1970s Sofa Brigadier, Cini Boeri for Knoll
View Similar Items
1970s Sofa Brigadier, Cini Boeri for Knoll
About the Item
- Creator:Knoll (Manufacturer),Cini Boeri (Designer)
- Dimensions:Height: 21.26 in (54 cm)Width: 72.84 in (185 cm)Depth: 37.8 in (96 cm)Seat Height: 14.97 in (38 cm)
- Style:Modern (Of the Period)
- Materials and Techniques:
- Place of Origin:
- Period:
- Date of Manufacture:1970s
- Condition:Wear consistent with age and use. Minor fading. Good original condition. There is one repair of the leather on the seat - circa 3cm, please see the photos.
- Seller Location:Cimelice, CZ
- Reference Number:1stDibs: LU180636971663
Cini Boeri
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.
Knoll
As a company that produced many of the most famous and iconic furniture designs of the 20th century, Knoll was a chief influence in the rise of modern design in the United States. Led by Florence Knoll, the firm would draw stellar talents such as Ludwig Mies van der Rohe and Eero Saarinen into its compass. Their work would help change the face of the American home and office.
The company was formed in 1938 by the German immigrant Hans Knoll. He first worked with his fellow ex-pat, the Danish designer Jens Risom, who created furniture with flowing lines made of wood. While Risom served in World War II, in 1943 Knoll met his future wife, Florence Schust. She had studied and worked with eminent emigré leaders of the Bauhaus, including Mies, Walter Gropius and Marcel Breuer. She won Knoll over with Bauhaus notions of industrial arts, and an aesthetic that featured flat and tubular metal frames and angular forms. When Hans died in a car crash in 1955, Florence Knoll was appointed head of the company. It was as much through her holistic approach to design — a core division of the firm was dedicated to planning office systems — as Knoll's mid-century modern furnishings themselves that she brought about the sleek and efficient transformation of the American workplace.
Today, classic Knoll furnishings remain staples of modern design collections and decor. A history of modern design is written in pieces such as the elegant Barcelona chair — created by Mies and Lilly Reich — Saarinen’s pedestal Tulip chair, Breuer’s tubular steel Wassily lounge chair and the grid-patterned Diamond chair by Harry Bertoia.
As you can see from the collection of these designs and other vintage Knoll dining chairs, sofas and tables on 1stDibs, this manufacturer's offerings have become timeless emblems of the progressive spirit and sleek sophistication of the best of modernism.
- Cini Boeri Two-Seat Sofa for Knoll International, 1970sBy Cini Boeri, KnollLocated in Den Haag, NLTwo-seat sofa designed by Cini Boeri for Knoll International. Upholstered in smooth black Leather. Model ''Brigadier'' Love the design, low and wide. So 1970s. The wooden base has re...Category
Vintage 1970s Italian Post-Modern Sofas
MaterialsLeather
- Vintage Sofa "Gradual Lounge" by Cini Boeri for Knoll Gavina, Italy, 1970sBy Gavina, Knoll, Cini BoeriLocated in Roma, ITVintage 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...Category
Vintage 1970s Italian Sofas
MaterialsLeather
- Cini Boeri for Knoll 'Brigadiere' Sofa in Black LeatherBy Knoll, Cini BoeriLocated in Waalwijk, NLCini Boeri for Knoll, sofa, model 'Brigadiere', leather, lacquered wood, Italy, 1976. Architectural sofa model 'Brigadiere' designed by Italian designer Cini Boeri for Knoll. This ...Category
Vintage 1970s Italian Post-Modern Sofas
MaterialsLeather, Wood
- Cini Boeri for Knoll Sofa ‘Gradual’ in Black LeatherBy Knoll, Cini BoeriLocated in Waalwijk, NLCini Boeri for Knoll, sofa, 'Gradual', black leather, fiberglass, Italy, 1971. This stunning black sofa was designed by Cini Boeri for Knoll. The frame of this sofa is made out of b...Category
Vintage 1970s Italian Mid-Century Modern Sofas
MaterialsLeather, Fiberglass