Iconic Italian furniture designer Gufram has arrived in Australia, bringing their blend of pop and conceptual art to furniture.

Known for their influence in industrial and furniture in the ’60s and ‘70s, Gufram designs sculptural art objects that channel facets of pop art illusion, naturalism and modern design.

Well established as an Italian funhouse, Gufram’s range at Living Edge showcases the witty and provocative, highly collectible nature the brand is famed for. Like so many mid-century founded industrial design companies, Gufram is known for pushing the boundaries of conventional design, creating playful, subversive and irreverent furniture and objects styled with a sense of bold optimism.

Gufram was born of the intention to give new life to modernist furnishings, in tune with the cultural revolution of the 1960s. Nowhere is this more obvious than the iconic Pratone Green chair. A permanent part of the 100 Masterpiece of Design collection in the Vitra Design Museum, the chair is a symbol of ‘anti-design’, recalling the outside world with its long green stalks. That the piece works as a statement piece as well as a functional chair is a remarkable design success.

Even more striking, yet still functional as a coat stand, is the Gufram Metacactus. This cactus styled stand is an icon of Italian design, embodying the grit, the imagination and the humour of the brand’s presence in the ‘70s.

Less daring, but at home in the design family, is the more recent Blow lounge. Playfully designed to recall the features of iconic air mattress of the seventies, Blow takes idleness to the extreme, with a stable and relaxing design. These three items are available alongside the rest of the Gufram range at Living Edge.

For Living Edge and Gufram it’s certainly a new beginning. Living Edge is already known as the design destination for architects, interior designers and design enthusiasts alike, and the addition of Gufram’s playful and often ironic designs only furthers this.