Bull Leather Armchair by Gianfranco Frattini for Cassina, 1987

A timeless design by infamous Italian designer Gianfranco Frattini (1926-2004) for Cassina; the Bull armchair. Only produced in 1987 by Cassina, this design is becoming increasingly rare.

Remarkable about this design is that armrest, backrest and headrest are seamlessly integrated and form an envelop around the seating area. This ensures for maximum seating comfort. In particular because the entire sofa is very well padded with the use of thick high quality leather. The basic frame of the armchair consists of metal which is then padded with foam. On top of that, every leather segment is zipped onto the frame.

Every segment has its own zipper and can therefore be independently taken off for cleaning and/or reupholstery. The lacquered metal feet are screw-bolted on to the basic metal frame and even the underlay of the armchair consists of a high quality rubber based plate. The feet in itself give a levitating effect to the armchair, therefore decreasing the massiveness of the top part in a visual way.

The entire design is build on a very clever logic and it’s build extremely well therefore it’s unfortunate that Cassina decided to produce this design for only one year.

The Bull series can be traced back easily through archives. As well, on the website of Gianfranco Frattini (gianfrancofrattini.com) there is a reference to the Bull series. An excerpt has been added to the pictures.

This specific chair features black leather upholstery.