Michele De Lucchi & Silvia Suardi for Poltrona Frau Daybed in Leather
About the Item
- Creator:Michele de Lucchi (Designer),Poltrona Frau (Manufacturer)
- Dimensions:Height: 29.93 in (76 cm)Width: 86.62 in (220 cm)Depth: 25.99 in (66 cm)
- Style:Mid-Century Modern (In the Style Of)
- Materials and Techniques:
- Place of Origin:
- Period:
- Date of Manufacture:Contemporary
- Condition:Wear consistent with age and use. Every item Morentz offers is checked by our team of 30 craftspeople in our in-house workshop. Special restoration or reupholstery requests can be done. Check ‘About the item’ or ask our design specialists for detailed information on the condition.
- Seller Location:Waalwijk, NL
- Reference Number:Seller: 501126991stDibs: LU933143935122
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.

Established in 2006, Morentz has a team of approximately 55 restorers, upholsterers, interior advisers and art historians, making it a gallery, workshop and upholstery studio, all in one. Every day, a carefully selected array of 20th-century furniture arrives from all over the world at the firm’s warehouse, where the team thoroughly examines each piece to determine what, if any, work needs to be done. Whether that means new upholstery or a complete restoration, Morentz's aim is always to honor the designer’s intention while fulfilling the wishes of the client. The team is up to any challenge, from restoring a single piece to its original glory to furnishing a large-scale hotel project.
- ShippingRetrieving quote...Shipping from: Waalwijk, Netherlands
- Return Policy
More From This Seller
View AllVintage 1940s Italian Mid-Century Modern Daybeds
Fabric, Walnut
Vintage 1970s Swiss Mid-Century Modern Daybeds
Leather
Vintage 1960s European Mid-Century Modern Benches
Faux Leather, Teak
Vintage 1960s Danish Scandinavian Modern Daybeds
Beech
Vintage 1960s German Mid-Century Modern Daybeds
Steel, Chrome
Vintage 1980s French Mid-Century Modern Daybeds
Fabric, Elm
You May Also Like
Mid-20th Century Italian Mid-Century Modern Daybeds
Upholstery, Sycamore
Vintage 1950s Danish Mid-Century Modern Sofas
Leather, Upholstery, Teak
Early 2000s American Mid-Century Modern Daybeds
Leather, Wood, Walnut
Vintage 1950s Italian Mid-Century Modern Daybeds
Metal
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Daybeds
Wood, Leather, Mahogany
Vintage 1960s Swiss Mid-Century Modern Daybeds
Mahogany