Gigi Sabadin "Pala" Dining Chair for Emme, 1973, Set of 8

Design
1973

Manufacture
1970-1979

Location
Lonigo, IT

Gigi Sabadin "Pala" dining chair for Emme, wood, 1973, set of eight.

Designed in 1973 by Italian architect and designer Gigi Sabadin, the "Pala" chairs embody the radical experimentation of the Italian Seventies. Their structure reduces the archetype of a chair to an essential gesture: two vertical planes intersected by a suspended circular seat in woven straw. The stark black lacquered wood, resting on a double-base support, highlights the tension between geometric rigor and the organic tactility of natural fiber.

Sabadin’s design language resonates with the conceptual explorations of Archizoom, Superstudio, and Gianni Pettena, where furniture transcends function to become a spatial and architectural statement. The radical minimalism of the "Pala" also recalls the self-reduction principles of Enzo Mari’s "Autoprogettazione" or the sculptural essentialism of Mario Ceroli. Internationally, their reductionist clarity finds affinities with Donald Judd’s furniture and the poetic austerity of Shiro Kuramata.

Gigi Sabadin (born 1930) trained as an architect before moving into furniture and interior design. His work for companies such as Emme and Stilwood is recognized for bridging artisanal tradition with conceptual boldness, producing pieces that remain highly collectible for their ability to merge architecture, sculpture, and design.

The set can be split. The dining chairs can be sold singularly.