Rosewood Desk by Gianfranco Frattini, Italy, 1950's
About the Item
- Creator:Gianfranco Frattini (Designer)
- Dimensions:Height: 37 in (93.98 cm)Width: 51 in (129.54 cm)Depth: 31.5 in (80.01 cm)
- Style:Mid-Century Modern (In the Style Of)
- Materials and Techniques:
- Place of Origin:
- Period:
- Date of Manufacture:1955
- Condition:Wear consistent with age and use.
- Seller Location:Austin, TX
- Reference Number:1stDibs: LU1140235859352
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.
- ShippingRetrieving quote...Ships From: Austin, TX
- Return PolicyThis item cannot be returned.
- Gianfranco Frattini Larco Series Sideboard for Molteni, Italy, 1970sBy Gianfranco FrattiniLocated in Austin, TXRare Gianfranco Frattini Larco Series sideboard for Molteni. Black lacquer and high gloss acrylic surfaces are contrasted with inset matte black panels on the top surface. Built as...Category
Mid-20th Century Italian Mid-Century Modern Sideboards
MaterialsPlastic, Acrylic, Lacquer
- Mid-Century Modern Oak Desk, Guillerme et Chambron, France, 1950'sBy Guillerme et ChambronLocated in Austin, TXMid-century oak desk with organic shaped top with inlaid glass and leather. Single stack of drawers and triangle legs. From same period, region and st...Category
Vintage 1950s French Mid-Century Modern Desks and Writing Tables
MaterialsLeather, Glass, Oak
- Art Deco Desk and Chair, Parchment Top, Vittorio Valabrega, Italy, 1930'sBy Vittorio ValabregaLocated in Austin, TXDouble pedestal desk with goatskin parchment top and trim and matching desk. Designed by Vittorio Valabrega, a hard to find Art Deco designer, Italy, 1930's. ...Category
Vintage 1930s Italian Art Deco Desks and Writing Tables
MaterialsGoatskin
- Pair of Modernist Angular Slipper Chairs, Italy, 1950sLocated in Austin, TXStriking matched pair of Italian angular slipper chairs with splayed metal tapered legs. Crisp new woven wool upholstery fits within a thin profile frame giving a sleek tailored appe...Category
Mid-20th Century Italian Mid-Century Modern Slipper Chairs
MaterialsIron
- Italian Mid-Century Modern Desk with Shelves, Style of Ico ParisiBy Ico ParisiLocated in Austin, TXMid-Century Modern glass top desk with rosewood veneered cabinetry in the iconic Italian styling of Ico Parisi. Similar functionality to a secret...Category
Mid-20th Century Italian Mid-Century Modern Desks
MaterialsSteel
- Open Frame Solid Beech with Bouclé Armchairs, Italy, 1950'sLocated in Austin, TXPair of open frame solid beech armchairs with classic mid-century modern styling and updated white bouclé upholstery. Exposed solid wood frame supports upholstery cushions with float...Category
Mid-20th Century Italian Mid-Century Modern Club Chairs
MaterialsBrass
- Gianfranco Frattini Rosewood Writing DeskBy Gianfranco Frattini, BerniniLocated in Washington, DCA beautiful Midcentury rosewood writing desk by an Italian design icon, Gianfranco Frattini for Bernini was made in Italy in 1957. This sleek proportioned desk is model 530 and featu...Category
20th Century Italian Mid-Century Modern Desks and Writing Tables
MaterialsRosewood
- Mid-Century Italian Desk by Gianfranco Frattini, 1950sBy Gianfranco FrattiniLocated in Oud Beijerland, NLVery nice writing desk, designed by Giancarlo Frattini. It is fabricated in Italy in the 50's. This desk has three drawers and is in good vintage condition (see the pictures).Category
Vintage 1950s Italian Mid-Century Modern Desks and Writing Tables
MaterialsWood
- 804 rosewood rolltop desk by Gianfranco Frattini for Bernini 1960sBy Gianfranco FrattiniLocated in Stavenisse, NLRare roll-top desk model 804 designed by Gianfranco Frattini and manufactured by Bernini, Italy 1960s. The desk is made of rosewood veneer and has a remarkable design. The piece can...Category
Vintage 1960s Italian Mid-Century Modern Desks and Writing Tables
MaterialsMetal
- Walnut Desk by Gianfranco Frattini 1956By Gianfranco Frattini, Cantieri CarugatiLocated in Berlin, DEVery elegant writing desk with four drawers and open compartments on both sides. Made of solid walnut wood, handles are made of blackened metal. Height of writing surface 70 cm Gianf...Category
Vintage 1950s Italian Mid-Century Modern Desks and Writing Tables
MaterialsMetal
- Large Desk by Gianfranco Frattini for Bernini, Italy, 1956By Bernini, Gianfranco FrattiniLocated in Barcelona, ESLarge desk designed by Gianfranco Frattini in 1956 for Bernini, Italy. Walnut wood with two drawers and two spaces in the front side and other four spaces in the back side.Category
Vintage 1950s Italian Mid-Century Modern Desks and Writing Tables
MaterialsWalnut
- Rosewood Rolltop Desk/Cabinet, Model 804, by Gianfranco Frattini for BerniniBy Gianfranco Frattini, BerniniLocated in Argelato, BOGianfranco Frattini designed this gorgeous rosewood rolltop desk, model 804, for Bernini in the early 1960s. What appears to be a compact chest of ten...Category
Vintage 1960s Italian Mid-Century Modern Desks and Writing Tables
MaterialsAluminum
