Iconic Tonic – Gufram at Living Edge

Available through Living Edge, Gufram’s iconic creations have been seen everywhere – from design museums and galleries to film sets and in the homes of A-listers. Building on a legacy of nearly 60 years of boundary-pushing, subversive design, the Italian brand continues to make a decisive mark with unique releases, as well as ever-evolving collaborations and reinterpretations of the classics.

From humble yet steadfast beginnings as an artisanal store in Turin, Italy, that specialised in upholstery and cabinet making, it was advances in plastics during the 1960s that catapulted Gufram(an abbreviation of Gugliermetto Fratelli Arredamenti Moderni) into the realm of avant garde design. Since then, the brand has been responsible for the creation of several design icons, including the famous Bocca sofa– also known as ‘the lips’ – the grass-like Pratone chaise lounge and the Cactus hall tree.

With pop art on the rise, Gufram’s ‘domestic sculptures’ merged the artistic and design worlds, welcoming bright colours, bold shapes and a rebellious ethos into the home.

Inspired by the Italian anti-design movement, Gufram looked outside of the box, rejecting traditional furniture design and creating bold and exciting pieces that suited the revolutionary atmosphere of what would become known as the counterculture movement. With pop art on the rise, Gufram’s ‘domestic sculptures’ merged the artistic and design worlds, welcoming bright colours, bold shapes and a rebellious ethos into the home.

To create these pieces, the company has stayed on top of advances in production techniques and materials, especially when it comes to flexible polyurethane, which it uses to great effect in many dynamic designs. Using a specialised paint finish developed in-house, called Guflac, Gufram is able to make surfaces appear uniform and elastic, lending a sense of unseamed cohesion to their objects. Often, up to 12 Guflac layers are applied by hand to achieve the desired effect.

By continuing to evolve, staying culturally relevant in terms of the nuances of culture and exhibiting new, revolutionary pieces at every turn, Gufram’s unconventional legacy continues to this day.

This coating is what gives the much admired and coveted Cactus design its toy-like shine and plasticity. The piece has seen many interpretations over the years due to collaborations with such greats as Andy Warhol– who opted for signature bright hues with black tipped spikes, British designer Paul Smith – with his psychedelic tones, and musician ASAP Rocky – who playfully added mushrooms. Similarly, the Bocca sofa has recently been revamped with a number of new and modern colourways.

Under the wing of Italian radical design Artistic Director Charley Vezza since 2012, the brand has now released mini versions of its classic models, allowing a wider range of consumers to own a piece of the icon. By continuing to evolve, staying culturally relevant in terms of the nuances of culture and exhibiting new, revolutionary pieces at every turn, Gufram’s unconventional legacy continues to this day.