22/07/2020 - Thanks to the collaboration between Tacchini and Gianfranco Frattini Archive, some of the master's most representative projects take shape again: Agnese, Giulia and Lina armchairs, the Sesann series, Gio table and Oliver sofa are just some of the original projects now re-edited with philological fidelity.
Gianfranco Frattini, ADI (Industrial Design Association) founding member, has worked with some of the most renowned design firms. He belongs to the skillful generation of architects and designers that shaped the Italian design movement of the last century. A collaborator of Gio Ponti at the beginning of his career, Gianfranco Frattini over the years developed a personal and symptomatic approach to design, always guided by in-depth formal and structural research.
From 849 armchair, designed in his studio in Via Sant'Agnese in Milan, the AGNESE armchair was born, reissued by Tacchini with philological fidelity to the original in every detail. Awarded with an honorable mention at the III Compasso d'Oro, its innovativeness continues to be exemplary and represents the archetype of the informal armchair, characterized by a geometric and essential upholstered seat shell – supported by a classic and linear wooden base – and available with a coordinated pouf. AGNESE combines ergonomics and timeless functionality with elegant and recognizable aesthetics.
SESANN, available both as a sofa or an armchair, shares the same design vision that shaped AGNESE, but expresses it in a different fashion. Soft, informal and with a welcoming silhouette, it emanates sensuality and warmth. Its tubular metal structure, functioning as an architectural frame that contains and enhances the padding. The particular configuration of SESANN summarizes the approach of synthesis and reduction introduced by Frattini. The final result is a formally elegant, conceptually elaborated and, above all, inimitable design.
A re-edition of the famous model 877, still contemporary in form and spirit, GIULIA armchair revives an ethereal sensation of beauty, comfort and harmony. A modern interpretation of the classic bergère armchair, the softness of this wide and deep armchair with high back, winged arm and headrests, is framed by simple geometric lines. The making is flawless, as to be expected by Tacchini. From the choice of materials for the seat shell to the base in ash wood, every single element is essential and contributing to this fine piece of craftsmanship.
As GIULIA armchair, dedicated to the wife of designer Gio Ponti, also GIO is Frattini’s a homage and, as such, his tribute to the great master himself. This timeless classic was designed by Gianfranco Frattini in 1957 and awarded with the Compasso D'Oro the same year. GIO is a low table that expresses an idea of rationalist rigor and refined elegance, creating a warm and cozy atmosphere. It is characterized by a linear structure and a two-sided top in ash wood.
First manufactured in 1958, OLIVER has been a great success ever since. It stands witness for the inseparability of form and matter in design. Originally named 872, the sofa combines the rigor of essential elegance with the discreet comfort of a flawless construction. Its shape is delineated by a light structure in painted or chrome-plated steel. The upholstered seat and backrest are the product of refined handcrafted capitonné workmanship. The contrasting feet in stained ash wood demonstrate Frattini's attention to aesthetic detail.
LINA, a re-edition of one of the first projects designed by Gianfranco Frattini, nominated for the Compasso d'Oro Award in 1955, is a remarkable armchair. Its timeless style and very particular wooden structure lend it a solid yet almost weightless aspect. It features slender legs and a curved plywood element that supports back and armrests.
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