Pair of "Interlude" Chairs by Marco Zanuso for Poltrona Frau
View Similar Items
Pair of "Interlude" Chairs by Marco Zanuso for Poltrona Frau
About the Item
- Creator:Marco Zanuso (Designer),Poltrona Frau (Manufacturer)
- Design:
- Dimensions:Height: 27.56 in (70 cm)Width: 29.53 in (75 cm)Depth: 25.6 in (65 cm)
- Sold As:Set of 2
- Materials and Techniques:
- Place of Origin:
- Period:1980-1989
- Date of Manufacture:1983
- Condition:Wear consistent with age and use.
- Seller Location:Milan, IT
- Reference Number:1stDibs: LU945116265871
Marco Zanuso
Italian designer Marco Zanuso helped cement his country’s place as a world leader in furniture design that used new materials in revolutionary ways.
Zanuso was part of a generation of furniture designers who encouraged a sharp departure from the traditionalism and classicalism that reigned over the design industry before the war. These designers, who are associated with what we now call mid-century modernism, experimented with new technologies and materials to deliver on the world’s newfound need for streamlined products that represented the future.
After graduating from the Polytechnic University of Milan in 1939 with a degree in architecture, Zanuso served in the Navy during World War II. Soon after the war, he opened his own design firm in Milan in 1945. He later became an editor at well-regarded design magazines Domus and Casabella.
Zanuso used this editorial platform to both promote new Italian designs as well as his own pieces, some of which he made using unconventional materials like foam and latex. For instance, his famous Lady armchair from 1951 is a composition of foam rubber and Nastro Cord, a recently invented textile band of rubberized fabric that eliminated the need for metal springs. It was one of several pieces he designed for Italian manufacturer Arflex, along with the 1949 Antropus chair and the 1951 Sleep-o-matic sofa.
Zanuso often collaborated with other like-minded creatives. From 1955 until 1957, he was Olivetti’s architect, designing factories across Brazil, and for nearly two decades, he collaborated with German designer Richard Sapper. The pair’s most famous product is the 4999 children’s chair, manufactured in the 1960s by Kartell in Italy. The stackable chair was the first to be manufactured entirely of injection-molded plastic.
Zanuso and Sapper also partnered on the 1962 Brionvega Doney 14, the first European-made portable transistor TV; its sleek, compact and curvy form deeply influenced the design of television sets that followed, which were far more sculptural in form than the rigid boxes that characterized early models.
From the 1970s onward, Zanuso taught architecture and industrial design at the Polytechnic University of Milan. He still exercised his creative talents, planning the headquarters for computer companies and renovating Italian theaters.
Each of Zanuso’s elegant works were demonstrative of a forward-looking sensibility. His projects saw an integration of novel industrial materials that not only helped emphasize the beauty of good design but also played a role in rendering these well-made products accessible to everyday consumers.
On 1stDibs, find a collection of vintage Marco Zanuso furniture, including armchairs, sofas, table lamps and other items.
Poltrona Frau
If an Italian soldier named Renzo Frau had never traveled to Great Britain and set eyes on a Chesterfield armchair, it is unlikely that legendary handcrafted furniture maker Poltrona Frau and its classic sofas, armchairs and vanities would exist today.
Upon completing his service in the Italian army during the early 1900s, the Sardinian-born Frau worked for faux leather manufacturing company Dermoide Patent in Turin. While at the firm, he was sent to England, where he became enamored with leather Chesterfield armchairs. Intrigued and inspired by their rolled arms and tall, imposing profile, Frau returned to Turin, where he started his own leather-upholstered furniture company, Poltrona Frau, in 1912. He began to import the sumptuous Edwardian seating for the high-end domestic market.
Frau made slight modifications to the English seat that he’d so admired, and among Poltrona Frau’s first successful designs was an iconic armchair in 1919 appropriately called the Chester. Believed to have been custom-made for Filiberto Ludovico of Savoy, Duke of Pistoia, the Chester reflected the era’s emerging Art Deco style. Frau’s chair was comfortable and functional, and he implemented the traditional upholstery technique capitonné, which refers to stuffing that is buttoned. The Chester featured a pouf and an arm that was possibly included to hold the Duke’s ashtray. The seat’s high-quality craftsmanship and integration of exquisite full-grain leather made it covetable among Italy’s elite.
When Renzo Frau died in 1926, Poltrona Frau was appointed furniture supplier to Italy’s royal family. The company furnished grand hotels, designed the interiors for Expo Turin 1928 and outfitted an Italian transatlantic ocean liner.
For more than a century, Poltrona Frau has collaborated with hundreds of leading architects and designers from around the world. It issued such iconic mid-century modern pieces as Gio Ponti’s Dezza armchair, the 1960s-era Dilly Dally vanity by Italian designer Luigi Massoni, stackable tubular steel Movie armchairs by Italian architect Mario Marenco and French architect Jean-Marie Massaud’s sleek, angular Kennedee office sofa.
Poltrona Frau has established showrooms all over the world and creates interiors for Italian automotive brands Maserati and Ferrari. The company is owned by Haworth and continues to introduce innovative, handmade home furnishings while occasionally gazing back into time — its Chester line, a modular seating system by Poltrona Frau CEO Nicola Coropulis and Roberto Lazzeroni, is a contemporary interpretation of the founder’s original Chesterfield-style seating.
Find vintage Poltrona Frau club chairs, coffee tables, desks and other furniture on 1stDibs.
- Pair of Leather Night Stands by Luigi Massoni for Poltrona Frau, Italy, 1960sBy Luigi Massoni, Poltrona FrauLocated in Milan, ITPair of night stands by Luigi Massoni for Poltrona Frau. Fully leather covered pieces, featuring a front drawer and large opening. Back with aluminum pocket to hold books.Category
Vintage 1960s Italian Night Stands
MaterialsAluminum
- "Nuovasquare" Cognal Leather Settee by Marco Zanuso for Arflex, Italy, 1970sBy Marco Zanuso, ArflexLocated in Milan, IT"NuovaSquare" lounge chair by Marco Zanuso for Arflex. Fully cognac leather covered chair composed by padded blocks combination. Also available a matching lounge chair, pictured on t...Category
Vintage 1970s Italian Lounge Chairs
MaterialsLeather
- Two "Senior" Armchairs by Marco Zanuso for Arflex, New Upholstery, Italy, 1950sBy Marco Zanuso, ArflexLocated in Milan, ITSet of two Senior armchairs by Marco Zanuso for Arflex.Category
Vintage 1950s Italian Lounge Chairs
MaterialsFabric
- Set of Six Folding Wood Chairs by Carlo Hauner for Reguitti, Italy, 1960sBy Carlo Hauner, Fratelli ReguittiLocated in Milan, ITSet of six folding armchairs by Carlo Hauner for Reguitti. Compact and extremely comfortable seating with visual connections to Albini and Zanuso production. Original movable cushi...Category
Vintage 1960s Italian Armchairs
MaterialsWood
- Pair of Green "Mara" Chrome Armchairs by Luigi Saccardo for Arrmet, Italy, 1970sBy Arrmet, Luigi SaccardoLocated in Milan, ITSet of two Mara lean armchairs by Luigi Saccardo for Arrmet. Low backrest and thin armrests on an iconic tubular shape.Category
Vintage 1970s Italian Armchairs
MaterialsMetal
- Pair of Chrome and Velvet Armchairs by Luigi Saccardo for Arrmet, Italy, 1970sBy Arrmet, Luigi SaccardoLocated in Milan, ITSet of two armchairs by Luigi Saccardo for Arrmet. Green velvet covered chairs with an iconic tubular shape.Category
Vintage 1970s Italian Armchairs
MaterialsMetal
- Poltrona Frau Interlude leather armchair by Marco ZanusoBy Poltrona Frau, Marco ZanusoLocated in Ludwigslust, DEAn exceptional interlude by Marco Zanuso for Poltrona Frau, in very good condition. The soft, blue leather of the armchairs only shows minimal signs of wear on one corner of the back...Category
Vintage 1980s Italian Post-Modern Lounge Chairs
MaterialsLeather
- Chair Model Poltrona Lady by Marco Zanuso for Arflex, Milan, 1950sBy Marco ZanusoLocated in Delft, NLChair Model Poltrona Lady by Marco Zanuso for Arflex, Milan, 1950s Italian chair by Marco Zanuso (1916-2001) Original wool beige fabric ladies armchair...Category
Mid-20th Century Italian Armchairs
MaterialsBrass
- Pair of Renzo Frau Italian Leather Armchairs "Lyra" by Poltrona FrauBy Renzo Frau, Poltrona FrauLocated in Puglia, PugliaThe Poltrona Frau Lyra armchair is an iconic design from the historical collection of Poltrona Frau. The Lyra, fully made from leather, was first no...Category
Vintage 1930s Italian Art Deco Armchairs
MaterialsLeather, Beech
$4,225 Sale Price / set20% Off - Poltrona Frau Dezza Chairs by Gio PontiBy Gio Ponti, Poltrona FrauLocated in Los Angeles, CAElegant chairs by Gio Ponti for Poltrona Frau. A great example of Gio Ponti design from 1965. Original labels on underside of chairs. Beautiful mixture of elegance with its roots in ...Category
Vintage 1960s Italian Club Chairs
MaterialsMetal
$5,600 / set - French Pair of Christian Biecher Armchairs for Poltrona Frau, 1990sBy Poltrona Frau, Christian BiecherLocated in Paris, FR20th-century vintage pair of armchairs designed by French architect Christian Biecher for an elite Parisian restaurant named le Korova in 1999. These were edited by Italian notable f...Category
1990s French Modern Armchairs
MaterialsAluminum
$2,178 Sale Price / set61% Off - Tito Agnoli For Poltrona Frau Leather Lounge Chairs by, Italy 1970sBy Tito Agnoli, Poltrona FrauLocated in Almelo, NLMid-Century Modern Lounge chairs by Tito Agnoli For Poltrona Frau, Italy 1970s Magnific set of two lounge chairs manufactured by Poltr...Category
Vintage 1970s Italian Mid-Century Modern Lounge Chairs
MaterialsLeather