Header: Courtesy of Frigerio
Fosca and Dafne are two new armchairs for Frigerio’s 2026 collection, both created by Gordon Guillaumier, a Maltese designer. These are a small chair in lacquered beech that stands on three legs, and a padded lounge chair that swivels and reclines. They aren’t, however, Guillaumier’s first designs for the company, as he had already drawn the Pan armchair, a piece made of steam-bent reed shown in Milan in 2025.
The Fosca chair
Fosca has three legs, two at the front and one at the back, which is what supports the upholstered seat. The armrests are a flat band that wraps around the seat and rises at the back to become the backrest. Frigerio describes its style as neo Art Deco, after the decorative style of the 1920s and 1930s that was known for geometric shapes and a glossy, lacquered look.
Its frame is made of solid beech, a hard and pale European wood, and it is lacquered to a high shine in ten colours: burgundy, linen, curry, coral, olive, ocean, sage, powder pink, dove grey and black. The seat and the back can be upholstered in either fabric or leather, with the fabric version having the option of coming with the outside of the backrest in leather.
“[Lacquer] gives a very interesting edge to form [and] to shape, especially when it is combined with upholstery and fabric and padding.”
Gordon Guillaumier
The Dafne armchair
Dafne is the larger of the two and has a thickly padded upper part supported by an X-shaped base of cast aluminium, finished partly in brushed, polished metal and partly in black. The back, the arms and the seat can be covered in either fabric or leather. The chair turns a full 360 degrees and the backrest has a mechanism that allows it to tilt back, making it a cosy option for contemporary home and commercial offices.
According to Frigerio, it was inspired by “the great masters of Modernism”, the early 20th-century movement whose designers reduced furniture to simple shapes and industrial materials such as tubular steel.
“The generous, inviting proportions convey a sense of intimate, personal comfort, designed to accompany everyday relaxation with ease.”
Frigerio
A family practice
Frigerio is based in Mariano Comense, in the Brianza furniture district north of Milan, having been founded there by Federico Frigerio in 1938 as a small upholstery workshop. The second and third generations of the family run the company today, and the covers are still tailored by hand, with the material cut one layer at a time and each cut checked manually.
Project information
Design Company: Frigerio
Lead Designer: Gordon Guillaumier
Location: Mariano Comense, Italy
Date: 2026
