Had Cini Boeri been a man, the Milanese architect and furniture designer, who died in 2020 at age 96, might be regarded today on par with such visionaries of the mid-20th century as Gio Ponti or Marco Zanuso. She worked with both. Although she’s well known and deeply respected in Italy, her renown elsewhere has been more akin to a cult following.
“I admire the work she did across architecture, interiors and furniture,” designer Faye Toogood says of Boeri’s impact. “She practiced architecture during a time when it was considered that women were too fragile to work outside.”
Boeri was one of very few women of her era to graduate from Milan Polytechnic with an architecture degree, which she did in 1951. Her illustrious career hinged on the strict economy of her designs and limited palette of materials. For example, her innovative 1971 Serpentone sofa for Arflex was crafted from just one material, polyurethane foam, and sold by the meter. Her ingenious 1987 Ghost chair for Fiam was cut from a single sheet of thick glass.
But in Boeri’s earlier days, her pieces displayed a more youthful exuberance. The circa 1968 Cubotto cabinet, produced in small numbers by Arflex, is an elegantly irregular arrangement of eight drawers of varying dimensions. The wooden cube, two feet square, was finished in laminate — in vivid orange, blue, sand or white — with color-coordinated casters and handles of black-enameled brass. Its design reflects a Space Age interest in flexible, space-saving, multiuse furnishings.
“It’s a very clean piece of design,” says Kaisha Davierwalla, owner and founder of Vaspaar Italy. “Even with its strong, square lines, somehow the vibrant colors and asymmetry have the feel of a feminine touch.”
Find vintage Cini Boeri seating, lighting and tables on 1stDibs.
Cini Boeri 'Botolo' High Chair in Natural Fur for Arflex
By Arflex, Cini Boeri
Located in Tilburg, NL
Cini Boeri 'Botolo' High Chair in Fur for Arflex. Designed in 1973, current production. Cini Boeri designed Botolo in 1973, giving life to a new design ...
Metal
Arflex Botolo Low Back Armchair in Natural Fur & Black Metal Legs by Cini Boeri
By Arflex, Cini Boeri
Located in Brooklyn, NY
An innovative upholstered rolling chair with three large tubular legs. Botolo is an ideal place to sit, relax and be creative.Cini Boeri designed Botolo in 1973, giving life to a new design style, where you could choose the height of the legs to have a dining chair in the high version or a style, at that time modern, "the living at a low level", a way of living...
Fur
Arflex Botolo High Back Armchair in Natural Fur & Black Metal Legs by Cini Boeri
By Cini Boeri, Arflex
Located in Brooklyn, NY
An innovative upholstered rolling chair with three large tubular legs. Botolo is an ideal place to sit, relax and be creative.Cini Boeri designed Botolo in 1973, giving life to a new design style, where you could choose the height of the legs to have a dining chair in the high version or a style, at that time modern, "the living at a low level", a way of living...
Fur
Cini Boeri 'Botolo' High Chair in Black Fur for Arflex
By Cini Boeri, Arflex
Located in Tilburg, NL
Cini Boeri 'Botolo' High Chair in Fur for Arflex. Designed in 1973, current production. Cini Boeri designed Botolo in 1973, giving life to a new design ...
Metal
$3,020 / item
Arflex Botolo Chair in Heidi Fabric by Cini Boeri
By Arflex, Cini Boeri
Located in Brooklyn, NY
Botolo Chair is designed by Cini Boeri for Arflex. An innovative upholstered rolling chair with three large tubular legs. Botolo is an ideal place to sit,...
Metal
Arflex Botolo High Back Armchair in Black Fur and Black Metal Legs by Cini Boeri
By Arflex, Cini Boeri
Located in Brooklyn, NY
An innovative upholstered rolling chair with three large tubular legs. Botolo is an ideal place to sit, relax and be creative.Cini Boeri designed Botolo in 1973, giving life to a new design style, where you could choose the height of the legs to have a dining chair in the high version or a style, at that time modern, "the living at a low level", a way of living...
Fur
$14,000
H 24.81 in W 90.56 in D 36.23 in
Cini Boeri "Gradual System" Sofa for Gavina, Black Leather, 1970
By Gavina, Cini Boeri
Located in Lonigo, Veneto
Cini Boeri “Gradual System” two-seater sofa for Gavina, black velvet, Italy, 1970 Designed in 1970 for Gavina, the “Gradual System” by Cini Boeri is a visionary example of modular d...
Leather, Plastic
$2,149 / item
H 31.11 in W 25.59 in D 31.11 in
Black Leather Armchair with Walnut Finish and Wraparound Back – Abra Collection
By Uultis Design
Located in Hialeah, FL
An Abra armchair by Uultis in black leather with walnut wood finish. *Please check availability prior to purchase*. The Abra armchair, designed by Uulti...
Upholstery, Walnut, Leather, Wood
$8,211
H 24.41 in W 90.56 in D 36.23 in
Cini Boeri - Leather Sofa "Gradual" for Knoll International, 1970s
By Cini Boeri, Knoll
Located in Rosendahl, DE
Cini Boeri “Gradual” Sofa for Knoll International, Italy, 1972 Rare “Gradual” sofa designed by Cini Boeri for Knoll International in 1972. Upholste...
Leather
Arflex Strips Sofa by Cini Boeri in linen, Italy 1968
By Cini Boeri, Arflex
Located in ABCOUDE, UT
Cini Boeri for Arflex, modular strips sofa in a terra cotta linen, Italy 1968 The iconic Strips sofa is a comfortable and versatile design. This modular sofa features two seating el...
Linen
'Brigadier' Loveseats by Cini Boeri for Knoll, Italy, 1980s
By Cini Boeri, Knoll
Located in Antwerp, BE
Exceptional sofa from the award-winning Brigadier Series by renowned Italian architect and designer, Cini Boeri (1924–2020). Crafted in the 1980s for Knoll, these sofas feature a sle...
Leather, Lacquer
$1,708
H 29.53 in W 22.84 in D 18.51 in
Vittorio Chiaia and Massimo Napolitano Chair for Arflex, Italy 1950s
By Arflex, Chiaia and Napolitano
Located in Milan, IT
Vittorio Chiaia and Massimo Napolitano chair for Arflex, Italy 1950s.
Metal
$2,915 / item
H 29.53 in W 18.51 in D 22.84 in
Arflex Elettra Chair in Divina Fabric with Black Metal Base by B.B.P.R
By Arflex
Located in Brooklyn, NY
A classic of the '50s office, Elettra is the seating you can't do without. Thanks to its timeless style and its elegant proportions, it adapts perfectly to...
Fabric
Strips Long Lounger by Cini Boeri for Arflex, 1960s
By Arflex, Cini Boeri
Located in amstelveen, NL
Very rare strips lounger by Cini Boeri for Arflex, 1960s, It is reupholstered in a sand color recycled fabric. The upholstery can be zipped off so you can snuggle under a blanket. On...
Fabric
$9,161 / item
H 30.71 in W 32.29 in D 33.08 in
Arflex Katrin Armchair in Natural Fur with White Metal Legs by Carlo Colombo
By Arflex, Carlo Colombo
Located in Brooklyn, NY
The continuous search for elegance and simplicity has brought the architect Carlo Colombo to the realization of Katrin Armchair, conceived as a body to be dressed with an elegant and luxurious dress...
Fur
$19,914 / item
H 37.41 in W 122.05 in D 49.22 in
Arflex Strips Modular Sofa S3 in White Fabric and Aluminium Feet by Cini Boeri
By Arflex, Cini Boeri
Located in Brooklyn, NY
At the end of the 60s, the architect Cini Boeri revolutionizes the furniture market with her model, that is now an ""evergreen"": the seat system Strips. Additional information: ...
Aluminum
$10,477
H 24.41 in W 51.97 in D 36.23 in
Cini Boeri - Pair of Lounge Chairs / Loveseats "Gradual" for Knoll, 1970s
By Cini Boeri, Knoll
Located in Rosendahl, DE
Pair of “Loft” Lounge Chairs by Cini Boeri for Knoll International, Italy, 1970s Striking pair of “Loft” lounge chairs (also referred to as loveseats) designed by Cini Boeri for Kno...
Leather
$8,526 / item
H 24.41 in W 37.41 in D 29.53 in
Customizable Fiam Italia Ghost Glass Chair by Cini Boeri
By Cini Boeri, FIAM
Located in New York, NY
ARMCHAIR IN CURVED GLASS Monolithic chair in 12 mm-thick curved glass. “ I would never have thought of making a chair from glass… My initial distrust of an idea which seemed quite u...
Glass
Bamboo-Form Cabriole Leg Cane Back Armchair
Located in Chicago, IL
Faux bamboo framed armchair with cabriole front and back legs, cross and side stretchers and a caned back and seat. Sold with original ivory cut velvet button tufted seat cushion.
Cane, Velvet, Wood
$7,275 / item
H 29.14 in W 35.83 in D 31.5 in
Arflex Pecorelle Armchair in Denver Fabric and Black Fur Corners by Cini Boeri
By Cini Boeri, Arflex
Located in Brooklyn, NY
The architect Cini Boeri tells that she was inspired by Christo Vladimirov Javasev's and Jeanne-Claude Denat de Guillebon's works, masters in the art of landscape painting. Nature pr...
Metal
High-Back Pasqualina Armchair by Grassi & Bianchi
By Enrico Pellizzoni
Located in Milan, IT
This high-backed armchair is completely covered in ivory-colored leather atop a tubular steel frame, and its metal seat pan is covered in black technical fabric. Its silhouette plays...
Steel