Faye Toogood’s Poltrona Frau debut from 2024 is etched in our memories as a brilliant example of how a creative mind can shake up a traditional furniture company. Working with the heritage of the Tolentino-based furniture manufacturer, Toogood created a collection of curvaceous furniture that she described as ‘English Folk with Italian Horsepower.’
Dubbed ‘Squash’, the collection featured mirrors, rugs and an armchair which, Poltrona Frau CEO Nicola Coropulis said, ‘epitomised the essence of a Poltrona Frau armchair, effortlessly evoking feelings of comfort, innovation, and forward-thinking creativity, all ensconced in a cocoon of leather.’
Lie Low bed by Faye Toogood for Poltrona Frau
Poltrona Frau is now unveiling the next chapter in this fruitful collaboration, presenting Toogood’s Lie Low bed (with matching bedside table) at Milan Design Week. Toogood’s sculptural approach to furniture design meets Poltrona Frau’s precise curation of forms and materials, and the result is characterised by the designer’s signature ‘chubbyness’, with a sculptural headboard that makes the most of the leather company’s expertise in the material. Rather than stretched tight, Toogood chose to leave the leather to ‘crinkle and gather’, revealing a sense of informal comfort.
‘I have been working with the artisans at Poltrona Frau for a couple of years now, and there’s nothing they don’t know about leather craft,’ observes Toogood. ‘I want to celebrate the hands-on knowledge and skill of the workshop, but propose new ways of thinking about process and material. Rather than being perfectly taut, the leather of the Lie Low bed is wrinkled, giving it movement and malleability. It’s a bed that entirely embraces you.’
fayetoogood.com
poltronafrau.com
