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Mario Marenco sofa and poof Arflex Italy 1971

About the Item

Super cosy lounge sofa designed by Mario Marenco and manufactured by Arflex in Italy in 1970s. The Marenco sofa from Arflex is all about top-notch comfort and quality and is stil relevant today. This sofa is like a big hug, thanks to its extremely comfortable cushions. The metal frame that gives the sofa its shape and sturdiness. When it came to the market in the 70s, it was a game-changer because each cushion got its own padding and cover. This is a newer version and it's upholstered in this nice linen-look fabric that can be washed. It’s in excellent condition. This sofa is the biggest version you can get, and it comes with a matching poof which a hard-to-find combination. The sofa is marked with the Arflex label. Kindly note that the price is for the sofa and poof together. Literature; Repertorio Del Design Italiano 1950~2000 Volume 1 Giuliana Gramigna, page 191. In 1947 Carlo Barassi, engineer of Pirelli, together with Renato Teani, in the financial dpt. of Pirelli, Pio Reggiani and Aldo Bai, founded the company Ar-flex (flexible furniture), that became later arflex. They worked together with a young architect Marzo Zanuso and began to experiment the use of foam rubber and elastic tapes for the furniture market. In history and life of a company there are events and moments of special meaning, which are awards for merit acknowledged by everybody. Those first memorable moments in the history of arflex coincide with the company's creation, in modest premises in Milan's Corso di Porta Vittoria. It was there that the first manufacturing and sales team was formed, but the arflex company was only presented to the public for the first time in 1951, at the IX Triennale in Milan, after two years of experimentations. This early contact with a wider audience in the context of an avant-garde artistic event is very significant in the company's history. This experimental interest, if not separated from commercial purposes, shows the will of creating high technological and esthetical level products, based on deep research and experimentation. The golden medal at the IX Triennale assigned to Lady armchair was above all recognition of Arflex manufacturing philosophy.

Creator:

Arflex (Manufacturer),Mario Marenco (Designer)

Dimensions:

Height: 27.56 in (70 cm)Width: 39.38 in (100 cm)Depth: 141.74 in (360 cm)Seat Height: 15.75 in (40 cm)

Style:

Mid-Century Modern (In the Style Of)

Materials and Techniques:

Fabric

Place of Origin:

Italy

Period:

1970-1979

Date of Manufacture:

2000s

Condition:

Wear consistent with age and use.

Seller Location:

Roosendaal, NL

Reference Number:

1stDibs: LU933039236932

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Shop All Arflex

Arflex

From its unorthodox beginnings, Italian manufacturer Arflex grew into one of the leaders of 20th-century furniture design. Its furniture came to be known for its integration of new materials and bold appeal, and today a variety of vintage Arflex chairs, sofas and tables are emblems of mid-century modernism.

Arflex was established in Milan in 1947 by Pirelli employees Carlo Barassi, Pio Reggiani, Renato Teani and Aldo Bai. Barassi, a Milan Polytechnic graduate and visionary engineer at the Italian tire manufacturer, explored innovative technology and new uses for synthetic materials in domestic products (for Kartell, he codeveloped a ski rack for automobiles). The four founders partnered with a young architect named Marco Zanuso, who also desired to create furniture that featured an application of novel materials such as elastic tape and polyurethane foam.

One of Arflex’s inaugural pieces was Zanuso’s Lady armchair, a seat made of polyurethane foam that was manufactured in pieces and assembled at the very end of the production process. It won a gold medal at the 1951 Milan Triennale. A couple of years later, Arflex collaborated with Studio BBPR to create the office-chic Elettra and Neptunia chairs. The flourishing furniture company quickly established a reputation for compelling products and attracting and working with up-and-coming designers such as Roberto Menghi, who created Hall, a luxurious line of seating that would earn the Compasso d’Oro – Honorable Mention in 1959.

In the 1960s, Arflex continued to welcome the use of new and cutting-edge materials. Popular designs from this decade include Carlo Bartoli's fiberglass and polyester resin Gaia lounge chair and Cini Boer’s Bobo Relax lounger, one of history’s first seating pieces made of polyurethane foam (it has no internal frame). Boer, a pioneer of furniture design in Italy, also created the Strips sofa for the brand in 1972. Part of a plush modular seating system, the Strips sofa became an Arflex icon and was awarded the Compasso d'Oro in 1979.

Arflex continues to work with innovative designers to this day. Among their more recent collaborations is with Swedish design studio Claesson Koivisto Rune. The company's legendary creations are also on display at museums worldwide. The Lady chair, for example, is in the permanent collection of the Museum of Modern Art in New York City.

On 1stDibs, you can find a collection of vintage Arflex lounge chairs, armchairs, coffee tables and other furniture.