Palla, a radical form that transcends time | Lorenzo and Tommaso Salocchi

Palla, a radical form that transcends time | Lorenzo and Tommaso Salocchi

Published on 09.09.2026
Stories

Palla was created in 1969, at a time marked by extraordinary confidence in the future. These were the years of the Moon landing, economic and industrial growth, and a profound transformation of customs and lifestyles. Everything seemed open to reinvention: society, technology and, along with them, the way people lived.

Within this climate of experimentation, Claudio Salocchi conceived an armchair based on a primary geometric form: the sphere. The original shape opens up and transforms into an enveloping seat and an independent pouf, two elements that can be used separately or brought back together to restore the design to its initial form.

For Lorenzo and Tommaso Salocchi, reflects their father’s design approach: a balance between form and function, a playful dimension and close attention to people’s real needs. The possibility of recomposing the armchair and pouf into a sphere is not merely a formal device, but the logical and spontaneous expression of an object designed to be used, transformed and experienced.

Its pop character reflects the creative energy of those years, when the introduction of materials such as polyurethane foam and advances in moulding technologies opened up possibilities that had previously remained unexplored.

Yet behind its radical appearance lie the restraint and elegance that have always distinguished Salocchi’s research. Palla does not look back at the past with nostalgia. Instead, it continues to express a modern vision of living: free from traditional conventions, open to change and capable of introducing an unexpected element into domestic spaces.

 

Photo by Claudia Ferri

#6 Palla, a radical form that transcends time

Directed by: Giulio Squillacciotti
Editing and Color Grading: Stefano P. Testa
Music and Sound Design: Simone Giudice

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