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.
Customizable Fiam Italia Ghost Glass Chair by Cini Boeri
By FIAM, Cini Boeri
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
$3,819 / item
Cini Boeri 'Taboga' Lounge Chair for Arflex 1976
By Cini Boeri
Located in Tilburg, NL
Cini Boeri 'Taboga' Lounge Chair for Arflex 1976. Designed in 1976. New, current production. Price noted is for a Taboga in fabric upholstery T5. Taboga armchair was designed by Ci...
Fabric
Boborelax Chair Cini Boeri For Arflex Red Velvet, Italy, circa 1955
By Arflex, Cini Boeri
Located in Vienna, AT
Boborelax lounge chair, designed by Cini Boeri, Italy circa 1965 Measures: 33.85" x 21.5" x 28.74" - seat height is circa 16.5". Very stylish chaise-lounge Boborelax upholstered in alcantara faux leather fabric, which resembles suede leather but is more durable and resilient. It has been designed by Cini Boeri and is a modern take on traditional seating...
Steel
Cini Boeri Pair of 'Pecorelle' Armchairs with Fur Armrests for Arflex 1972
By Cini Boeri
Located in Tilburg, NL
Cini Boeri 'Pecorelle' Pair of Armchairs with Fur Armrests for Arflex 1972. Designed in 1972. New, current production. Price noted is for a pair of Pecorelle chairs in fabric uphols...
Fur, Fabric
Cini Boeri Pair of 'Taboga' Lounge Chairs for Arflex 1976
By Cini Boeri
Located in Tilburg, NL
Cini Boeri 'Taboga' Pair of Lounge Chairs for Arflex 1976. Designed in 1976. New, current production. Price noted is for a pair of Taboga chairs in fabric upholstery T5. Taboga arm...
Fabric
Cini Boeri 'Pecorelle' Armchair with Fur Armrest for Arflex 1972
By Cini Boeri
Located in Tilburg, NL
Cini Boeri 'Pecorelle' Armchair with Fur Armrest for Arflex 1972. Designed in 1972. New, current production. Price noted is for a Pecorelle chair in fabric upholstery with extra fur...
Fur, Fabric
$10,560 / item
Smoked Glass 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
Glass "Ghost" Chair by Cini Boeri for Fiam Italy, 1980s
By Cini Boeri, FIAM
Located in amstelveen, NL
Ghost chair designed by Cini Boeri and Tomu Katayanagi and manufactured by Fiam, Italy, 1980s. This fantastic transparent 12mm glass chair is made of thick curved & hardened glas...
Glass
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
Set of Two Fiam Italia Ghost Glass Chairs by Cini Boeri - Customizable colors
By Cini Boeri, FIAM
Located in New York, NY
ARMCHAIRS 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 ...
Glass
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
'Brigadier' Loveseats by Cini Boeri for Knoll, Italy, 1980s
By Knoll, Cini Boeri
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
Cini Boeri for Arflex Strips Sofa in velvet, Italy 1968
By Arflex, Cini Boeri
Located in ABCOUDE, UT
Cini Boeri for Arflex, two seater strips sofa in aubergine velvet, Italy 1968 The iconic Strips sofa, a comfortable and versatile design. Reupholstered in a beautiful high quality b...
Velvet
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
$6,716 / item
H 29.53 in W 20.87 in D 20.87 in
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
Erberto Carboni Delfino lounge chairs Arflex Italy 1955
By Erberto Carboni, Arflex
Located in Roosendaal, Noord Brabant
The iconic Delfino lounge chairs, designed by Erberto Carboni for Artflex in 1955, stand as iconic pieces of furniture. The original early versions of these chairs showcase beautiful...
Brass
$6,716 / item
H 29.53 in W 20.87 in D 20.87 in
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
$8,614
H 24.41 in W 90.56 in D 36.23 in
Cini Boeri - Leather Sofa "Gradual" for Knoll International, 1970s
By Knoll, Cini Boeri
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
$15,313
H 23.63 in W 36.62 in D 90.56 in
Vintage Sofa "Gradual Lounge" by Cini Boeri for Knoll Gavina, Italy, 1970s
By Knoll, Cini Boeri, Gavina
Located in Roma, IT
Vintage Sofa "Gradual Lounge" is an original design item realized it Italy in 1970s. Top Rare sofa, designed by Cini Boeri for Knowll Gavina. A totally innovative modular syste...
Leather
$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
Pair of Marco Zanuso Lady Armchairs for Arflex
By Marco Zanuso
Located in Miami, FL
Pair of Marco Zanuso Lady Armchairs for Arflex.
Brass
$6,716 / item
H 19.69 in W 20.87 in D 20.87 in
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
Cini Boeri Knoll Chair
By Knoll, Cini Boeri
Located in Chicago, IL
excellent condition, fully restored in Maharam “bright grid” Ottoman: 34”W/D 17”H
Fabric
Sold
H 24.41 in W 37.01 in D 38.59 in
Poltrona Strips di Cini Boeri per Arflex in velluto rosso restaurata 1972
By Cini Boeri, Arflex
Located in Ghedi, IT
Le sue dimensioni (62x94x98 cm) la rendono perfetta per arricchire qualsiasi spazio, dal living moderno alla sala d’attesa sofisticata, unendo comfort e stile inconfondibile.Caratter...
Velvet
Glass "Ghost" Chair by Cini Boeri for Fiam Italy, 1980s
By FIAM, Cini Boeri
Located in amstelveen, NL
Ghost chair designed by Cini Boeri and Tomu Katayanagi and manufactured by Fiam, Italy, 1980s. This fantastic transparent 12mm glass chair is made of thick curved & hardened glass an...
Glass
Pair of Strip Sofas by Cini Boeri for Arflex, 1970
By Cini Boeri
Located in Boom, Vlaams Gewest
Pair of original textile lounge seats designed by Cini Boeri in the 70ties. Extremely soft and comfortable, can be put together but also as an individual sofa...
Textile, Foam, Wood
Strips Lounge Chair by Cini Boeri for Arflex, 1960s
By Arflex, Cini Boeri
Located in amstelveen, NL
Stunning strips chair by Cini Boeri new upholstered in a creme/grey colour recycled fabric. One of the most famous products of Arflex. Designed in 1968, it was awarded the prize Comp...
Fabric
Bobo Relax Lounge Chair by Cini Boeri for Arflex, 1960s
By Arflex, Cini Boeri
Located in SAINT-OUEN, FR
Rare chaise longue lounge chair armchair by the italian designer Cini Boeri for the editor Arflex. New upholstery in bouclé fabric. Famous design like Gio Ponti, Gianfranco Frattini,...
Fabric, Bouclé, Foam
Sold
H 32.29 in W 27.56 in D 72.84 in
Bobo Relax Lounge Chair with Ottoman by Cini Boeri for Arflex, 1960s
By Cini Boeri, Arflex
Located in SAINT-OUEN, FR
Rare chaise longue lounge chair armchair with his pouf ottoman footstool by the italian designer Cini Boeri for the editor Arflex. New upholstery in bouclé fabric. Famous design like...
Fabric, Bouclé, Foam
Ghost Chair by Cini Boeri for Fiam Italy, 1980s
By FIAM, Cini Boeri
Located in amstelveen, NL
Ghost chair designed by Cini Boeri and Tomu Katayanagi and manufactured by Fiam, Italy, 1980s. This fantastic transparent 12mm glass chair was made of thick curved & hardened glass a...
Glass
Strips Pecorelle Chair by Cini Boeri for Arflex, 1960s
By Arflex, Cini Boeri
Located in amstelveen, NL
Stunning strips chair by Cini Boeri new upholstered in a dark Fuchsia colour recycled fabric. One of the most famous products of Arflex. Designed in 1968, it was awarded the prize Co...
Fabric
Bobo Chair with Ottoman by Cini Boeri for Arflex, 1960s
By Cini Boeri, Arflex
Located in amstelveen, NL
Rare Bobo easy chair designed by Cini Boeri for Arflex in the 1960s. Reupholstered in a creme bouclé by Bisson Bruneel. This original example represents one of the first attempts...
Bouclé
Sold
H 21.26 in W 51.19 in L 21.26 in
Post-Modern Cini Boeri 'Brigadier' Lounge Chairs in Elephant Grey Leather
By Knoll, Cini Boeri
Located in Antwerp, BE
Italian design armchair, Brigadier, Cini Boeri, Gavina Knoll, Italy 1980s Grey leather, black high-gloss lacquered wooden frame This award winning Cini Boeri design from her B...
Leather, Lacquer
1960s Lounge Chair by Cini Boeri
By Cini Boeri
Located in Saint-Ouen, FR
1960s lounge chair by Cini Boeri for Arflex Structure in polyruethane cover on fabric Perfect condition.
Polystyrene