@archdigest: Gaetano Pesce’s UP chair was designed to make an entrance—quite literally. Introduced in 1969 by B&B Italia, the curvaceous chair arrived vacuum-packed and compressed nearly flat, expanding into its full sculptural form once released from its packaging. But beneath the playful form was a more provocative idea: Pesce conceived its voluptuous feminine silhouette and attached ottoman as a commentary on the cultural constraints placed on women. For Object Lesson, we unpack how a material experiment became one of the era’s most provocative seats. Now that you know the story, what do you think of the UP chair?

Architectural Digest

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Wednesday 14 October 2026 16:01:10 GMT