Gianfranco Frattini was born in Padua in 1926. He graduated with a degree in architecture from Milan Polytechnic in 1953 however remained employed by the university until his death in 2004.
Frattini’s work was principally focused on interior and industrial design. He was a frequent participant in shows and exhibitions where his design projects won a large number of prizes.
In 1956 Frattini became one of the founders of the ADI (Association of Industrial Design) in which he remained an active contributor. Frattini worked with a number of furniture manufacturers including Bernini, Arteluce, Acerbis, Fantoni, Artemide, Luci, Knoll, and Lema.