Vintage brown armchair by Ettore Sottsass for Olivetti Synthesis, 1970s

The design of the office furniture system Synthesis 45 was developed for Olivetti by Ettore Sottsass, then responsible for Ivrea’s design company, between 1970 and 1972. Writing desks, chairs, armchairs, drawers, filing cabinets and various accessories, all products at the Olivetti Synthesis plants in Massa Carrara, were part of a revolutionary furnishing system for the era: Synthesis 45 is in fact based on a 45 cm spatial grid - from which the name - that marks the office furniture sizes, taking into account the space needed to accommodate electronic machines.