Posted in Showroom Spotlight
Tacchini Offers Vintage Classics
The clean lines and striking silhouettes of Tacchini’s modern design are truly timeless. Even as emerging talents offer their unique perspectives each year, new pieces often share aesthetic tones with the 20th-century classics that came before them.
For instance, while the Julep collection by Jonas Wagell for Tacchini was released in 2018, its curvy forms harken back to a revolutionary piece of the past. Jean Royère’s Ours Polaire sofa—so nicknamed for its likeness to a polar bear — became an instant icon when introduced by the French designer in 1947. Defined by an asymmetrical form and upholstered in velvet, the plush piece — which routinely fetches six figures at auction—overturned conventions of scale and promoted a thoroughly modern sense of leisure. This organic seating style was also popularized by New York – based designer Vladimir Kagan, whose Serpentine sofa was released in 1949.
Decades later, Swedish designer Jonas Wagell returns to the bulbous shapes presented by these avant-garde visionaries. Julep is a series of upholstered pieces defined by continuous lines, natural geometries, and a pervading feeling of warmth. The sofa, lounge chair, chaise lounge, and ottoman, manufactured by Italian house Tacchini, continue the legacy established by their predecessors with an interesting interpretation that feels instantly at home in the interiors of today.
A similar appreciation of the past can be found in another piece, the Sesann sofa by Italian icon Gianfranco Frattini. Originally released by Cassina in 1970, the sofa has been reproduced by Tacchini. The inviting piece and accompanying lounge chair features a soft cold foam structure upholstered in fabric or leather and wrapped with steel tubing. Like the Julep collection, Sesann eschews straight edges in favor of a luxuriously plush body that practically exudes comfort.
