Franco Poli Locanda double bed with canopy and night stands, Bernini, Italy 1982

Wooden double bed with canopy and bedside tables, year 1982, designed by Franco Poli, model Locanda, produced by Bernini.

The Eighties of the Twentieth Century were years of constant pursuit of balance between tradition and innovation. In Italy, a certain hedonistic taste, more aesthetic conformity than deep conviction, sought in the possession of objects the solution to its gratification. During that period, the role of the designer, coming from decades of free experimentation, became fundamental in mediating between demanding clientele and an ambitious aesthetic balance between luxury and sophistication required by the changing general taste.

Franco Poli reinterprets furniture intended for the bedroom - still conceived in a traditional way as a combination of furniture divided according to their function - increasing with his personal redesign of their form the evocative power of each piece of furniture. Thus, the "Locanda" series was born in 1982 for Bernini production. The collaboration with the historic brand, which has made the enhancement of wood as a raw material its distinctive feature, was one of the most fruitful in recent design history. Poli found in Bernini the necessary space for the expression of his most authentic idea of ​​aesthetics and design, to the point of becoming its artistic director from 1977 to 2009. In those years, in a perfect synergistic relationship, a Venetian manufacturing company and a Venetian architect, aware of a common cultural heritage linked to the history of furniture and furnishings, thus ferry the skill of past cabinetmakers, the love for wood material, and its possible virtuosity, towards the work recognized as design.

The focal point around which the entire "Locanda" series project develops, published in the 1982 issue of the magazine "Ottagono," is the bedroom set. It is striking for the sweep of the curved canopy, which covers the structure for almost its entire length. Then, by minimizing the vertical thrust of the "hood," Poli achieves the perfect aesthetic balance of the furniture: ideally, the bed could be inscribed in a perfect cube. The impression, once lying down with the face towards the ceiling, is that of being in "a room within the room," thus increasing the sense of seclusion and intimacy. If the idea of ​​a draped canopy brings to mind some gloominess to which antique Western-style furnishings have often tended, Poli's bed structure breaks free from this. The "hood" is light and sinuous, resting on a wide platform on which the mattress, thus positioned, resembles an oriental tatami. Also contributing to this effect is the light color of the chosen wood and the low height from the ground.

This contemporary design furniture piece is capable of fitting into a broader interior design project where past and present coexist in total aesthetic freedom.

The furniture is original from the period and perfectly preserved. It is complemented by a slatted base conforming to the structure. Manufacturer's marks and labels are present.

Dimensions
- Bed: 187W x 228D x 200H cm
- Bedside tables: 69W x 50D x 33H cm (each)