Lifesteel Sofa by Antonio Citterio for Flexform, Italy, 2018

Driven by his belief that beautiful surroundings can heighten the enjoyment of even mundane everyday rituals, Italian architect and industrial designer Antonio Citterio creates furniture that combines sophisticated form with functionality. Citterio’s timeless neoclassical-inspired chairs, outdoor furniture, desks and other pieces have earned him a place among the most influential furniture designers working in his native country.

Born in 1950 in Meda, Citterio grew up just a stone's throw away from the artistic hub of Milan. In 1972, at just 22 years old, he opened his first design studio and designed a chair for the La Rinascente department store while completing his studies in architecture at the Polytechnic University of Milan. Citterio established a partnership with famed furniture designer Terry Dwan, and the pair worked together during the 1980s and 1990s, designing striking buildings in European cities as well as Japan. He is currently chairperson at an interior design and architecture firm with fellow architect Patricia Viel and eight other partners. 

Citterio taught at the Università della Svizzera Italiana in Mendrisio, Switzerland, from 2006 to 2016. He holds art director roles for high-end furniture manufacturers Maxalto, Arclinea and Azucena, and today, Citterio lounge chairs, sofas and other furnishings are in hotels all over the world. Citterio’s work is synonymous with luxury, and has yielded collaborations with reputable brands such as Kartell, Knoll, Flexform, Vitra and B&B Italia. His Sity seating collection for the latter and kitchen furnishings for Arclinea are among his best-known innovations.

Citterio has received many awards and accolades for his design work, including the Compasso d’Oro. He was also given the title of “Royal Designer for Industry” by the Royal Society for the Encouragement of Arts in 2008. 

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Comfort, consistency and high-quality Italian craftsmanship are the values on which furniture manufacturer Flexform has built its global reputation. The third-generation family-run business is based in Brianza, Italy’s premier furniture manufacturing district, and produces sofas, chairs, outdoor seating and other pieces known for their modern aesthetics and functional designs.

The brand dates back to 1959 when the Galimberti brothers — Romeo, Pietro and Agostino — started the Flexform di Galimberti workshop. Flexform prides itself on crafting pieces that are perfectly proportional and versatile enough to adapt to the needs of the user and the space in which they are placed. Always elegant and refined in appearance, Flexform’s furniture is recognizable by its timelessness and use of high-end, sustainably sourced materials like linen, cotton, cashmere and wood including oak, ash, walnut and rosewood. Among the company’s most iconic collections are its take on the sectional sofa, which accounts for how lifestyles have changed: People now read, watch TV, eat and work on sofas. The 2001 Groundpiece collection, designed by Antonio Citterio, is one of its best sellers. The low, deep sofa, with its signature goose-down cushions and padded armrests that provide a flat multipurpose surface, is a casual take on the sectional that focuses on maximum comfort.

The company keeps its designs fresh by collaborating with architects and other designers to bring in new perspectives about people’s wants, needs and interactions with furniture. Designer Citterio, for instance, has been partnering with Flexform for almost 50 years and has been instrumental in creating some of the brand’s most celebrated and successful pieces. Along with the Groundpiece collection, this includes the 1996 metal and leather-upholstered A.B.C. armchair. (Its 2014 update is the award-winning A.B.C.D. chair.) Other partners include some of Italy’s most prominent creative minds: Cini Boeri, Joe Colombo, Paolo Nava, Carlo Colombo and Giulio Manzoni.

With over 20 flagship stores around the world, Flexform’s furniture can be found in spaces as diverse as Middle Eastern hotels, Italian villas and American lofts. By avoiding seasonal trends and focusing on consistent innovations in comfort and style, Flexform has been an exemplary figure of the “Made in Italy” luxury furniture scene.

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