Modular Strips Sofa by Cini Boeri for Arflex, 1960s

Born in 1924 in Milan, Cini Boeri is an award-winning industrial designer, architect, and interior designer. Along with Gae Aulenti, she was one of the few female Italian designers to enjoy international success in the postwar era. Her work has consistently underscored the psychological connection between humans and their environment.

After graduating from the Polytechnic University in Milan in 1951, she interned at Giò Ponti’s architectural firm before working for many years with designer Marco Zanuso. In 1963, Boeri founded her eponymous architecture studio, focusing on industrial design as well as civil architecture. She created many modern Italian design classics, including the Bobo Lounge (1967), which was the first exclusively foam Monobloc seat; the 602 Table Lamp (1968); the polyurethane Serpentone Lounge (1971) that was sold by the meter; the modular Strips Series (1972, awarded the Compasso D’Oro in 1979); the sculpted glass Cibi Tumbler (1973), the Ghost Armchair (1987 in collaboration with Tomu Katayanagi); and the Bortolo Chair (2014).

Over the course of her career, Boeri has collaborated with some of the biggest Italian and international brands including Arflex, Artemide, Rosenthal, Knoll, Magis , Venini, Fiam, Misawa Homes, Tre-P Tre-Piu, Tronconi, and Philips. Her most celebrated architectural projects include The Domestic Project, first exhibited at the 1986 Triennale; The Bunker House (1967) on the island of La Maddalena; Casa nel Bosco (1969) near Lago Maggiore; and the Apartment on Three Levels in central Milan (2006).

As well as winning the Compasso d’Oro for the Strip Series, Boeri has been the recipient of many prestigious international prizes, including a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Italian Cultural Institute of Los Angeles in 2008; she was nominated as an honorary member of ADI in 2012. She has held many esteemed positions at several international institutions and universities, including the Politecnico di Milano, UC Berkeley, UCLA, and the University of Lugano in Switzerland. Her work can be found in Milan Triennale Design Museum and New York's MoMA.

For more information about Boeri's unique design philosophy, check out The Human Dimension of Home Living (Franco Angeli: Milan, 1980).

* Images courtesy of Cini Boeri Architetti

Italian furniture manufacturing company Arflex was originally founded in Milan 1947 by a team of engineers—Carlo Barassi, Renato Teani, Pio Reggiani, and Aldo Bai—from Italian tire company Pirelli. While exploring new technologies in rubber production, they developed a new polyurethane foam and elastic tape that held great potential for modernist furniture design. Italian architect-designer Marco Zanuso (1916-2001) was brought in to create the first collections, guided by the principle that the new materials would inform the aesthetic result.

In 1951, Arflex unveiled its first piece, Zanuso’s Lady Armchair, which won the gold medal at Milan’s IX Triennale and helped catapult Arflex to international acclaim. Other successful designs by Zanuso were introduced over the years, such as the Sleep-o-matic Sofa (1951), the Martingala Armchair (1952), and the Fourline Armchair (1964).

Starting in 1952, Arflex began to work with other Italian architect-designers to broaden their product line. Standouts from the postwar era include the Fiorenza Armchair (1952) by Franco Albini, the Neptunia (1953) and Elettra (1954) collections by BBPR, the Delfino collection (1954) by Erberto Carboni, and the Bobo Lounge (1967) and Serpentone Lounge (1971) by Cini Boeri. Through the decades, Arflex has worked with an astounding roster of influential talents: Achille and Pier Giacomo Castiglioni, Roberto Manghi, , Joe Colombo, Tito Agnoli, Carlo Mollino, Michele De Lucchi, Yaacov Kaufman, Ettore Sottsass, and Angelo Mangiarotti.

Between 1951 and 1954, Arflex also produced car seats for Fiat. These seats, designed by Barassi, were adjustable and offered superior comfort thanks to the suppleness of the polyurethane foam rubber. In 1966—in collaboration with Italian furniture brands Cassina, Tecno, and Bernini—Arflex created the legendary design magazine Ottagono, which is still in publication today. In 1969, Arflex Japan was founded, followed by Arflex du Brazil in 1970.

The company trademark was bought by Seven Salotti Spa in 1995, and a number of discontinued designs were put back into production. In 2007, Arflex celebrated its 60th anniversary with a large-scale exhibition of works from the brand’s historical mounted in Milan during Salone del Mobile.

Arflex is celebrated for its incredible legacy working with iconic designers who have won numerous awards, and Arflex designs can be found in museums around the world, like the Triennale Museum in Milan, the Triennale Museum in Tokyo, the MoMa in New York, and the Chicago Athenaeum.