From the Office to Your Home: Poltrona Frau
Poltrona Frau is a design furniture brand founded in 1912 by Renzo Frau. Its presence on the international market for over a century makes it one of the strongest symbols of Made in Italy worldwide, thanks to its unique craftsmanship — the result of constant and meticulous research and the fusion of three fundamental elements: functionality, aesthetics, and artisanal quality.
Who Was Renzo Frau
Lorenzo Frau was born in Sardinia, in Cagliari, in 1881. Known to all as Renzo, he left his island to move to Milan where he served in the military. Later, he and his wife moved to Turin: Turin was a city in continuous transformation during those years — the ideal place, a hub of modernity and culture.
There, he worked as a sales agent for a company that produced imitation leather. While on a business trip to Great Britain, he discovered the Chesterfield armchair: recognizing its potential, he decided to import it to Italy. Although this operation was a success, he became increasingly interested in other influences in the furniture and early design sectors — from French to Central European styles.
He then decided to create the first workshop of what would become an undisputed symbol of Italian excellence worldwide: in 1912 Poltrona Frau was born. While the Bauhaus was not yet active in Germany, Poltrona Frau’s headquarters in Turin became a meeting point for artists, creatives, and technicians, producing furniture that combined elegance, pure aesthetics, and innovative design with simplicity, practicality, and functionality.
Called to military service at the outbreak of World War I, it was his wife, Savina Pisati, who successfully managed the company until his return. Their furniture reached the Palazzo dei Savoia and soon appeared everywhere — especially in prestigious settings such as the 1928 Turin Expo.
Despite his premature death in 1926, Renzo Frau left behind important archives that allowed production to continue in the same spirit for generations up to the present day. Today, the renowned brand has been acquired by the Dutch company Haworth Inc., but production remains entirely in Italy to ensure the same high standards of quality.
The Company’s Values
Every company has its own worldview, its values, its unique strength. The core principle of Poltrona Frau is absolute refinement — an essential beauty that does not seek mere aesthetic impact, but a sensory and visual experience, a constant value since the brand’s inception.
What are its key values? The importance of Made in Italy and artisanal craftsmanship, aesthetic value, design excellence, and the sustainability of materials and production — ensuring health and safety for both workers and consumers throughout every phase of production. The goal? To guarantee the livability of spaces in the simplest way possible, without excess — allowing the products to speak for themselves through innate elegance, outstanding craftsmanship, exclusive finishes, and top-quality materials.
From the office to the home: Poltrona Frau offers furnishing solutions suitable for every space — designed to enrich them with sophistication and impeccable style.
