Gianfranco Frattini, Milanese refined rigour

Gianfranco Frattini (1926-2004) is one of the most discreet and precise Italian architect-designers of the 20th century. A graduate of the Politecnico di Milano, an early collaborator of Gio Ponti, he signed for fifty years for Cassina, Artemide, Bernini and Knoll furniture of warm geometric rigour. His Boalum lamp (1969), a flexible plastic tube lit from within, designed with Livio Castiglioni for Artemide, remains one of the most surprising pieces of Italian design. His 780 table, Bernini bookshelves and armchairs complete a coherent and demanding body of work.

The Boalum Artemide lamp and 780 Cassina table remain Gianfranco Frattini's most identifiable pieces. Italian vintage furniture to find for those wanting a discreet but precise Milanese signature, still relatively accessible.