinet in the style of Gianfranco Frattini for Cantieri Carugati, with flap opening compartments with fabric-covered fronts, removable lattice grids, sliding shutter for drawer comp...
Fabric, Formica, Mahogany
Sold
H 39.77 in W 43.31 in D 23.63 in
Gianfranco Frattini Tambour Writing Desk Model 807 Bernini, Italy, 1961
By Bernini, Gianfranco Frattini
Located in Etten-Leur, NL
Beautiful well-crafted writing desk or secretary model 807 designed by Gianfranco Frattini for Bernini, Italy 1961. This multifunctional secretary is executed in nicely grained walnu...
Aluminum
Gianfranco Frattini Bernini Small Sideboard Italy 1957
By Bernini, Gianfranco Frattini
Located in Roosendaal, Noord Brabant
Small sideboard with roll top doors designed by Gianfranco Frattini and manufactured by Bernini, Italy 1957. This small sized sideboard has 2 roll top tambour doors which open horizo...
Rosewood
Sold
H 46.46 in W 20.87 in D 55.52 in
Highboard in Rosewood by Gianfranco Frattini for Bernini, Italy 1960s
By Bernini, Gianfranco Frattini
Located in Hellouw, NL
Impressive highboard in rosewood by Gianfranco Frattini for Bernini, Italy 1960s. This highboard has four tambour doors that hide either shelves or drawers. The drawers have nice det...
Rosewood