Gianfranco Frattini

An Italian designer, Gian­franco Frat­tini was best known for his work as both an archi­tect and an indus­trial designer. Born in Padua in 1926, he studied under Gio Ponti before opening his own archi­tec­ture prac­tice. Frat­tini found his way into indus­trial design when he came across a gap in design for light­ing and furni­ture for his inte­rior spaces. Thus began a wide array of collab­o­ra­tion with many furni­ture design houses, includ­ing Cassina, Bernini, Arteluce, Fantoni, Artemide, and Knoll. In 1956, he became one of the found­ing members of the Asso­ci­a­tion of Indus­trial Design. Notable furni­ture pieces include the Boalum Lamp in 1969 and 780/783 a set of low beech­wood and black lacquer tables.