Chester
Chester is now also Chester One: a more
extensive collection with new four- and five-seater sofas and poufs, also
revisited in terms of their dimensions. In fact, the seats are now 15
centimetres deeper to offer greater comfort and contemporary elegance, in
keeping with the times. However, the Chester One sofa maintains the features of
the classic model designed by Renzo Frau: the famous capitonné processing, the
curved armrest, the series of pins that refines the Pelle Frau® leather
upholstery.
The supporting structure is made from seasoned
beech. The vegetable horsehair of the backrest and armrest padding is
hand-shaped. The spring system consists of hand-tied biconical springs attached
to jute belts. The seat cushion is in goose down and polyurethane foam. The
feet can be spherical, in lacquered black or walnut stained wood, in the same
finishes or covered in leather.
About Designer | |
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Renzo Frau |
Lorenzo Frau, known as ‘Renzo’, was born in Cagliari
in 1881. He left Sardinia for military service in Milan, which he completed
successfully earning the title of lieutenant. He married Savina Pisati and
moved to Turin, at the time a real hub of Italian culture.
He initially worked as a sales
representative for Gribaudi and then for Dermoide Patent, manufacturer of faux
leather. Having moved to Great Britain for work, he was able to discover the
Chesterfield model armchairs and immediately imagined its potential, successfully
starting to import it into Italy. At the same time, however, he was also
attracted by the models of French and Central European style. He therefore
decided to create his own artisan production laboratory. It was 1912: Poltrona
Frau was created. From the initial work ‘in style’, Frau quickly moved onto
direct design. Poltrona Frau became not only a production pole, but also a
meeting point for artists and intellectuals. Renzo Frau used these relations to
consolidate the brand image: successful models ensued quickly, one after the
other. As the First World War broke out, Frau was called to fight for his
country and his wife Savina bravely took up the reins of the company. Frau’s
armchairs thus began entering the most important buildings, also used by the
royal family. Renzo Frau met an early death in 1926. He left an extensive
archive of projects that would allow his wife to coherently pursue Poltrona
Frau production in the years to come. |