I’m always drawn to chairs that feel like they’re doing more than just sitting there — and the Tucroma dining chairs by Guido Faleschini are exactly that kind of piece. This set of six installed around a rectangular glass dining table is one of those perfect 1970’s design moments where everything clicks: material, form, color, and space all working together without trying too hard.
Designed in 1971 for i4 Mariani, the Tucroma chair is one of those quiet icons of Italian modernism that continues to feel completely relevant. The structure is simple — just a continuous line of tubular chrome steel — but within that frame sits a suspended leather seat and backrest that gives the chair its signature presence. The cushions appear to float, held in place by wide leather straps, creating a balance between precision and softness that feels both engineered and effortless.
What made this particular installation so striking was the setting. Paired with a clear glass tabletop, the chairs were allowed to fully express their linear elegance. The transparency of the table leaves the chrome frames to draw clean, continuous lines through space while the leather seats — rendered in a rich orange — anchor the composition with warmth and color.
There’s something very 1970s about that orange leather, but in this context it doesn’t feel nostalgic. Instead, it reads as graphic and intentional, especially against the cool, reflective chrome. Multiply that by six, and the effect becomes almost sculptural—a repetition of form that turns functional seating into a kind of installation.
Image Courtesy of Converso Chicago
What Faleschini got so right here is restraint. The Tucroma doesn’t rely on excess or ornament. It’s about tension: hard and soft, structure and suspension, industrial and tactile. Even after more than fifty years, it still feels fresh because it was never chasing trends to begin with. Seen together around that glass table, the chairs didn’t just furnish the room — they defined it. Clean, airy, and quietly bold, they’re a reminder that sometimes the most impactful design statements are the ones that speak in a steady, confident line.
Photographed at the Salon Art + Design 2025 in the Booth for Converso Chicago, where you can purchase the set of six chairs for the price of $18,000.