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True Heritage
100+10 Years of True Evolution
A delightful example of 1950s and 1960s
Italian design, the Turner revolving book-
case, formerly Model 823, was designed by
Gianfranco Frattini (1926-2004) in 1963. A
pupil of Gio Ponti, from whom he learned
rigour of design and attention to new con-
struction techniques. Frattini was part of
the golden age of Italian design, a time when
furnishing series were created as specifi c
solutions for private homes in the context of
a total interior design vision where each piece
had a precise location.
Inspired by the classic English free-
standing bookcases, Turner has become a
multi-functional furniture piece, from storage
unit to bar cabinet. It is an expression of
Frattini’s knowledge of wood, which is used
to the best of its aesthetic and technical
potential. The supporting structure, which
revolves on three levels, develops vertically
like a building; each top is equipped with
grooves that act as tracks, where a series of
dividing panels can be added or removed, so
as to create ever-changing combinations in
an interplay of solids and voids.
Along with the Albero bookcase, Turner
shares a sculptural presence in the room, and a
reciprocity with the user that makes standard
products become unique and personal. Both
bookcases testify Gianfranco Frattini’s vision
of living, which is visible in the many furniture
and furnishing accessories he designed for
the most important interior design brands
of the time. This reissue gives Poltrona Frau
the opportunity of confronting itself with a
piece of premium quality cabinet-making
that is representative of a luxurious, accurate
and functional method of designing domestic
environments. It is an object that eff ectively
interacts with the company’s contemporary
furnishing catalogue, restoring relevance to
its historical and cultural value.
(1963) — 2019
Gianfranco Frattini
Turner
100+10 Years of True Evolution
one circular swivel top
on a top upholstered in
leather or saddle-leather
and one circular metal
base, in black painted
steel
1+1
dividing panels, 7 for
each of the 3 levels that
make up the structure
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True Heritage
