Gianfranco Frattini for Cassina "Sesann" Two-Seater Sofa, Italy 1970s
About the Item
- Creator:Cassina (Maker),Gianfranco Frattini (Designer)
- Dimensions:Height: 27.56 in (70 cm)Width: 35.44 in (90 cm)Depth: 70.87 in (180 cm)Seat Height: 14.97 in (38 cm)
- Style:Mid-Century Modern (Of the Period)
- Materials and Techniques:
- Place of Origin:
- Period:
- Date of Manufacture:1970
- Condition:Reupholstered.
- Seller Location:Naples, IT
- Reference Number:1stDibs: LU3221337396952
Gianfranco Frattini
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.
Cassina
Furniture manufacturer Cassina is a prolific design house for more reasons than one: It not only owns the licenses to an exquisite collection of iconic chairs, sofas, tables and other pieces from the 20th and 21st centuries but also produces original works that are characterized by innovation and the finest Italian craftsmanship.
Cassina’s illustrious legacy includes being one of the first companies to bring industrial design to Italy in the 1950s. Founded in 1927 in Meda, Italy, by brothers Cesare and Umberto Cassina, the Italian manufacturing giant originally specialized in bespoke woodworking. In nearly a century since its founding, the company has shown incredible foresight about design trends and the evolution of technology.
In 1964, Cassina signed an exclusive licensing agreement to manufacture furniture by Le Corbusier and his collaborators — such as the LC4 chaise longue made with trailblazing French modernist Charlotte Perriand and Pierre Jeanneret — a move that would shape the future of the company. Cassina’s I Maestri collection is an ongoing initiative to restyle landmark designs from the 20th century, such as pieces by Gerrit Rietveld (the Red and Blue armchair from 1918), Charles Rennie Mackintosh, Erik Gunnar Asplund, Franco Albini and Frank Lloyd Wright. The company preserves the intentions and original styles of their designs but adds updated techniques, materials and processes — rendering them the best possible combination of past, present and future. The brand has also worked with contemporary icons like Zaha Hadid, Gio Ponti and Philippe Starck.
Cassina’s original designs are cutting-edge as well. They include pieces for everyday use, the development of which is guided by comfort and the marriage of Italian craftsmanship with industrial technology.
Some of Cassina’s pieces, both from its contemporary and I Maestri collections, can be found in the collections of museums like the Museum of Modern Art and the Vitra Design Museum. In 2014, the company became part of Haworth in its acquisition of Italian furniture group Poltrona Frau, and in 2015, Spanish designer Patricia Urquiola joined Cassina as its art director, leading the brand into its next century of inventive style.
Find a collection of new and vintage Cassina furniture on 1stDibs.
- ShippingRetrieving quote...Ships From: Naples, Italy
- Return PolicyA return for this item may be initiated within 14 days of delivery.
- Livio Castiglioni & Gianfranco Frattini for Artemide "Boalum" Lamp, Italy, 1970sBy Gianfranco Frattini, Artemide, Livio CastiglioniLocated in Naples, ITThis unique table lamp, designed by Livio Castiglioni and Gianfranco Frattini for the Artemide brand in the 1970s, immediately entered the history of Italian and world design. The Bo...Category
Vintage 1970s Italian Mid-Century Modern Floor Lamps
MaterialsPVC
- Gianfranco Frattini for Artemide Megaron Grey Floor Lamp, Italy, 1970sBy Gianfranco Frattini, ArtemideLocated in Naples, ITFloor lamp model Megaron by Gianfranco Frattini for Artemide in, grey laquered metal.Category
Vintage 1970s Italian Mid-Century Modern Floor Lamps
MaterialsMetal
- Gianfranco Frattini Per Artemide Pair of "Megaron" Wall Lamps, Italy 1970sBy Gianfranco Frattini, ArtemideLocated in Naples, ITDesigned in the late 1970s by Gianfranco Frattini, Megaron is a wall lamp with a minimal look composed of a burgundy-red lacquered aluminum tube with a resined steel base. Light sou...Category
Vintage 1970s Italian Mid-Century Modern Wall Lights and Sconces
MaterialsAluminum
- Camaleonda Modular Sofa, Set of 4, Mario Bellini for B&B Italia , Italy 1970sBy Mario Bellini, B&B ItaliaLocated in Naples, ITMario Bellini, large modular sofa 'Cameleonda', red fabric covering, Italy, designed in 1971 The modular elements of this sofa can be used freely and separately from each other. The...Category
Vintage 1970s Italian Mid-Century Modern Sofas
MaterialsFabric
- Viuttoriano Vigano' Three Seater Sofa with Authentic, Italy 1968By Vittoriano ViganoLocated in Naples, ITThis sofa was designed in 1968 by Vittoriano Vigano' for the home of his friend Ele Nascimbene and is part of a series of furniture coordinated and made for this apartment. Attached ...Category
Vintage 1960s Italian Mid-Century Modern Sofas
MaterialsFabric
- Gianfranco Frattini fot Bernini Mod. "804" Rolltop Desk/Cabinet , Italy 1960sBy Gianfranco Frattini, BerniniLocated in Naples, ITRare folding desk Mod. "804" designed by Gianfranco Frattini and produced by Bernini, Italy 1960s. The desk features an ingenious mechanical drag mechanism; if the desk plate is pul...Category
Vintage 1960s Italian Mid-Century Modern Credenzas
MaterialsWood
- Two Seater Sofa "Sesann" by Gianfranco Frattini for Cassina, Italy 1969By Gianfranco Frattini, CassinaLocated in Roma, ITTwo seater sofa designed by Gianfranco Frattini for Cassina, 1969. Original label. Black Leather, excellent condition. Ref. Giuliana Gramigna, "Repertorio del Design Italiano1950-200...Category
Vintage 1970s Italian Sofas
MaterialsSteel
- Sesann Sofa by Gianfranco Frattini for CassinaBy Cassina, Gianfranco FrattiniLocated in London, EnglandThe "Three-seater sofa Mod. Sesann," crafted by Gianfranco Frattini for Cassina in 1970, epitomizes a harmonious blend of style and practicality. With a sleek chrome-plated steel frame, the sofa exudes timeless elegance. The polyurethane foam padding ensures comfort, while the rich brown cord upholstery adds sophistication. The Sesann sofa...Category
Vintage 1970s Italian Sofas
MaterialsChrome
- Three Seater Sofa "Sesann" by Gianfranco Frattini for Cassina, Italy 1969By Gianfranco Frattini, CassinaLocated in Roma, ITThree seater sofa designed by Gianfranco Frattini for Cassina, 1969. Original manufacturer's label. Black Leather, excellent condition. Ref. Giuliana Gramigna, "Repertorio del Design...Category
Vintage 1960s Italian Sofas
MaterialsSteel
- Gianfranco Frattini Beige Wool Bouclé Sesann Two-Seater Sofa for Cassina, 1972By Gianfranco Frattini, CassinaLocated in Vicenza, ITSesann two-seater sofa, designed by Gianfranco Frattini in 1970 and produced by the Italian manufacturer Cassina. It features wool bouclé upholstery and a chrome tubular cage as s...Category
Vintage 1970s Italian Space Age Living Room Sets
MaterialsChrome
- Sesann leather sofa by Giancarlo Frattini for Cassina, Italy, 1970sBy Cassina, Gianfranco FrattiniLocated in Quarrata, ITThree seating sofa designed by Gianfranco Frattini and produced by Cassina in Italy during the 1970s. This sofa has been reupholstered in brown first quality leather and has its orig...Category
Vintage 1970s Sofas
MaterialsLeather
- Three-Seater Sesann Sofa by Gianfranco Frattini for Cassina, Italy, 1970sBy Gian Franco FrattiniLocated in Brussels, BEThree-Seater Sesann Sofa by Gianfranco Frattini for Cassina, Italy, 1970sCategory
Vintage 1970s Sofas
MaterialsChrome
Recently Viewed
View AllRead More
The 21 Most Popular Mid-Century Modern Chairs
You know the designs, now get the stories about how they came to be.
Billy Cotton Layers His Interiors with Lived-In Comfort
The Brooklyn-based designer is adept at styles ranging from austere to over-the-top, espousing an architectural, detail-oriented approach also evident in his line of furniture and lighting.