Plia Folding Chair — Color Edition

Designed by Giancarlo Piretti in 1967 for Anonima Castelli, the Plia chair folds flat on a single three-disc hinge — one of the most elegant pieces of engineering in 20th-century furniture. This edition brings the icon out of clear-and-chrome and into eight colorways, from Klein blue and emerald green to blush pink and smoke grey.

About Giancarlo Piretti

Giancarlo Piretti (born 1940 in Bologna) studied at the Istituto Statale d'Arte before joining Anonima Castelli, the Bolognese manufacturer that became a laboratory for Italian industrial design. He was 27 when he designed the Plia, and the problem he set himself was deceptively simple: make a folding chair that disappears when folded, without the clutter of brackets, catches, or exposed mechanisms.

His answer was the three-disc hinge — three overlapping aluminium discs, held by a single pin, that let the seat, back, and legs rotate into one plane just 2 inches thick. The chair collapses in a single motion and stands up as a transparent, almost weightless object. Over four million were produced, and the Plia entered the permanent collections of the Museum of Modern Art in New York and the Victoria and Albert Museum in London. Piretti went on to design the Plona folding armchair and the Platone folding desk on the same principle.

Materials & Craftsmanship

Our reproduction follows Piretti's original construction:

• Frame: tubular steel, 21 mm wide × 11 mm high with a 1.8 mm wall, chrome-plated or powder-coated in the frame color of each variant.
• Seat and backrest: molded PET (polyethylene terephthalate) panels — rigid, impact-resistant, and highly transparent, so tinted colorways read as light rather than as bulk.
• Hinge: the signature three-disc pivot, riveted through a single axis, which folds the chair flat to 2 inches.
• Feet: molded end caps that protect hard floors and keep the chair stable on tile, wood, and concrete.

PET is food- and pharmaceutical-grade, free of harmful additives, dimensionally stable across a wide temperature range, resistant to chemical corrosion, and fully recyclable — a practical material for a chair that gets folded, stacked, and carried.

Specifications

Care & Assembly

The Plia arrives fully assembled — unfold it and it is ready to use. To fold, lift the seat and let the three-disc hinge draw the frame together in one motion; do not force the panels sideways.

Clean the PET seat and back with a soft cloth and a mild soap solution, then dry with a microfiber cloth to avoid water spots. Skip ammonia-based glass cleaners, solvents, and abrasive pads — they haze transparent PET. Wipe the chrome frame dry after cleaning to prevent spotting, and store folded chairs upright or flat against a wall rather than leaning them at an angle on the hinge.

How to Style the Plia Chair

Because the Plia reads as color and line rather than mass, it lightens a room the way a glass table does. A single Klein blue or orange chair works as a graphic accent at a desk or in a hallway; a set of the same colorway turns a small dining table into a coherent mid-century composition. The clear and smoke grey versions all but vanish against a patterned rug or a busy gallery wall, which makes them the safe choice for a compact apartment. Amber brown and blush pink warm up a white kitchen, and emerald green sits beautifully with walnut and brass.

Complete the look:

• Giancarlo Piretti Plano-style folding dining table — the Plia's natural partner, folds flat on the same logic
• Plona-style folding stools (set of 2) — Piretti's folding armchair principle at counter height
• Plia folding chairs, set of 12 — for events, cafés, and long tables
• Plia folding chair in classic solid black, white, amber & clear — the original four colorways

Frequently Asked Questions

How flat does the Plia actually fold?

Two inches — 5.1 cm. The three-disc hinge brings the seat, back, and legs into a single plane, so a stack of folded Plias slides behind a door, under a bed, or into a closet. That is the whole point of the design and the reason it has stayed in production since 1967.

Which colorway should I choose?

Choose Clear / Chrome or Smoke Grey if you want the chair to recede visually in a small or busy room. Choose Klein Blue, Orange, or Emerald Green if you want it to act as an accent — these have colored frames as well as panels, so they read strongly even from across a room. Amber Brown and Blush Pink sit in between: colored panels on a chrome frame, warm but not loud. Clear / Black Frame gives you a graphic outline with a transparent seat.

Is it comfortable enough for a full dinner?

Yes. The seat and back are contoured rather than flat, and the PET has a slight flex that adapts to the sitter — the reason the Plia has worked as a café and dining chair for decades. It is not a lounge chair and is not intended for hours of desk work.

Can I use these outdoors?

For a garden lunch or a patio party, yes — the steel frame and PET panels handle occasional outdoor use and wipe clean easily. Do not store the chair outdoors: prolonged UV exposure will eventually yellow transparent PET, and damp will find its way into the frame.

Can I mix colorways?

That is one of the nicest ways to use this chair. Because the silhouette is identical across every variant, a table of mixed Plias reads as intentional rather than mismatched. A common approach is four chairs in one neutral (clear or smoke grey) plus two in an accent color.

Shipping & Returns

Free US shipping. 30-day free returns. See our shipping policy and refund policy.