'pelleossa revisited' by francesco faccin for miniforms features a handmade rush seat

francesco faccin has teamed up with miniforms to craft a new seat for the furniture manufacturer’s ‘pelleossa’ chair. for ‘pelleossa revisited’, the milan-based designer has taken inspiration from italian chairs of pre-industrial times to create a rushed seat, and an overall simple, timeless piece. 

images courtesy of miniforms

the pelleossa chair was first introduced by miniforms in 2013. for this most recent update, francesco faccin pays homage to pre-industrial design and in particular, the well-known ‘chiavarine’ chair. the revisited object features a rushed seat made from rushes obtained from the canna indica plant, which are then woven together in a checkered weave to create a strong and sturdy surface. the piece is available in a variety of woods, with an armrest, and in a stool version.

‘rushing a chair is like a sport, so the artisans say. a pelleossa seat takes an hour and a half, about the same time as a football match, but instead of feet running around a field, here it is the hands that do the work. this is a team game, or rather a game played in pairs. the seat is set on a pedestal ready to start being dressed. pelleossa becomes the artisans’ model, and they move around it like tailors. after ninety minutes, the dress is ready.’ – miniforms

project info:

project name: pelleossa revisited

design: francesco faccin

producer: miniforms

designboom has received this project from our ‘DIY submissions‘ feature, where we welcome our readers to submit their own work for publication. see more project submissions from our readers here.

edited by: lynne myers | designboom