A glass stool by Vittorio Livi for FIAM ITALIA. Initially imagined while he was working in a glass factory in his late teens, the Onda Pouf (wave in Italian) was the design that led Vittorio Livi to launch FIAM ITALIA. The world’s first piece of furniture made from a single sheet of curved, tempered glass, its sinuous waterfall form is a marriage of technical innovation and Italian elegance. Original wooden glides intact.

Two stools available, offered/priced individually.

VITTORIO LIVI (b. 1944) was born in Tavullia, a small inland town in the Marche region of Italy. He grew up the youngest of seven children in a farming family. They moved to the municipality of Pesaro on the Adriatic coast in 1951. After graduating from high school, Livi became an apprentice in a local glassworks at the age of fourteen. He was later employed there as a craftsman specializing in the production of stained glass.

When he was eighteen, Livi launched his own business to produce decorated glass for furniture. The company, Fullet, was the first in a series of enterprises he founded that specialized in particular aspects of glassmaking: Artiglass (1963) created artistic stained glass windows; Cromoglass (1965) manufactured reflective glass, the first European facility to do so; Vellutart (1969) made glass accessories for the furniture sector; and Curvovetro (1970) was focused on the unique technology and expertise needed to bend glass.

In his late 20s, in 1973, Livi leveraged all the technical knowledge he had amassed, while also fostering brand recognition and product innovation, by consolidating his five businesses to form FIAM ITALIA. The firm quickly emerged as the preeminent player in the design and manufacturing of curved glass furniture. Livi’s vision was to use FIAM ITALIA to achieve nothing less than a transformation of the public’s perception of glass—from a fragile, cold, and transparent material into a prestigious and versatile design element.

The company was a magnet for international designers and architects wanting to test the design limits of glass. Collaborations with such renowned artists as Enzo Mari (1932–2020), Philippe Starck (b. 1949), and Cini Boeri (1924–2020) demonstrated the firm’s technical mastery.

In 1988, Livi co-founded a limited liability company to restore the ancient walled village of Montegridolfo, located about 20 km southeast of Rimini. In 1992, he purchased and restored Villa Miralfiore, a historic Renaissance-style residence in Pesaro, incorporating a unique museum dedicated to the exhibition of glass works created by renowned contemporary artists. “The Glass Museum” houses the world’s largest private collection of glass objects.

Livi’s famous creations are displayed in more than twenty-five museums around the globe. He remains a significant figure at global design exhibitions and has received multiple awards that acknowledge his creativity and enduring impact on Italian design.

I immediately understood the allure and potential of glass, this material that represents our soul. – VITTORIO LIVI

FIAM ITALIA is headquartered in Tavullia, a small inland municipality in the Marche region of Italy, approximately 10 km from the Adriatic Sea coast, the birthplace of founder Vittorio Livi. FIAM is an acronym for Fabbrica Italiana Arredamenti Moderni (Italian Factory of Modern Furniture).

Founded in 1973, FIAM was established to revolutionize the use of curved glass in furniture design. Their signature piece, the Onda Pouf, a stool made from a single sheet of curved glass, became a symbol of the company’s innovation and, indeed, a symbol of “Made in Italy” design.

FIAM ITALIA is world-renowned for its expertise in shaping and bending glass, to wit, the ‘Ghost’ chair, created in partnership with designer Cini Boeri (1924–2020) in 1987. Crafted from a 12-mm-thick sheet of glass, this iconic armchair is folded in the style of origami. The firm’s collaborations soon expanded to include other distinguished designers and architects–including Marcel Wanders (b. 1963), Arik Levy (b. 1963), and Massimiliano Fuksas (b. 1944)–further cementing its reputation. The artists always worked closely with the company’s skilled glass masters to bring their ideas to life, using the most advanced industrial processes.

More recent collections have begun to explore further the boundaries of glass, striving for earthier, warmer, and multi-color forms that will pave the way for a new era of innovation. FIAM ITALIA’s designs have been celebrated globally, with products displayed in museums in New York and Rome.

DETAILS

Designer – VITTORIO LIVI

Design Period/Year – 1973

Maker – FIAM ITALIA

Production Period/Year – 1970s

Origin – ITALY

Styles/Movements – MID-CENTURY MODERN

Materials – GLASS, WOOD

Colors – TRANSPARENT, BLACK

Condition – Very good vintage condition. A few flea bites on the glass edges, as should be expected from age and use. May show minor signs of previous ownership.

Dimensions – 22 ½" W × 13 ½" D × 16 ½" H

Seat Height – 16" H

Number of Seats – 1