MADE IN ITALY
FRAMES
Classic Design with a Contemporary Twist
Telami is an Italian manufacturer of beautiful and functional handmade furniture and accessories with an iconic design. Its mission is to bring product customization into the world of Italian tradition, creating a virtuous blend of fashion and design. Warp and weft are at the heart of Telami products: fabric, with its infinite variations of textures, colors, and materials, is the best expression of the identity and lifestyle of the person who chooses it. The possibilities for customizing the Telami products are endless. In this design journey Telami revisits iconic chairs, including the Tripolina armchair, rediscovering and reinterpreting them with innovative materials, colors and intended use, for a contemporary and indisputably Italian style.
FRAMES
Tripolina and Director’s chairs have been absolute and cross-cultural protagonists of the twentieth-century aesthetic imagery. They have populated magazine covers, residences and gardens of legendary personalities such as Theodore Roosevelt and Thomas Edison and have been chosen by artists and intellectuals such as Italo Calvino, Chet Baker, Alfred Hitchcock and Federico Fellini.
Since 2017 Telami is writing a new chapter in its history, bringing the legacy of a glorious past back to life and combining it with the needs and tastes of contemporary life. Entrusting the original designs and skillful hands of the historic manufacturers, Telami has created a large family of products and accessories that fully express the Italian lifestyle. The Telami catalog ranges from classic models to the bright, contemporary colors of the Sole Mio collection, the soft textures of the Mediterraneo and Novecento collections, and the herished materials of the Firenze, Ducale, and Milano collections.
1855
Tripolina’s first design
Designed in 1855 by the English engineer J.B. Fenby, it was patented at the end of the Century and licensed to Italian companies since the early 1900s. One of these companies was Viganò in Tripoli, Libya, where the Tripolina chair catered primarily to the Italian expatriate community, offering a durable camping solution suitable for sandy terrains thanks to its fast and lightweight folding mechanism. The chair was such a success that it became the quintessential “Tripoli chair”, or “Tripolina”.
Alfred Maudslay
Alfred Percival Maudslay was a British archaeologist who pioneered modern-age archaeological studies, particularly of Maya ruins in Mexico and Guatemala.
A famous picture shows him at the ancient site of Chichén Itza, sitting on a Tripolina Chair, drafting some documents.
It is an historical photo of great importance and perhaps the earliest evidence of the use of a Tripolina Chair in the field. We like to think of the great Maudslay as our first historical testimonial!
World Columbian Exposition Chicago
The origins of the Director's Chair
The mechanism behind this brilliant chair traces its origins back to the mists of time, but the model we know today dates back to the late 1800s in Wisconsin, where it was produced as a standard field equipment under the name of Chair No. 35.
Showcased at the Chicago World's Fair in 1893, it soon became popular in Hollywood film productions, where it took its current name of Director's Chair.
1908
Theodore Roosevelt and the Tripolina
Theodore Roosevelt was a big fan of the Tripolina Chair.
Historical records show us a number of photos depicting him while sitting in the legendary chair. From the expedition to Cuba to the famous safaris in Africa between 1908 and 1911, it seems that the comfort of this camp chair was an invaluable luxury for his relaxation at the end of the day.
1914
Theodore Roosevelt and the Director's
This photo is a valuable historical record: it was taken during Roosevelt and Rondon's scientific expedition in Brazil in 1914 and shows Theodore Roosevelt sitting on the practical Director's Chair. It is one of the rare accounts of the use of this chair (still known as Chair No. 35 at the time) on a field expedition, before it became the absolute star of Hollywood sets a few years later. The Director's, before becoming the Director's…
1922
Telami’s Ancestors
In 1922 in Friuli, Italy, a family-run joinery was established and began producing simple tavern chairs. Over the years the business expanded and soon the production specialized in folding chairs, including the Tripolina and Director's. The highly functional and reliable design of these chairs quickly gained great popularity, becoming a best seller and a style icon for several forthcoming decades.
Craftsmanship and attention to detail made Friuli a center for the production of high-quality chairs, giving rise to the renowned Italian chair district, still influential in the international market today.
1930s
Giuseppe Terragni
Giuseppe Terragni, an important 20th-century Italian architect, did not play a direct role in the design of the Tripolina Chair. However, his work in Italian rationalist architecture and his modern, functional approach to design influenced the way the Tripolina was perceived in the cultural world. By using the Tripolina in many of his architectures, the great Terragni made the world notice the perfectly rational design of this chair, indirectly contributing to the birth of a myth.
1950s
Marilyn Monroe
Marilyn Monroe played a significant role in popularizing the Director's Chair. Throughout her career she was photographed many times on set with a Director's, and thanks to her unrivaled fame she helped to strengthen the ideal link between this chair and the film industry, increasing its appeal as a lifestyle icon. The association of such a glamorous celebrity with this once humble chair has greatly influenced popular culture by transforming the Director's into a status symbol of utility and sophistication.
1959
Chet Baker
Chet Baker, the renowned jazz musician, featured the Tripolina chair on the cover of his album "1959 Milano Sessions". The amazing musician is depicted while seated with his trumpet on a red Tripolina chair. A cover image that joins jazz music and milanese design, giving Tripolina an even more stylish allure linked to the very roots of Telami brand, which also comes from Milan. We love this album!
1959
Sophia Loren
This 1959 picture portrays the famous Italian actress Sophia Loren on the set of “That Kind of Woman,” taking a picture of co-star Tab Hunter. It is a very important evidence for Telami, because the Director's Chair bearing the name of the great actress is the exact Made in Italy model that we still produce today. The great personality of the legendary Italian actress makes us proud to be the heirs of this manufacturing heritage that combines functionality and glamour.
2017
Telami brand is born
In 2017, Telami brand was born in Milan, specializing in handmade furniture and accessories with a clean, beautiful and functional design. Its mission is to blend product customization with Italian tradition, bringing together fashion and design.
All Telami products reinterpret original design archetypes with innovative materials and colors, bringing to the international market true icons of Italian lifestyle, combining traditional craftsmanship and contemporary furniture demands.
2018
Telami x Rossana Orlandi
In 2018, Telami partnered with Rossana Orlandi, a renowned design gallery owner, to create a unique collection combining Italian craftsmanship and textile innovation. This collaboration resulted in the first co-branding collection, merging Telami's contemporary furniture design with Rossana Orlandi's creative vision and the top-quality fabrics of Dedar. This fusion of tradition and modernity produced a collection that embodies Italian craftsmanship and contemporary design, leaving a lasting mark in the world of furniture.
2019
Telami x ODEEH
In 2019, Telami teamed up with the renowned German fashion brand ODEEH to create an innovative collection blending interior design with fashion trends. Inspired by ODEEH's vibrant SS20 collection, Telami translated their distinctive aesthetic into unique fabrics and designs for the Tripolina chairs. This collaboration resulted in an eclectic and sophisticated collection, marrying fashion and interior design in exciting new ways, marking an important milestone in the brand's growth.