Poltrona Frau Museum
A rigorous piece of architecture within the company facility. Poltrona Frau Museum displays the company's history, interweaving it with the evolution of taste and design
Mission
To guard, preserve, communicate and enhance the testimonies of the company. The Museum contributes to the creation of a collective historical memory of Italian design and craftsmanship, as well as to increase the perception of corporate culture.
1910s - 1920s
In 1912, the Sardinian Renzo Frau registered the Poltrona Frau tradename with the Turin Chamber of Commerce. Until the 1940s, the Frau family business was tied to the culture of the times and this lively city.
Company's first adverts
Cultural and specialist magazines published the company’s first adverts, designed by illustrators Nanni, Golia, Mendez and Sandro Properzi.
1930s - 1940s
The company became legendary for its production systems, its artisans making high quality furnishings entirely by hand. Furnishings for the cabins on the transatlantic liner Rex established the brand on an international level.
For the 904 models, New Deal and Vanity Fair, and Lyra, Poltrona Frau developed the first product campaigns in “Domus” and “La Casabella”.
1962: Poltrona Frau was moved to Tolentino
Tap to explore
1950s - 1960s
The primary objectives of its new owners were to recover the company’s values. The revolutionary period of the sixties influenced the design of new products: Lullaby and Dilly Dally by Luigi Massoni, Dezza by Gio Ponti, Sanluca by Achille and Piergiacomo Castiglioni.
1970s - 1980s
Research into ergonomic seating solutions and into new materials led to articles by Franco Bettonica, Marzo Zanuso and Ferdinand Alexander Porsche. In the Ouverture by Pierluigi Cerri the stiffness of building site girders in painted steel provides the base for the sofa.
Lella and Massimo Vignelli designed
Intervista for a TV studio set.
1990s - 2000s
Jean-Marie Massaud and Roberto Lazzeroni represented the 2000s design, showing a strong influence from the Poltrona Frau tradition.
2012: Poltrona Frau celebrates its centenary and inaugurates the Museum
Custom Interiors
The Poltrona Frau Custom Interiors works alongside designers from all over the world to develop special furnishings for theatres, auditoriums, museums, airports, hotels, restaurants, cinemas, showroom/retail, offices and yachting.
Interiors in Motion
In 1986 Poltrona Frau met the car, upholstering the interiors of the Lancia Thema 8:32 with its Ferrari engine. Craftsmanship encountered technology. The historic culture of leather that distinguishes this company founds expression in the complicated upholstery of car interiors.
