Letizia | Armchair

Gastone Rinaldi

Build your own

The seat is welcoming and comfortable. The back acquires new elasticity. The legs, slim and sleek, fit perfectly with the shell. Steel structure with moulded polyurethane foam padding. Elastic belts for the seat and backrest spring system. The feet come with three different finishes: ash veneer with a teak stain, lacquered black or polished chrome. Letizia can be upholstered in Pelle Frau® leather or removable fabric.

Letizia | Armchair

Gastone Rinaldi
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Visuals shown are for illustration purposes only. Actual finish and/or pattern may vary due to unique characteristics of natural raw materials

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Concept and Design

Elegance, style, 1950’s atmospheres: the Letizia armchair embodies the creative ferment of an age. An icon of style which has retained the power of its designer’s successful intuition over time. Designed in 1954 by Gastone Rinaldi under the name DU55P, Letizia is now reissued by Poltrona Frau. With its sensual and soft lines and its solid and void effects, Letizia is a graceful addition to any setting, providing a touch of sophisticated lightness.

Designed by
Gastone Rinaldi

Gastone Rinaldi was born in Padua on 16 November 1920. In 1916 his father Mario had established RIMA, a company for the production of metal furniture. Gastone enrolled in the Faculty of Economics, but he was passionate about design and sport (as a footballer, he went as far as playing with Cremona, at the time very strong, and as a racing car driver, he took part in the legendary Thousand Mile race). In 1948, together with his brother Giorgio, he took over from his father in managing the business. He met Gio Ponti and in 1950 he designed the chairs (DU10 and DU11) for the Hospital Section of the IX Milan Triennial. At the same Triennial, the DU9 chair was also presented. Domus published his creations regularly.

 

In 1952, he attended the XXX Milano Fair in the section curated by Alberto Rosselli, Ettore Sottsass and Marco Zanuso. The armchairs for the Piccolo theatre of Milan followed, with Zanuso. In 1954, he won the Compasso d’Oro for the chair DU30. He participated with Ponti, Parisi, De Carli and Gardella in the American adventure of Altamira, one of the first companies across the ocean to call Italian designers. He therefore worked with Carlo Mollino on the chairs for the Molinette Hospital of Turin. In 1957, the armchair DU41 won the silver medal at the XI Triennial. However the internal relations within RIMA became complex and in 1974 Rinaldi established Thema. In 1978, he obtained a nomination for the Compasso d’Oro for the armchair Arianna and in 1981 another for the folding chair Dafne. Thema closed in 1989, Gastone Rinaldi died in Padua on 02 March 2006.

Coverings and finishes