Its image is everywhere. Its meaning is not.

Designed by Ettore Sottsass for Poltronova in 1970, Ultrafragola is far more than one of the world’s most recognizable mirrors. It is the only piece from Sottsass’ experimental Mobili Grigi collection to enter serial production, making it the sole accessible witness to one of the designer’s most visionary and uncompromising research projects.

Presented by Poltronova at Eurodomus 3 in Milan in 1970 under the Design Centre label, the collection explored a completely new relationship between furniture, light and space. Produced in fiberglass—a material more commonly associated with boat building than furniture design—and illuminated from within by neon, the Mobili Grigi emerged from darkness like apparitions. Sottsass imagined them as three-dimensional silhouettes, almost immaterial presences capable of transforming the atmosphere of a room rather than simply furnishing it.

Ultrafragola embodies this vision perfectly. Its undulating frame, illuminated by pink neon, echoes what Sottsass himself described as “rounded, swollen forms of feminine origin—or, if you prefer, religious origin (which is the same thing).” Beauty here is never decorative. It becomes symbolic, emotional and almost spiritual.

When first presented, the collection divided critics and audiences alike. Too experimental, too unsettling and deliberately detached from commercial expectations, the Mobili Grigi never achieved commercial success. Most of the pieces remained rare prototypes, while Ultrafragola became the only project to survive in production—eventually growing into one of the defining icons of twentieth-century Italian design.

Today its silhouette is endlessly imitated. Yet what is often reproduced is only its appearance, not the cultural vision behind it. The original Ultrafragola has always been, and continues to be, produced by Poltronova.

#Poltronova #Ultrafragola #EttoreSottsass #ItalianDesign #DesignHistory
Ultrafragola mirror, original Ultrafragola, Ettore Sottsass, Poltronova, Mobili Grigi, Design Centre, Italian design, collectible design, fiberglass furniture, illuminated mirror, Eurodomus 1970, pink wavy mirror

SOFT. YET MONUMENTAL. 🩷⛰️

Terrazzo can be more than a surface. It can become a world.
Designed by Bethan Laura Wood for Poltronova, Terrazzo Quarry reimagines the familiar language of Venetian terrazzo by transforming it into an inhabitable landscape. Inspired by the extraordinary floors of Venetian palazzi encountered during the designer’s residency in Venice, the project magnifies the tiny gemstone fragments embedded within terrazzo to an architectural scale, turning them into soft hills, sculptural forms and playful monuments.

The result is a modular seating system that constantly evolves. Every element can stand alone or combine with the others, allowing the landscape to shift endlessly through new arrangements and compositions. What was once a decorative pattern becomes a three-dimensional environment that invites exploration, interaction and rest.
Neither simply furniture nor merely sculpture, Terrazzo Quarry blurs the boundaries between object and architecture, ornament and space, transforming a traditional material language into an immersive experience. It is monumental in scale, yet soft in presence; precious like a gemstone, yet open and playful like a landscape waiting to be discovered.

A quarry. A palace. A gemstone. A place to play.

🧑‍🎨 Terrazzo Quarry seating system by @bethanlaurawood for Poltronova, 2025
🧩 Playfulness by @francescotoselli
🎙️ Voiceover by @gianlucagaru

#Poltronova #BethanLauraWood #TerrazzoQuarry #Terrazzo #DesignReel

More than a bench. A drawing brought to life.

Canton: wooden bench by Franco Raggi @francoraggistudio, 1988

Some designs don’t need to move to captivate us. They simply wait for the right moment to appear.
Designed by Franco Raggi for Poltronova in 1988, Canton is much more than a bench. It is an architectural idea, born from a simple sketch of two connected squares. By extending that single black line into three dimensions, Raggi transformed a graphic concept into a functional sculpture where geometry becomes the true protagonist.

Created for the entrance of the home, Canton also reflects the way we once lived. Its open side compartments were designed to hold magazines, books, and even telephone directories, turning everyday objects into part of the composition rather than something to hide.
In 2023, Centro Studi Poltronova, working alongside Franco Raggi, faithfully reissued Canton with a philological re-edition. The original design remains untouched, while bold contemporary colour pairings. Red and green. Blue and orange. Available in both positive and negative versions. The result is a timeless icon with renewed energy for contemporary interiors.

This reel celebrates that same transformation. One snap, and Canton appears. Another, and it disappears. Like a drawing stepping out of the page before quietly returning to a single line.
The most memorable design isn’t always the loudest. Sometimes, it changes a space simply by being there.

@kinraggi
@francoraggistudio

@francescotoselli

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#Poltronova #FrancoRaggi #Canton #ItalianDesign #CollectibleDesign

SPIN FASTER. ↻

How fast can you make it spin? 👀
Tap the button, imagine giving it another push, and watch Cessato Allarme come to life. Because sometimes even a coat stand deserves a little drama.
Designed to rotate, collect, organize and surprise, Cessato Allarme transforms an everyday object into something playful, kinetic and unexpectedly theatrical. Hanging bags suddenly become part of the composition, while its rotating upper section invites interaction almost as if it were asking to be played with.

Cessato Allarme clothes-stand by De Pas, D’Urbino, Lomazzi, 1991.

The Cessato Allarme clothes stand, created in 1986 by the De Pas, D’Urbino, Lomazzi studio and put into production by Poltronova in 1991, takes its name from the Italian expression meaning “All Clear!”—the signal announcing the end of an air-raid alert during World War II. Its inspiration comes from the warning trumpets once mounted on street poles, yet there is nothing military about its character.
Made entirely of painted metal and available in vibrant colours, Cessato Allarme replaces anxiety with optimism. It turns a functional object into a joyful presence, embracing the playful language that has always distinguished Italian design. As Paolo Lomazzi later suggested, its name becomes a metaphorical invitation to “go and blow the trumpets again,” celebrating creativity, freedom and the pleasure of living with design.

More than a coat rack or clothes stand, it is a collectible design object that brings movement into the home. Every rotation changes the composition. Every bag, jacket or hat becomes part of the project. Functional, sculptural and unmistakably Poltronova.
Designed by De Pas, D’Urbino, Lomazzi and produced by Poltronova, Cessato Allarme continues to embody the spirit of innovative Italian furniture design, where irony, experimentation and everyday functionality coexist in a single iconic object.

Now... be honest.

Did you click to make it spin faster? 😉

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#Poltronova #CessatoAllarme #ItalianDesign #DesignFurniture #MadeInItaly

RING RING. ☎️ Design is calling. Are you picking up?

Some phone calls change your day. Others changed the history of design.

What looks like a playful joke is actually one of the most revolutionary sofas ever conceived.

Originally designed by Archizoom Associati for Poltronova in 1967, Superonda overturned the very idea of what a sofa could be. Rather than prescribing a single way of sitting, it introduced freedom. Made from just two wave-shaped polyurethane blocks, it can be endlessly recomposed into a sofa, a chaise longue, a bed, two independent seats or countless unexpected configurations. There is no “correct” way to use it—only the one you invent.

Created during the birth of the radical Italian design movement, Superonda rejected the rigid functionalism that had defined furniture until then. It transformed the domestic landscape into something fluid, playful and constantly evolving, proving that design could question conventions instead of simply following them.

More than half a century later, Superonda remains one of the most influential icons of twentieth-century design, still produced in Italy by Poltronova with the same experimental spirit that made it a cultural landmark.

And yes… apparently, it still answers calls.

Our 1:8 Superonda Miniature faithfully reproduces the proportions, geometry, colours and modular composition of the original design, allowing collectors, architects, museums, universities, galleries, design schools and enthusiasts to experience one of the greatest icons of Italian design from an entirely new perspective.

Small enough to fit in your hands.
Big enough to change the way you think about furniture.

#Poltronova #Superonda #ArchizoomAssociati #ItalianDesign #RadicalDesign