Design and tradition
The iconic chair of Forte dei Marmi is reborn: the last artisan and a young entrepreneur’s vision
By Irene Arquint
Three young entrepreneurs relaunch the company that has been producing the iconic director’s chairs since 1961
There are the bomboloni, the Apuan Alps watching over the seaside resorts, the rain in the pinewoods, bicycles as the preferred means of transport. The Arabs, the Russians, the “schiaccia che la fuma” came later. Before that, there were wooden clogs, Valè’s focaccine, and wooden chairs under the umbrellas, paired with deck chairs, cabins, and sunbeds. Not the fashionable loungers of the Romagna Riviera, but two solid wooden slats crossed and held together by a sturdy canvas, where you would lie back and soak up the sun. “The strength of our places lies in their identity,” says Allegra Bartoli, a young entrepreneur from Pietrasanta, graduated in fashion and communication at Newcastle University. Together with two Versilian entrepreneurs, Jacopo Bracchi and Matteo Goich, she took over Piastri 1961 a year ago.
The last artisan of beach furniture
Maurizio Piastri was the last artisan still supplying chairs and deck chairs to beach establishments across Italy, with Forte dei Marmi leading the way. But he was tired. The workshop in Marinella di Sarzana had been passed down from his father, a carpenter who had shifted from cabinets to beach equipment during the boom of Formica and fixed seaside holidays. Dedicated to his craft, without even a sign to indicate what was inside that stone and red-brick building—where the warehouse had replaced the old stable loft—for over half a century Piastri planed armrests and slats, giving life to one of Versilia’s iconic objects. Because director’s chairs exist in many forms: from Hollywood-style to bamboo, from the Balearic model with its inclined backrest disappearing into the wood, to teak boat versions in Edwardian style, up to modern, lighter aluminium ones.
The typical chair of Forte dei Marmi
“But the typical beach chair of Forte dei Marmi is unmistakable, designed in the 1970s to withstand storms and harsh weather,” explains Allegra Bartoli. “It has a soft line and a comfortable seat. A very simple object, rooted in tradition, functional and highly adaptable in customization.” Two elements attracted the three entrepreneurs: tradition and adaptability. Driven by the idea of building on the past to look toward the future, they moved the Piastri workshop to Corvaia, a district of Seravezza just behind Forte dei Marmi, where the showroom is now based. Following this logic, they brought the workshop closer, along with still-functional machinery, retaining the two artisans trained by Piastri. To preserve continuity, they continue sourcing beech and ash wood from the north, from long-standing suppliers in Udine, where much of Europe’s chair production still takes place. Three seamstresses have also joined, weaving fabrics that range from luxurious to creative, complemented by cushions, feathers, and leather—each tailored to the environments where the Forte dei Marmi chairs will find their place.
Innovation within tradition
“We will introduce new elements through textiles, but nothing fundamental must change. Identity is what makes us unique in the face of trends and mass production,” adds Allegra Bartoli. “It is a simple piece of furniture, born on the beach for practicality, but over time it has become an icon of Versilia and Forte dei Marmi. We will take it beyond the beach—into countryside villas and city apartments.” There is no beach establishment in Forte without this type of seating. They purchase the frame and then customize it in colors and patterns: solid tones, stripes, or painted wood in flag-inspired palettes. Fashion houses with boutiques along the town’s central streets have also embraced the Forte dei Marmi director’s chair as a symbol of identity.
Inspired by her studies, Allegra Bartoli envisions the future of production as if it were a fashion collection. While summer features lettering from seaside locations (Forte, Saint-Tropez, Portofino) in the iconic colors of 1970s umbrellas—from bright green to orange, from deep blue to golden yellow and soft pastels—winter will introduce fabrics such as velvet, tweed, and tartan.
