You are using an outdated browser. For a faster, safer browsing experience, upgrade for free today.

El Greco Gallery

  • Your shopping cart is empty!

Every constructive detail of the Tessa armchair is a clue to the great complexity that lies behind its seeming simplicity. The kind of simplicity that stems from the ingenuity and hand-craftsmanship inherent to the concept of the product itself.

The structure is made entirely of solid ash or turned Canaletto walnut.  The traditional joinery requires expert craftsmanship and gently exalts the natural texture and feel of the wood. An ancient art that dates back to Italian rural tradition, the delicate yet strong woven paper rush cord in the seat and backrest is also finely hand-crafted. Soft optional cushions held in place by slender straps add a deeper sense of welcome to the Tessa armchair.

The Tessa family includes an armchair, ottoman, bench and a coffee table with marble top, available in a number of types of marble.

About Designer
Antonio Citterio

Antonio Citterio was born in the Italian city of Meda in 1950. He opened his own studio in 1972 and completed his degree in architecture at the Polytechnic University of Milan in 1975. Between 1987 and 1996, he collaborated with Terry Dawn to design many buildings across Europe and Japan. In 2000, Citterio and Patricia Viel formed a multidisciplinary office for architecture, interior design and graphics. The office operates at international level developing complex long-term projects in synergy with a qualified network of specialist consultants. The practice is now called “Antonio Citterio Patricia Viel”.

Antonio Citterio works in the industrial design sector with companies such as Ansorg, Arclinea, Axor-Hansgrohe, B&B Italia, Flexform, Flos, Hermès, Iittala, Kartell, Maxalto, Sanitec (Geberit Group), Technogym and Vitra. He has received numerous awards, including the Compasso d'Oro in 1987 and 1995. Citterio has been a professor at the Faculty of Architecture at the Università della Svizzera Italiana in Mendrisio from 2006 to 2016. He was awarded the title 'Royal Designer for Industry' by the London-based Royal Society for the Encouragement of Arts, Manufactures & Commerce in 2008.