Modern Free-Standing Bookcase Designed to Mimic a Tree


A bookshelf doesn't have to be a boring, rectangular piece of furniture that you push against a wall. The Albero proves this by being both a free-standing bookcase and a stunning centerpiece suitable for any room. Produced by Italian furniture maker Poltrona Frau, “albero” translates to “tree” in English, and it's how the structure appears when you enter a room. The slender frame acts as the trunk with rectangular cubbies that are attached at various heights like branches and leaves.

The Albero has a few helpful features for easy customization in your home. Its extendable base is made of solid Canaletto walnut veneer that swivels 360 degrees and can outfit ceilings up to 11-feet-high. The shelves interlock with the frame which accommodates the 12 veneered fiberboard boxes. Although this structure was intended for use as a bookcase, its modular design has a lot of versatility and can easily display small sculptures rather than books.

Poltrona Frau's version of the The Albero is a reproduction of an original design by the late Gianfranco Frattini, a furniture designer and architect who worked during the 1950's. Now that it's back, a whole new generation is introduced to this unique mid-century bookcase.



Albero product website and Gianfranco Frattini website
via [Knstrct]

Sara Barnes

Sara Barnes is a Staff Editor at My Modern Met, Manager of My Modern Met Store, and co-host of the My Modern Met Top Artist Podcast. As an illustrator and writer living in Seattle, she chronicles illustration, embroidery, and beyond through her blog Brown Paper Bag and Instagram @brwnpaperbag. She wrote a book about embroidery artist Sarah K. Benning titled 'Embroidered Life' that was published by Chronicle Books in 2019. Sara is a graduate of the Maryland Institute College of Art. She earned her BFA in Illustration in 2008 and MFA in Illustration Practice in 2013.
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