Description
Named After a Font. Designed With the Same Discipline.
The Poltrona Frau Times Bed takes its name from the most famous typeface in print history — and its design philosophy directly from the principles that made Times New Roman endure: economy of means, incisiveness of line, and the complete absence of the superfluous. Conceived in 2018 by Milan-based designers Spalvieri & Del Ciotto for Poltrona Frau, the Times embodies the new vision of Poltrona Frau — an elegant lightness where nothing is superfluous and everything is natural, where every element seems to promote rest and relaxation.
Spalvieri & Del Ciotto — Economy and Precision as Design Philosophy
The Times was designed by Simone Spalvieri and Valentina Del Ciotto — graduates in industrial and interior design respectively from Milan Polytechnic, partners in life and in design since 2003. Their studio’s work is characterised by formal and functional purity — the belief that every design product must be a value to pass on to future generations, containing and celebrating a piece of cultural and craft history.
In 2013, Spalvieri & Del Ciotto won the Top Young Italian Industrial Designers Prize, awarded by Massimo Vignelli. Their collaboration with Poltrona Frau produced the Times — a piece that embodies exactly their core principle: form stripped to its most precise and meaningful expression.
The Headboard — A Study in Solids and Voids
The Times’ headboard is the defining design element and its most evocative achievement — a sophisticated three-material composition that simultaneously references the vertical strokes of typeface design and the serene spatial organisation of Japanese screens.
The solid ash structure is a pure meeting of lines — vertical members designed with the precision of a structural engineer and the proportion sensitivity of a typographer. These ash verticals support vertical strips of Pelle Frau® leather running from top to bottom — bands of leather that cross and divide the wide, soft horizontal cushion resting across the centre of the headboard.
The resulting composition creates a studied balance of solids and voids: the leather strips are solids, the gaps between them are voids; the horizontal cushion is soft mass, the ash frame is precise line. The effect is a headboard of remarkable visual calm — present without dominating, architectural without being cold, inviting without being soft.
The horizontal cushion is generously padded in polyurethane foam and polyester wadding — wide enough and deep enough to lean against during reading, broad enough to support two pillows in the natural sleep position. The cushion cover is removable — it can be changed in colour and material between Pelle Frau® leather and fabric, giving the Times the flexibility of visual reinvention without changing the bed itself. The cover can also be purchased individually.
Frame, Footboard and Feet — Consistency of Material Intent
The construction consistency of the Times extends beyond the headboard to every visible element:
Frame sides: spruce blockboard with light polyurethane foam padding, fully upholstered in Pelle Frau® leather — the same material and craft quality visible in the headboard, maintained throughout.
Footboard: poplar plywood with light polyurethane foam padding and Pelle Frau® leather upholstery — maintaining the leather-covered horizontal line at the foot end that mirrors the visual language of the headboard.
Feet: solid ash in Moka stain finish — a warm, medium-dark brown stain that brings wood’s natural grain into visibility while unifying the ash structure of the headboard with the ash of the legs. The feet are slender — they contribute to the floating, lightweight quality of the overall bed that the name suggests.
Fully Configurable — Pelle Frau® Leather and Fabric
The Times is available in the full Pelle Frau® leather colour range for the frame and headboard structure. The horizontal cushion cover can be specified in leather or fabric — allowing a two-material composition that introduces texture contrast between the precise leather verticals and a softer fabric cushion.
Sleep Gallery holds Poltrona Frau’s full Times catalogue. Visit our showroom in central Tbilisi or speak to our sleep experts at 596 14 9977 to select your leather colour, cushion specification, and size. Bed bases and mattresses are sold separately.
Free Delivery and Professional Assembly in Tbilisi
The Poltrona Frau Times is delivered and assembled in your home free of charge in Tbilisi by Sleep Gallery’s professional team.
Product Details
- Designer: Spalvieri & Del Ciotto (Simone Spalvieri + Valentina Del Ciotto), 2018
- Headboard structure: solid ash — vertical strips of Pelle Frau® leather
- Headboard cushion: polyurethane foam + polyester wadding — removable cover in leather or fabric
- Frame sides: spruce blockboard + polyurethane foam padding + Pelle Frau® leather
- Footboard: poplar plywood + polyurethane foam + Pelle Frau® leather
- Feet: solid ash in Moka stain
- Bed bases: sold separately
- Mattress: sold separately
- Fully configurable: Pelle Frau® leather colours + fabric options for cushion
- Full catalogue available at Sleep Gallery
- Made in Italy — Poltrona Frau (Tolentino, est. 1912)
- Delivery and assembly: free in Tbilisi
FAQ:
Q: Why is this bed called Times — what is the connection to the font?
The Times takes its name and its design philosophy from Times New Roman — the typeface commissioned by The Times newspaper in 1931, designed by Stanley Morison and Victor Lardent to meet a specific brief: maximum legibility at minimum space, with an economy of form that eliminated everything not strictly necessary to the letter’s function.
Spalvieri & Del Ciotto applied the same brief to the bed. Times New Roman is defined by its incisiveness — the precision of its serifs, the modulation of its strokes, the discipline of its proportions. Nothing is decorative for decoration’s sake. Every element earns its place.
The Times bed is designed with the same economy: the vertical ash members are precisely proportioned structural lines, not decorative columns. The leather strips are the minimum material needed to create the visual composition. The horizontal cushion is functional mass — comfortable to lean against, proportioned to support two people in a generous sleeping position. The Moka ash feet are slender, functional, warm. Nothing is added that is not needed. Everything that is present contributes directly to the whole.
Q: What is the difference between the Poltrona Frau Times and the Poltrona Frau Coupé — which should I choose?
Both beds are made by Poltrona Frau using Pelle Frau® leather applied by hand — and both represent exceptional quality. The difference is entirely in design character and aesthetic approach.
The Coupé by GamFratesi draws on automotive design — aerodynamic, sweeping, enveloping. The headboard rises dramatically and wraps around the sleeping area like a cockpit surround. Its character is bold, sculptural, and immersive — a bed that makes a strong statement.
The Times by Spalvieri & Del Ciotto draws on typographic design — precise, composed, restrained. The headboard is architectural rather than sculptural — vertical lines, horizontal mass, studied solids and voids. Its character is quiet, disciplined, and refined — a bed that recedes into the room rather than commanding it.
Choose the Coupé if you want a bed with dramatic visual presence and automotive sensibility. Choose the Times if you want a bed of typographic precision and quiet elegance — a room anchor that rewards close attention rather than announcing itself immediately.
Explore the Poltrona Frau Coupé → Poltrona Frau Coupé Bed
Q: Can I change the headboard cushion after purchase — what options are available?
Yes — one of the Times’ most practical features is the removable headboard cushion cover. The cover fastens around the cushion and can be detached, washed if needed, and replaced with a different colour or material.
Replacement cushion covers can be purchased individually from the Poltrona Frau collection — in any Pelle Frau® leather colour or in fabric from the Poltrona Frau textile range. This means the Times can be visually updated by changing only the cushion cover — introducing a contrasting material (fabric cushion against leather verticals), a lighter or darker tone, or simply refreshing the look of the bed after years of use.
For those who want the flexibility of seasonal or decorative updates to their bedroom without purchasing a new bed, this feature makes the Times a genuinely adaptable long-term investment. Speak to our sleep experts at 596 14 9977 for current cushion cover options available through Sleep Gallery.
Q: What bed base and mattress are recommended with the Poltrona Frau Times?
The Times accommodates standard bed bases in lengths of 200cm and 210cm. The Poltrona Frau Vespero base is the manufacturer’s matched base — it can be requested through Sleep Gallery as part of your Times order.
For those wishing to pair the Times with a base from Sleep Gallery’s own range, the premium flat bases provide excellent compatibility — the Auping Mesh Base Flat (80% open airspace, 10,000 support points) and the TEMPUR® Premium Flex 500 (50 flexible honeycomb plates, 4-zone ergonomic support) are both high-performance flat insert bases. Both fit within standard bed frames and complement the Times’ refined aesthetic.
For mattress choice, Sleep Gallery carries a full range of premium options. Our sleep experts are happy to advise on the combination that best suits your sleeping profile, size, and budget at 596 14 99 77.
Learn more about Poltrona Frau → https://www.poltronafrau.com
Q: The Poltrona Frau Times costs more than standard upholstered beds — what justifies the price?
The price reflects three specific distinctions that standard upholstered beds cannot replicate.
First, Pelle Frau® leather applied by Poltrona Frau’s craftspeople: the combination of proprietary leather material and artisanal application — vertical strips applied with precise spacing over a solid ash structural frame, maintaining geometric consistency at every seam — is a production standard that requires both the material and the skilled human hands that standard upholstered beds do not employ.
Second, the design: Spalvieri & Del Ciotto’s Times is a resolved design concept — the typographic brief applied to furniture design by designers who won the Top Young Italian Industrial Designers Prize, awarded by Massimo Vignelli, one of the twentieth century’s most important figures in typography. The precision of the headboard’s proportions, the specific balance of vertical and horizontal, solid and void, is not approximated by mass-market alternatives.
Third, Poltrona Frau’s production heritage: manufacturing in Tolentino since 1912, Poltrona Frau applies the same craft standards to the Times that furnished the Italian Royal Family’s residences in the early twentieth century and continues to produce for the world’s most demanding institutional and private clients. Every piece is individually made.
Free delivery and professional assembly in Tbilisi. Full Poltrona Frau Times catalogue at Sleep Gallery.
