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.
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
Gianfranco frattini cabinet by Bernini Italy 1957
By Bernini, Gianfranco Frattini
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...
Walnut
20th Century, Gianfranco Frattini for Bernini Cabinet with Desk mod. 804
By Bernini, Gianfranco Frattini
Located in Torino, Piemonte
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
$7,003Sale Price|20% Off
Mid 20th Century wood Italian cabinet by Gianfranco Frattini for Berini
By Gianfranco Frattini, Bernini
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
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
Cabinet / End Table by Gianfranco Frattini for Bernini, 1950s
By Bernini, Gianfranco Frattini
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
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
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
Nesting Table By Gianfranco Frattini For Cassina Italy 1970s
By Gianfranco Frattini
Located in Čelinac, BA
Gianfranco Frattini Nesting Table for Cassina Italy 1970s
Glass, Wood
Mid-20th Century Rosewood Cabinet, Lighted by Skovby
By Skovby Møbelfabrik A/S 1
Located in Philadelphia, PA
Beautiful Rosewood Corner Cabinet by Skovby in great shape! Two glass shelves are lighted with a small lamp that has a push switch for illumination. Cabinet is very clean! Two doo...
Rosewood
$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
Gianfranco Frattini Sideboard for Bernini 1957
By Gianfranco Frattini
Located in taranto, IT
Wonderful sideboard by Gianfranco Frattini designed for Bernini, 1957. Made in rosewood with two parts closed by shutters. Very good conditions, as pics. Measures: width cm 140,...
Wood
$7,958
H 37.8 in W 51.19 in D 31.5 in
Secretaire Desk 530 by Gianfranco Frattini for BERNINI, Italy, 1950's
By Gianfranco Frattini, Bernini
Located in Cork, IE
This model 530 secretaire desk, designed in 1957, earmarks the beginning of a most successful collaboration between Italian designer Gianfranco Frattini and the acclaimed furniture m...
Walnut
$1,100
H 22.5 in W 26 in D 16 in
Hollywood Regency Red & Brass Asian Chinoiserie Small Cabinet or End Table
Located in Philadelphia, PA
A handsome and well made vintage cabinet from the 1960's. It features an Asian Modern motif with plenty of storage.
Brass
$2,518
H 70.08 in W 51.97 in D 16.93 in
Gianfranco Frattini wardrobe for Esposizione Permanente Mobil Cantù, 1950s
By Gianfranco Frattini, Esposizione Permanente mobili Cantù
Located in Parma, IT
Gianfranco Frattini for Esposizione Permanente Mobil Cantù from the 1950s. 3-door wardrobe in rosewood with original vipla lining with iridescent stripes. Curved handles, uprights and doors with brass details, wooden and brass clothes hanger...
Brass
Gianfranco Frattini Desk Model 530 Bernini Italy 1957
By Gianfranco Frattini, Bernini
Located in Roosendaal, Noord Brabant
Stunning medium sized writing desk model 530 designed by Gianfranco Frattini and manufactured by Bernini, Italy 1957. This desk is made of nicely grained rosewood and cherrywood vene...
Rosewood
$10,800
H 46.46 in W 59.45 in D 20.87 in
Gianfranco Frattini Model 504 Highboard for Bernini, 1960, Early Production
By Bernini, Gianfranco Frattini
Located in Vicenza, IT
Model 504 highboard designed by Gianfranco Frattini for Bernini in 1960, early production. This piece belongs to Frattini’s important early collaboration with Bernini and represents...
Walnut
$10,232
H 28.75 in W 82.68 in D 20.87 in
20th Century, Gianfranco Frattini for Bernini Cabinet mod. 503
By Bernini, Gianfranco Frattini
Located in Torino, Piemonte
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...
Wood
Gianfranco Frattini wardobe by Bernini Italy 1957
By Gianfranco Frattini, Bernini
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
$2,956
H 28.35 in W 70.48 in D 24.41 in L 28.35 in
Mid-Century Sideboard by Gianfranco Frattini, Wood, Italy, 1970s
By Gianfranco Frattini
Located in Brussels, BE
Mid-Century Sideboard by Gianfranco Frattini, Wood, Italy, 1970s scratches on the top.
Wood
$5,798
H 15.16 in W 55.32 in D 20.67 in
Mid-Century Gianfranco Frattini, wooden Coffee Table for Bernini, Italy, 1960s
By Gianfranco Frattini
Located in Brussels, BE
Mid-Century Gianfranco Frattini, wooden Coffee Table for Bernini, Italy, 1960s Gianfranco Frattini (1926 – 2004) is an Italian architect and industrial designer belonging to the gen...
Wood
Gianfranco Frattini Wardrobe for Bernini, 1961
By Gianfranco Frattini
Located in Milano, Lombardia
Wardrobe Gianfranco Frattini for Bernini, 1961. The design of this wardrobe designed by Frattini for Bernini in 1961 reflects Frattini’s rigorous and sophisticated approach, oriented...
Wood
$14,211
H 28.75 in W 82.68 in D 20.87 in
Gianfranco Frattini for Bernini Credenza Mod.503, Italy 1960s
By Gianfranco Frattini, Bernini
Located in Naples, IT
An icon of Italian design, the wooden sideboard model 503, designed in 1957 by Gianfranco Frattini and manufactured by Bernini, features clean lines and a sophisticated rationalist s...
Wood
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
Sideboard Series '504' by Gianfranco Frattini for Bernini 1960s restored
By Gianfranco Frattini, Bernini
Located in Milano, IT
1960s sideboard cabinet from the '504' series, designed by Gianfranco Frattini for a Bernini production. Carefully restored in our workshops, it features roll-up shutter doors and in...
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 Gianfranco Frattini, Bernini
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 Gianfranco Frattini, Bernini
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 Gianfranco Frattini, Bernini
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 25.99 in D 25.99 in
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
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 Gianfranco Frattini, Bernini
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 Gianfranco Frattini, Bernini
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 Gianfranco Frattini, Bernini
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 Gianfranco Frattini, Bernini
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
Sold
H 31.5 in W 39.57 in
Gianfranco Frattini Bernini Roll Top Secretaire n. 804 Walnut Wood Italy 1960s
By Bernini, Gianfranco Frattini
Located in Catania, IT
Secretaire roll top nr. 804 designed by Gianfranco Frattini for Bernini in Italy, 1960s. The self-supporting roll-top secretary in walnut wood characterized by many drawers could ma...
Glass, Walnut
Cabinet by Gianfranco Frattini, Walnut Veneer, Italy, 1960s
By Gianfranco Frattini, Bernini
Located in amstelveen, NL
Hardwood with walnut veneer cabinet with shutters designed by Gianfranco Frattini for Bernini. Manufactured in Italy in the 1960s.
Hardwood, Walnut