Image source: Zanotta — April
© Zanotta and the respective rights holders. Quoted to accompany INTEBEE's independent design commentary and research.
April
Gae Aulenti's folding chair pairs a stainless-steel frame with a removable sling cover
510 × 860 × 550 mm
1964
Official product information
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Go to the official product pageDescription
Overview
April is Gae Aulenti's 1964 folding chair for Zanotta. Its tubular frame forms the legs and arm supports in a continuous outline, while crossed braces allow the chair to fold into a narrow profile.
Construction
The frame is stainless steel and the articulated joints are aluminium alloy. A removable sling forms the seat and back, leaving the folding mechanism visible rather than concealing it beneath a rigid shell.
Specifications
Cover options are Vip for outdoor use, Telastrong, or cowhide 95. The official open-chair drawing shows 51, 55 and 86 cm; the axes are not labelled, and 86 cm is the largest vertical value.
Story
Reworking a familiar type
Zanotta describes April as Aulenti's transformation of the enduring director's-chair type. The project belongs to Aurelio Zanotta's effort to invite leading Italian designers to rethink familiar, functional objects through the company's own design perspective.
Folding made visible
April does not disguise how it opens and closes. The crossed supports, pivots and sling remain legible in use, while the folded view compresses the same components into a compact vertical form.