The brainchild of the Fratelli Gugliermetto company, Gufram was born in 1966 in Turin, Italy, massively inspired by the avant-garde artistic culture that reigned in Europe during the 1960s and '70s. The brand is known for its CACTUS coat stand and sculptural seating such as the Pratone chair as well as other massive, innovative pieces that fall somewhere between art and furniture.
Starting in the mid-1960s, proponents of Italian Radical Design — which included forward-looking collectives like Archizoom and Studio 65 — broke with formality and convention by fusing the joy of Pop art with the systems of mass production.
One of the brands that formed as a result of these experiments was Gufram, a manufacturer at the forefront of the country’s Radical Design movement. The Gugliermetto brothers teamed up with emerging artists to harness exciting new materials — among them, polyurethane foam, which was originally used in the transportation industry as insulation to keep buses and trains warm.
Despite being credited for revolutionizing Italian design, until the mid-1970s, Gufram was largely unknown outside the small Italian town where it was founded. Nearly six years after the brand’s inception, though, word got out about a furniture brand transforming polyurethane foam into gigantic works of art. So, Gufram brought its playful and witty design concept across the Atlantic to New York’s Museum of Modern Art, where it had its first international show.
Gufram produced much of the Pop furniture — the CACTUS coat rack by Guido Drocco and Franco Mello and the Bocca sofa, in the shape of big red lips, by Studio 65 — that came to define the Anti-Design movement. (Through a relationship with Gufram, the latter was imported to the United States by Charles Stendig, a collector and pioneering importer who helped spark America’s interest in furniture from Finland, Switzerland and Italy during the 1960s and ‘70s.)
Although furniture can be serious business, it’s just as often playful, provocative, energizing and even liberating. Perhaps nothing embodies these characteristics better than postmodern Italian design. And one of the most iconic pieces to originate during Italy’s fertile period of postmodern furniture design is the Pratone chair, designed in 1971 by Giorgio Ceretti, Piero Derossi and Riccardo Rosso.
Representing a magnified portion of a grassy meadow, the Pratone chaise provides a lounging place for an individual or a group. “It is so unlike anything else that it stands out and is still iconic after 50 years,” said Charley Vezza, Gufram’s global creative orchestrator.
Made of painted polyurethane foam, the Pratone chair immediately became the symbol of a new and different approach to interiors when it debuted.
Gufram has become a favorite of the international art crowd and glitterati, and its products have made their way to the world’s most renowned museums, including the Metropolitan Museum of Art, Vitra Design Museum and more.
British fashion designer Paul Smith and American multi-hyphenate artist A$AP Rocky have collaborated with Gufram over the years. Interior designer Tony Ingrao has called the Pratone chair one of his favorite works and featured the larger-than-life piece in an exhibition he curated at R & Company in 2016.
Find new and vintage Gufram chairs, sofas, mirrors and other Gufram furniture for sale on 1stDibs.
Gufram Puffo Stool by Gruppo Sturm Ceretti & Rosso, 65/1000
By Riccardo Rosso, Piero Derossi and Giorgio Ceretti, Gufram Furniture
Located in Aachen, NW
Rare Puffo stool designed by Gruppo Sturm (Ceretti, Derossi & Rosso) and made by Gufram in Italy, 1986. The stool was made in a limited edition of only 1000 pieces worldwide. This s...
Foam
Warren Platner Stool for Knoll Black Leather, 2000s
By Warren Platner, Knoll
Located in Aachen, NW
Black leather stool by Warren Platner for Knoll. The groundbreaking stool was designed in 1966 by Warren Platner and produced by Knoll after the 2010s. This mid-century classic ...
Aluminum
Very Rare Gaetano Pesce Dining Set, Sansone 1 Table & 6x Dalila Chairs
By Cassina, Gaetano Pesce
Located in Aachen, NW
Very rare dining room set by Gaetano Pesce featuring 6x chairs model Dalila and a table model Sansone I. Made by Polyurethane and urethane resin, pre -...
Resin
Rare Pre-production Poul Kjaerholm PK22 Wicker Chair 1950s
By Poul Kjærholm, E. Kold Christensen
Located in Aachen, NW
Early and very rare pre-production PK22 Wicker lounge chair by Poul Kjaerholm approx 1955/1956. Unsigned pre-production model gifted by Poul Kjaerholm to ...
Stainless Steel
FK6725 Bird Tulip Chair Green by Fabricius & Kastholm Knoll 1990s
By Jørgen Kastholm & Preben Fabricius, Walter Knoll
Located in Aachen, NW
This fine example of the FK6725 Bird office chairs was designed by Jorgen Kastholm & Preben Fabricius in the early 60s and produced by Walter Knoll in the 1990s. The so called "Bir...
Aluminum
Rare Blue Caramel Table by Danny Lane 4 of 12, London 2010
By Danny Lane
Located in Aachen, NW
Rare Cobalt Blue glass table by Danny Lane. Made in London in 2010. Made from Danny Lane in his studio himself, this table is No 4 of 12 ever made. A unique piece. No. 4 from the edi...
Glass
Gufram Puffo Outdoor Pouf and Sculptural Seat by Ceretti Derossi Rosso, Blue
By Riccardo Rosso, Piero Derossi and Giorgio Ceretti, Gufram Furniture
Located in Varedo, MB
Originally designed in 1968 by Giorgio Ceretti, Pietro Derossi, and Riccardo Rosso, the Puffo is one of the earliest and most iconic examples of Italian Radical Design. First present...
Other
Gufram Puffo Outdoor Pouf and Sculptural Seat by Ceretti Derossi Rosso, Gray
By Gufram Furniture, Riccardo Rosso, Piero Derossi and Giorgio Ceretti
Located in Varedo, MB
Originally designed in 1968 by Giorgio Ceretti, Pietro Derossi, and Riccardo Rosso, the Puffo is one of the earliest and most iconic examples of Italian Radical Design. First present...
Other
Gufram Puffo Outdoor Pouf and Sculptural Seat by Ceretti Derossi Rosso, Yellow
By Riccardo Rosso, Piero Derossi and Giorgio Ceretti, Gufram Furniture
Located in Varedo, MB
Originally designed in 1968 by Giorgio Ceretti, Pietro Derossi, and Riccardo Rosso, the Puffo is one of the earliest and most iconic examples of Italian Radical Design. First present...
Other
Gufram Puffo Outdoor Pouf and Sculptural Seat by Ceretti Derossi Rosso, Red
By Gufram Furniture, Riccardo Rosso, Piero Derossi and Giorgio Ceretti
Located in Varedo, MB
Originally designed in 1968 by Giorgio Ceretti, Pietro Derossi, and Riccardo Rosso, the Puffo is one of the earliest and most iconic examples of Italian Radical Design. First present...
Other
GUFRAM Mozza Stool & Chair by Giuseppe Raimondi
By Gufram Furniture, Giuseppe Raimondi
Located in La Morra, Cuneo
Designed in 1968 by Giuseppe Raimondi, Mozza maintains the same vibrant revolutionary appeal and ability to adapt to countless living needs. Rendered in its present edition in a sexier and slimmer form, Mozza is an upturned truncated and athwart-cut cone on which it would seem impossible to sit. By lying back on its sloping surface of sort polyurethane, though, its structure gives in to body weight until it acquires the shape of a chair with back- and armrests. It's simple but original structural magic that makes it one of a kind. Mozza's external mass misleads you. Thanks to its lightness, this seat becomes a nomadic and versatile object in the living landscape. The primary seat for the sitting-room at home or the perfect service armchair in the sophisticated and elegant halls of design hotels, Mozza combines the international contemporary style with the characters of the Italian radical design, highlighted by the variety of its contemporary and pop upholstery colours. ABSTRACT Designed in 1968 by Giuseppe Raimondi, Mozza is an upturned truncated and athwart-cut cone on which it would seem impossible to sit. By lying back on its sloping surface of sort polyurethane, though, its structure gives in to body weight until it acquires the shape of a chair with back- and armrests. It's simple but original structural magic that makes it one of a kind. Mozza's external mass misleads you. Thanks to its lightness, this seat becomes a nomadic and versatile object in the living landscape. TECHICAL INFO Seat of soft polyurethane covered with cloth. Ø 85x80 cm, 9 Kg Ø 33,5x31,5 in, 20 lb DID YOU KNOW 1. It's one of the first projects by Gufram – born at the beginning of its activity. 2. It was designed by the first Artistic Director of the brand – Giuseppe Raimondi. 3. Mozza's sloping plane becomes soft when weight is set on it, and it allows you to comfortably sink in it. 4. Mozzo de-constructs the traditional...
Fabric, Resin
Matto ottanium - Made in Italy and handmade indoor seating
By Orografie
Located in Catania, IT
Matto by Orografie is more than just a stool; it is a sculptural and hypersymbolic work of art, born from the genius of designer Anna Polisano in 2021 . Designed to capture attention...
Wood
