Dezeen’s A-Zdvent calendar: Up5 Chair by Gaetano Pesce

As the products are mostly air, they can be transported vacuum-packed flat at 10 per cent of their   final size. First designed in 1969, Gaetano Pesce’s Up furniture series is made from expanded polyurethane foam and upholstered in elastic synthetic jersey. BB Italia also produces the designs in smaller UpJ versions for children. The chair was delivered using this method during its first production period – from 1970 until 1973 – by furniture brand CB Italia. «I was telling a personal story about my notion of women: despite themselves, women have always been prisoners of their own making,» said Pesce. «Along these lines, I liked the idea of giving this armchair a feminine shape with a ball and chain, the traditional image of the prisoner.»
The elasticated fabric cover for the chair is available in a range of colours, as well as a version with beige and orange stripes influenced by the original 1969 model. The brand has since changed its name to BB Italia and re-released the design in 2000. The bulbous Up5 Chair by Italian designer Gaetano Pesce follows on from the 20 iconic seat designs we’ve already featured   for our A-Zdvent calendar.