Photo: Adrian Dearan / Salon 94 Design
Italian designer Gaetano Pesce created the collection in early 2024. He did not have time to complete it, as he passed away in April. He was 84 years old.
A collection of hard felt chairs presented by New York-based Salon 94 Design at Design Miami in Paris.
La Famiglia is a family of four chairs designed for people of all ages. Gaetano Pesce named the chairs La Mamma, La Cugina, Il Bambino and La Piccola.
They are made of stiff industrial felt using a technique that Pesce first applied in 1987 to create the Feltri chair and then used to make numerous products such as cabinets and even vases. The technique involves soaking fabric in a clear resin and then shaping it into a shape. It then hardens and the felt becomes rigid.
Photo: Adrian Dearan / Salon 94 Design
Initially, Pesce wanted to make the chairs out of hard resin, but he chose fabric because he liked to transform flat, soft textiles, cut as if for children’s products, into functional seats. Each chair has a curved back in the shape of a face. Rigid felt is also used to make the seats and side panels that serve as legs and armrests.
Photo: Adrian Dearan / Salon 94 Design
Prototypes developed by the designer in his studio in Brooklyn were presented at the Nice to See You exhibition during Milan Design Week. The final versions of the chairs were produced after the designer’s death by his studio team in Italy.
