Poltrona Frau Assaya Armchair

Assaya means to provide comfortable support, to create a pleasant sensation. It is also the act of analyzing, evaluating. This is in Marathi, the native tongue of Satyendra Pakhalé, who designed the Assaya armchair for the design contest launched by Poltrona Frau to celebrate its centenary in 2012.

Assaya finally sees the light after two years of development. Assaya is a cross between the contemporary and the traditional; between the needs of an evolving society and the excellence of Poltrona Frau’s craftsmanship in processing leather and hard leather. The backrest, viewed side-on, recalls the sinuosity of a corset. Its design embraces and encapsulates an elegant combination of leather and hide, of rigid and soft elements. The external hide shell is modeled by a skillful series of cuts and stitches that give the material great ductility. The pouf, side table are an integral part of the project and are suitable for creating formal or informal settings in relaxing or working contexts. The structure of the backrest and armrests, comprising a single shell, is in rigid polyurethane padded with polyurethane foam and wadding. The seat is in seasoned beech wood with elastic belts and padding as for the backrest. The armchair swivels 360° and automatically returns to its starting position.

SIDE TABLE. The structure has a single steel pedestal with a moulded profile. The top is in birch plywood with light polyurethane foam padding on the lower part. The base is made of an aluminium-coloured painted steel plate. The upholstery combines the Cuoio Saddle Extra leather used for the surface of the tabletop and the exterior of the pedestal with the Pelle Frau® leather used for the lower part of the top and the inside of the pedestal. The rim of the leather surface is embellished with elegant visible contrast stitching.