MILAN — Famous for old-school designs like Gio Ponti’s famous Dezza chair and Renzo Frau’s classic Chesterfield, Poltrona Frau has become the first major furniture company to turn digital art into commercial ready pieces for the home.
The historic Italian design furniture brand told WWD it has made two lamps with Ezequiel Pini, the Argentinian artist who goes by the stage name Six N. Five.
For design week here that kicks off Monday, Tolentino-based Poltrona Frau will introduce designs created with 3D technology, derived from dreamlike worlds made with Pini’s modern aesthetic.
Six N. Five’s digital art was transformed into physical pieces, including two lighting fixtures, with Poltrona Frau guiding the engineering process. The Moonbeam Lamp inspired by solar eclipses is a piece that transitions from warm to cold light and is embellished with either Pelle Frau leather or brass elements overlapping a pearl-white satin glass to create a crescent-moon pearl white satin glass. The Foliage Lamp is a tree-shaped sculpture with brass leaves upholstered in Pelle Frau leather, providing calming, ambient lighting. The Memoria Rug was also designed by Six N. Five and crafted with a pattern that illustrates the sun reflecting on water.
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Chief executive officer Nicola Coropulis said the firm has been committed to forming new collaborations and developing a design-forward vision. In 2024, the firm joined forces with U.K.-based interiors and fashion designer Faye Toogood for the Squash collection and Draga & Aurel for the ultra plush Parka sofa for Poltrona Frau.
Coropulis said the 2022 collaboration with another Argentinian Spanish was a precursor into the digital art world. At the time, the company asked visual artist Felipe Pantone to reinterpret its signature Archibald armchair in a limited-edition drop of 110 pieces. Originally designed by Jean-Marie Massaud in 2009, for the occasion, the minimal frame of the furniture was jazzed up with an eccentric, pixelated graphic in vibrant colors splashed on the new Pelle Frau Impact Less leather.
Pini, who is a regular in the NFT world, is known for his award-winning worldly renderings of objets, spaces and homes. An early adopter of blockchain technology, his studio has worked in advertising, editorial and on video commissions.
A big test was how Pini interacted with the Tolentino factory in Le Marche, Italy. “For the task of designing a product for Poltrona Frau that person has to physically visit our place in Tolentino because you have to really breathe the air there and perceive the spirit,” Coropulis said, explaining that some designers perceive the factory as an “old, dusty princess.” Once they arrive, they are able to see the innovation, research, and its role in creating interiors for luxury cars. “Poltrona Frau’s true spirit lies in the dedication of its people, who bring its vision to life daily.”
Pini, who set out to capture the magic of the eclipse, said that the manufacturing team helped him make his dreamlike creations concrete and durable.
“One of the biggest challenges was balancing my personal style, at times surreal, with the reality that these pieces had to appeal to a wider audience. I’m used to working in a digital world without limitations, but this time I had to take into account aspects such as manufacturability, durability and comfort,” he told WWD.
The company, which was founded in Turin, Italy, in 1912 said it is focused on diversifying into new product categories like wardrobes and closets to offer a more comprehensive brand experience. Lighting remains a small but growing segment, accounting for around 5 percent of the company’s business. About one third of its business is generated from the transport industry.
Over the past century, Poltrona Frau has created luxe interiors for the best auto names in the business: Ferrari, Lamborghini, McLaren and Jaguar Land Rover among them. With its first foreign acquisition, it bought a majority stake in the U.K.’s KJ Ryan Ltd., a leader in the bespoke luxury car business.
Pini isn’t the first digital artist to make a splash into the designer world. Fellow Argentinian Andrés Reisinger, who is famous for works like “Pollen” and “The Shipping,” saw his Hortensia armchair become an actual piece of furniture in 2019, a feat that few digital designers have achieved. In addition, Pollen evolved into the Pollination of Hortensia carpets for Dutch lifestyle brand Moooi, launched during Milan Design Week 2023.
With a firm focus on the future of transport, Coropulis stressed the importance of embracing technology rather than fearing it. “Artificial intelligence, for example, can really help creativity. I am not saying that it can replace human activity but it can be huge help. This is one of the key strategic issues we have to tackle,” he said.
Elsewhere, Poltrona Frau will celebrate a series of new editions like the Blisscape, a new sofa designed by Ludovica Serafini+Roberto Palomba, as well as the 60th anniversary of Gio Ponti’s Dezza armchair. It will also introduce the Dress Cove Night System created by Buenos Aires-born designer Dante Bonucelli, enhancing the brand’s complete home offerings.
