More than a hundred years ago, a Sardinian-born Italian army veteran named Renzo Frau took a liking to some furniture he had seen in England, and he had an idea: Why not remake it for the Italian market?

Under Frau’s guidance, the chesterfield sofa’s brass studs, typical of British construction at the time, were replaced by gentle leather folds. Everything got rounder and softer. It was the stately formality of English silhouettes, given a sensuous twist. Poltrona Frau was born.