Poltrona Frau
Italian luxury furniture founded in 1912, built on Pelle Frau leather craft and a century of signed collections, read for the US buyer.
A century of Italian leather craft.
Poltrona Frau was founded in 1912 by Renzo Frau in Turin, who registered the trademark with the Turin Chamber of Commerce that year. The company name joins poltrona, the Italian word for armchair, with the founder's surname. After Renzo Frau's death in 1926, his wife Savina Pisati led the company and brought its furniture into some of the most prominent buildings in Italy. In 1963, production and headquarters moved to Tolentino in the Marche region, where the company remains today. In 2014, US-based Haworth Group acquired a majority stake.
The house built its identity on Pelle Frau leather, a full-grain hide processed through more than twenty stages. Its catalogue spans residential armchairs and sofas, contract and institutional seating, and automotive interiors. Designers across the decades have included Renzo Frau himself, Gio Ponti, Roberto Lazzeroni and Jean-Marie Massaud. For US buyers, collections reach the market through authorised dealers.
A selection of lines.
Vanity Fair
Developed from Renzo Frau's original designs, first produced in 1930, and named Vanity Fair in 1984. A fully hand-built armchair in Pelle Frau leather over hand-tied springs and vegetable horsehair.
The current collection.
Vanity Fair
A reissued icon of 20th-century Italian design with enveloping forms, a solid structure and tailored finishes. Upholstered in Pelle Frau leather, it suits both private and public settings.
Chester
First shown in the 1912 catalogue and inspired by the sofas of English clubs and country houses. It is distinguished by pleated armrests and rich capitonne leather worked entirely by hand.
Archibald
A contemporary armchair with soft lines and vertical folds, built on a steel structure with polyurethane foam padding and four cast aluminum feet. It is offered in leather with contrasting stitching or in fabric.
GranTorino
A sofa pairing compact volumes with comfortable seats, built on a tubular metal structure with woven elastic belts and birch plywood backrests and armrests. The backrest cushions are padded with goose down in separate horizontal chambers.
Kennedee
A sofa upholstered in Pelle Frau leather or fabric, part of the Poltrona Frau seating range. It is offered in multiple configurations.
Lyra
An armchair on a seasoned beechwood structure with hand-tied steel biconical springs, rubberised horsehair padding and a goose-down seat cushion. It is upholstered in Pelle Frau leather or fabric with leather-covered pins on the backrest.
1919
A reinterpretation of the classic bergere model, adding a characteristic capitonne backrest. Details include an extension that serves as a footrest and an optional bookstand with arm.
Albero
A self-supporting rotating bookcase in solid wood, originally designed in the 1950s and reintroduced in an updated version.
Blisscape
A highly configurable modular sofa designed to build personalized relaxation spaces, from social islands to corners and larger living areas.
Bolero
A table collection that blends precious materials with pure lines, offered in round and rectangular versions.
Bretagne
A modular sofa system that adapts to different spaces with a warm, relaxed elegance. The collection is completed by the Bretagne pouf, which can stand alone or pair with the modules.
Chester One
A seasoned beech structure with hand-shaped vegetable horsehair padding and hand-tied biconical springs on jute belts. The seat cushion is in goose down and polyurethane foam, with feet in wood or leather-covered.
Come Together
A modular sofa composed of flexible modules allowing many configurations, from a linear sofa to corner solutions and relaxation islands.
Dezza 24
A reissue of a 1960s Italian design, with armrests, a lightweight structure and an elegant profile. It works in both vintage and modern interiors.
Fumoir
Originally created in the 1920s and reinterpreted to contemporary standards, with a compact structure, enveloping lines and a curved backrest. It is finished in refined leather upholstery.
Get Back
A modular sofa with generous, soft seating that allows tailored configurations for different spaces. It is suited to living rooms, open spaces and lofts.
Happy Jack
An informal, modular sofa with wide, welcoming seating, soft lines and a range of colors and materials.
Ilary
A coffee table with a base in burnished satin steel or ruthenium finish, and a top in Saddle Extra leather or moka-stained solid ash.
Isadora
A chair with a solid ash frame in a triangular-section profile, beech plywood and polyurethane foam padding, upholstered in raw-cut Saddle Extra leather. It is also available in a large version.
Jacques Yves
A modular sofa with handcrafted details such as woven leather and curved wood profiles that create a tactile, visual experience.
John-John
A sofa with a solid beech structure and central iron crossbar, padded in polyurethane foam and polyester wadding. The cushions are filled with goose down and backed in microperforated Pelle Frau leather.
Let It Be
A modular sofa with a deep, welcoming seat and freedom of composition. It is finished with high-quality artisanal details.
Lloyd
A freestanding bookcase with oak-veneered HPL shelves, leather-covered fibreboard uprights and solid oak sliding grilles on steel feet.
Mamy Blue
An armchair with a backrest in moulded polyurethane foam and a seasoned beech seat with hand-tied steel biconical springs on jute belts. It can be upholstered entirely in Pelle Frau leather.
Massimosistema
A seating system available as single chairs, two or three-seater sofas, chaise-longues and poufs that combine together. The structure is seasoned beech and poplar with birch plywood sides, elastic-belt springs and goose-down seat cushions.
Montera
A chair with sinuous lines and an enveloping shell upholstered in Pelle Frau leather or fabric, suited to residential and professional settings.
Nivola
An armchair with clean, streamlined design and a compact, rounded seat, made with warm natural materials worked by Poltrona Frau.
Ouverture
A sofa whose cushions have removable covers in leather or fabric, filled with goose down and polyester wadding over a polyurethane foam insert. Backrest buttons recall traditional upholstery and 1980s design.
Pillow
A reclinable seat fully covered in soft leather upholstery, with adjustable headrest, backrest and footrest for ergonomic comfort.
Ren
A bookcase in Canaletto walnut and leather, offered in low, high and freestanding versions with shaped side panels and wooden crossbars.
Sanluca
A sculptural armchair composed of curved elements and embracing lines, upholstered in Pelle Frau leather or fabric.
Stella
A sofa with a structure wrapped in hand-stitched leather panels and a solid base, with padded cushions available in fabric or full-grain leather.
Archibald
Designed by Jean-Marie MassaudArchibald is one of the most recognised pieces in the Poltrona Frau catalogue, designed by Paris-based Jean-Marie Massaud. Its profile is defined by vertical folds that animate the leather surface, while cast aluminium feet give the form a slender, elevated stance. The chair won a Wallpaper* Award in the Best Domestic Design category in 2009.
The steel supporting structure carries polyurethane foam padding with polyester wadding at key comfort points. Upholstery choices run across the full Pelle Frau leather library or fabric, with contrasting stitching in the leather version. The collection extends to a dining chair and lounge variants.
What the pieces are made of.
Pelle Frau leather is the signature material of the house: full-grain cattle hide processed through more than twenty stages, with only 10 in every 100 hides passing the brand's quality controls. Interior construction across the classic range uses solid seasoned beech frames, hand-tied steel biconical springs on jute belts, vegetable horsehair padding and goose-down cushions. Metal bases are cast aluminium or powder-coated steel depending on the collection.
On every brand page these details stay factual and sourced. Collection names, designers and materials are checked against the maker before they go live.
Poltrona Frau, answered.
Where is Poltrona Frau made?
Poltrona Frau is based in Tolentino, in the Marche region of central Italy, where production and headquarters have been located since 1963. The company was founded in Turin in 1912.
When was Poltrona Frau founded?
In 1912, by Renzo Frau, who registered the trademark with the Turin Chamber of Commerce that year.
Who founded Poltrona Frau?
Renzo Frau, who was born in Sardinia and settled in Turin. After his death in 1926, his wife Savina Pisati continued to lead the company.
What is Pelle Frau leather?
Pelle Frau is Poltrona Frau's proprietary full-grain leather, processed through more than twenty stages. Only about 10 in every 100 hides pass the brand's quality controls. It develops a patina with use and is available in a wide colour library.
What are Poltrona Frau's signature collections?
Among the most recognised are the Vanity Fair armchair, first produced in 1930 from Renzo Frau's own designs; the Chester, a Renzo Frau reinterpretation of the English club chair from 1912; the Dezza by Gio Ponti (1965); and the Archibald by Jean-Marie Massaud.
Who designs for Poltrona Frau?
Designers have included Renzo Frau himself, Gio Ponti, Roberto Lazzeroni, Jean-Marie Massaud, Ludovica and Roberto Palomba, GamFratesi and Kensaku Oshiro.
What is the Vanity Fair armchair?
Officially model 904, named Vanity Fair in 1984. Developed from Renzo Frau's archive designs and first produced in 1930. It is fully handbuilt over hand-tied steel springs and vegetable horsehair, upholstered in Pelle Frau leather.
What is the Dezza armchair?
The Dezza was designed by Gio Ponti in 1965, the first product associated with Poltrona Frau's move to Tolentino. It is named after Via Dezza in Milan, the street where Ponti lived. It features his characteristic triangular-section legs and remains in production.
Does Poltrona Frau work outside residential furniture?
Yes. The house has a significant contract division covering auditorium seating, airport interiors and institutional projects. Its In Motion division produces leather interiors for luxury automotive clients including Ferrari, Lamborghini, McLaren and Range Rover.
Is Poltrona Frau available in the US?
Yes. Collections reach the US through authorised dealers. The Haworth Group, which is US-based, acquired a majority stake in the Poltrona Frau Group in 2014.
What is the design character of Poltrona Frau?
The house sits at the intersection of Italian craft tradition and modern design. Its catalogue combines heritage pieces that have been in production for decades with contemporary signed collections, all centred on Pelle Frau leather as the defining material.
Can I buy from this site?
No. Premium Furniture is an independent editorial directory. We document the house and point you to the maker.