TORNERAJ’s intentional design features, such as a hole in the center of the backrest for support and easy transport, reflect Gufram’s innovative and radical spirit – part of the permanent collection of the Museum of Modern Art in New York. Despite its simple appearance, TORNERAJ is a genius icon of Italian radical design that surprises and delights its users.
A 90-degree chair with a 360-degree personality. TORNERAJ, designed by Giorgio Ceretti, Pietro Derossi, and Riccardo Rosso and one of the very first Gufram pieces, is a deceptively simple and enduringly iconic piece of furniture that has fascinated the world of design since its creation in 1968. The distinct and sculptural form derived from a quarter-cylinder makes it an instant conversation piece, while its quirky and playful design evokes the energy and rhythm of the vibrant decade of its birth.
Though seemingly simple, the chair’s form belies a series of intentional design decisions. A hole in the center of the backrest doubles as support, allowing air to be released from the body of the chair to cradle the sitter, and a handle, enabling the user to easily transport the nomadic TORNERAJ here and there. The chair’s Guflac® coating, a dynamic and flexible layer that enables the polyurethane to look like a skin, covers the TORNERAJ in a playful checker pattern that weathers perfectly with use.
Popular to this day, the TORNERAJ chair is a genius icon of Italian radical design. The unique shape and texture paired with its original bright blue and red colorways make it a playful and engaging piece of furniture, now part of the permanent collection of the Museum of Modern Art in New York. Its endearingly intentional structure and attention to detail reflect Gufram’s innovative and radical spirit: placed into any space, TORNERAJ presents a surprise – a comfortable delight awaiting its next sitter.
