Piccola Papilio

Overview

Naoto Fukasawa designed Piccola Papilio in 2010 as a compact armchair with a back that opens into two supporting wings. Its name takes the Latin word for butterfly.

Construction

The inner structure combines tubular steel with steel profiles. Upholstery is flexible cold-shaped polyurethane foam under polyester fibre, while a steel-laminate and aluminium-extrusion base enables swivel movement.

Dimensions

The representative PPA chair measures 690 × 760 × 805 mm; the drawing separately labels a 450 mm arm height and 360 mm seat height.

A butterfly translated into support

Fukasawa's starting image was a chair that welcomed the sitter with the graceful movement of a butterfly. On Piccola Papilio, the two lateral wings support the hips and back rather than rising to the head height of Grande Papilio.

The smaller member of a series

B&B Italia places the chair within a Papilio series that includes armchairs, chairs, a sofa and a bed. A rear zipper is both functional and decorative, recurring across the series, while Piccola Papilio keeps its own compact proportions and 2010 product date.