Giancarlo Piretti "Alky" Lounge Chair for Anonima Castelli, Burgundy Velvet, Italy, 1972Designed by Giancarlo Piretti for Anonima Castelli in 1972, the "Alky" lounge chair is one of the more quietly resolved seating designs of the Italian rational tradition. The structure consists of two continuous velvet-upholstered lateral panels that arch from floor to backrest in a single unbroken gesture, eliminating the conventional separation between legs, sides, and back. A polished aluminum base plate runs beneath each panel, grounding the form with a precise industrial finish. The seat and backrest are upholstered as a single flowing shell, with the fabric pulled taut across the rounded volumes and gathered at the seams with characteristic precision. The absence of armrests is not a reduction but a formal choice — the lateral panels themselves define the boundaries of the body, creating a sense of enclosure without encumbrance. At floor level, the slim aluminum plates anchor the composition and introduce a material contrast that keeps the design from reading as purely soft.