Dezeen Showroom: Italian architect and designer Antonio Citterio has reinterpreted traditional wood and straw seating in his modernist, low-lying lounge chair for furniture brand Flexform.

The Tessa armchair features a woven seat and a backrest made of paper rush, strung up on a solid ash or Canaletto walnut frame.

The chair harkens back to a long Italian craft tradition. "Straw and wicker chairs have been part of my memory since childhood," said Citterio.

The gently tapered spindles that form the frame are made using similarly time-honoured joinery techniques that emphasise the wood's natural grain.

For added comfort, matching cushions can be fixed to the armchair using slender straps, which slip over the dowels of the backrest.

Flexform's Tessa family also includes a marble-topped coffee table, ottoman and bench.

Product: Tessa armchair
Designer: Antonio Citterio
Brand: Flexform
Contact: [email protected]

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