Bamboo and Rattan Daybed by Fratelli Castano, Italy, 1960s

Low and open, this daybed stretches out with the unhurried ease of a piece conceived for leisure. The long horizontal frame is flanked by two symmetrical armrests that rise in gentle, rounded curves, their latticed panels giving the form a transparency that prevents any sense of enclosure. Raised on short bamboo legs connected by sinuous stretchers, the piece sits close to the ground, its proportions suggesting the informality of a Mediterranean veranda or a summer house by the coast.

The structure is built from thick bamboo canes, their natural markings - the dark nodes and warm amber surface - left fully visible. The armrests and long side panels are filled with a diamond-pattern lattice of woven rattan, each crossing point secured by hand-wound bindings of thinner cane. The joints throughout are wrapped in tightly bound rattan lashings, a technique that is both structural and decorative, evidence of a craft tradition in which engineering and ornament are inseparable. A flat, fabric-covered mattress in a pale sage-green linen sits within the frame, accompanied by two matching bolster cushions that rest against the armrests. The upholstery has been renewed.

The daybed is the work of Fratelli Castano, among the most recognised Italian manufacturers of bamboo and rattan furniture during the post-war decades. Their production, rooted in a deep familiarity with these materials, gave form to a particular vision of Italian domestic life in the 1960s, relaxed, Mediterranean in spirit, yet always attentive to the quality of construction. Pieces of this kind occupied a space between indoor and outdoor living, embodying a culture of ease that was central to Italian design of the period.

The daybed is in good condition, with wear consistent with age and use. The bamboo structure is sound; the rattan bindings and lattice work are intact with minor signs of patina. The upholstery, including mattress and bolsters, has been professionally renewed by our internal atelier.

Dimensions:
H 65 cm × L 204 cm × D 95 cm (H 25.6 × L 80.3 × D 37.4 in)