Design elements: 6 iconic sofas that made history

Here we go again to the design elements rubric! Today we talk about iconic sofas that have made history!

If you are interested in this rubric, here is the playlist with all the videos!

1 – CHESTERFIELD SOFA

It is one of the most famous sofas, born in 18th century England.

The sofa is named after the British town of the same name because it was commissioned by Lord Philip Stanhope, the fourth Earl of Chesterfield precisely.

The name, to be exact, comes from the name of the earl’s fiefdom because he actually lived in London.

Always very elegant, the count sought a comfortable seat that would not crease his clothes.

It took its cue from the interior seats of carriages of the time and the couches of the French court.

Its unique feature is its manufacturing called capitonné, which consists of the use of buttons placed in a network of lozenges.

It is a sofa with soft padding and was born with leather upholstery, but you can now find it in every color and fabric.

It has also changed slightly in design over the years, but still very recognizable!

There are also armchairs and ottomans.

The Chesterfield sofa is highly stylish, and, despite its classic connotation, it can really fit into any style!

Little curiosity Chesterfield sofas and armchairs are widely used in movies and TV series!!!

2 –  MARALUNGA SOFA

Designed by Vico Magistretti for the Cassina brand in 1973.

It is a soft and cozy-looking sofa, the forerunner of adjustable-back sofas.

Its story is peculiar because it was born from a “rejection.” In fact, Vico Magistretti presented a prototype sofa to Cesare Cassina, but the latter was unconvinced and apparently punched the prototype.

The impact was so strong that the backrest folded, and this was the inspiration for Magistretti to create Maralunga with the headrest that folds forward, giving the option of having a high or low backrest.

That is a real innovation in both the lines and the possibility of adapting the backrest to different needs!

Folding the headrest is made possible by a bicycle chain in the backrest padding.

Maralunga is a series that sees 2-seater and 3-seater sofas, armchairs, and ottomans; it was born in leather, but today it is also found in fabric and different colors.

It fits perfectly with minimalist, modern, and contemporary styles.

The Maralunga series was awarded the Compasso d’Oro at the 11th edition in 1979!

3 – LC2 SOFA

It was created in 1928 by the team of Le Corbusier, Pierre Jeanneret, and Charlotte Perriand for the Tonet company, now produced by Cassina.

It came into being under the name “Fauteuil Grand Confort, petit modèl,” meaning grand comfort armchair, small model.

Also LC is actually a series that has a 2-seater and 3-seater sofa, armchair, and ottoman.

Despite its considerable age, this sofa definitely has a modern and minimalist design.

It has an outer steel frame that supports it, with white or black leather cushions with soft padding inside.

This series, too, is now found in different fabrics and colors, and even the frame no longer exists only in pure steel but can be colored.

To make these seats as comfortable as possible, Le Corbusier carefully studied the proportions of the human body.

The outer frame, rather than hidden by padding, is a great innovation that breaks with convention.

The frame is made from flat and tubular steel pieces welded together to support the entire structure.

This series boasts numerous imitations!

4 – STRIPS SOFA

Designed by Cini Boeri for Arflex in 1972.

It is a modular and removable sofa, much loved for its versatility and practicality: in fact, you can configure it in many ways: sofas, armchairs, sofa beds…

Initially, it should have been called “Christo” in tribute to the American artist of the same name.

In fact, the idea for these sofas was inspired by the wrap-around at the Leonardo da Vinci monument that the artist did in the early 1960s.

In fact, Boeri begins by bundling a quilt with ropes, represented by the stitching of the squares in the final product!

The product has evolved over time: it was born with a low backrest, later modified in 1975.

Then they added feet and made other minor changes until the 1986 final version.

In addition to modularity, the innovative idea is that the design is based on the covering and not the structure.

The padding, made of non-deformable polyurethane, ensures a certain comfort of the seat.

It is part of the permanent collections of many museums, including the Milan Triennale and MoMa in New York.

He won the Compasso d’Oro award in 1979.

Little curiosity: in the sofa bed version, the cover unzips and becomes a sleeping bag!

5 – THE DOLLS SOFA

Designed by Mario Bellini for B&B between 1970 and 1972.

This sofa is basically a big cushion in all its parts.

Using Bellini’s own words, this sofa “is not upholstered in fabric, but is constructed of fabric”!

The structure, in fact, is actually the lining of the sofa itself.

The success of this sofa also comes from the product’s creative and provocative advertising campaign.

Photographer Oliviero Toscani and model Donna Jordan, Andy Warhol’s muse, who poses bare-breasted and in daring poses, were called in.

At the Salone del Mobile that year, some posters of these photographs were exposed, and the model’s breasts were censored with a black stripe.

That gave more resonance to the advertising campaign and consequently to the sofa!

In 2007, the designer was recalled so that he could modernize the product, which, in fact, was streamlined and made coverable.

And the Advertising Campaign was again entrusted to photographer Oliviero Toscani who proposed dolls of the new millennium!

The sofa the Dolls exists in 2 and 3-seater sofa and armchair versions!

This sofa was awarded the Compasso d’Oro in 1979!

6 – CAMALEONDA SOFA

Like the previous one, this one was also designed by Mario Bellini in 1970 for B&B.

The name comes from the union of two words chameleon and onda (wave)

The first denotes the ability of this product to adapt to any environment the second indicates the sinuous shapes characteristic of this product.

It is not a “simple” modular sofa but also transformable!

Thanks to a system of hooks, in addition to being able to join different modules together, this sofa can change faces by removing, putting on, or moving backs and armrests!

And this really allows you to have a different sofa every day and change the face of the environment!!!

It is a product designed to be eco-friendly.

The sofa is a capitonné padded with polyurethane, has a removable cover, and the lining is a synthetic fabric, dracon, made from recycled pet.

Backrests and armrests and the bases of the various modules are made of wood panels, again emphasizing the sustainable nature of the product.

The feet are no exception to the concern for nature and are made of FSC (Forest Stewardship Council) certified beech.

This certification ensures that the wood comes from environmentally friendly, socially beneficial, and eco-sustainable forest management!

This sofa is suitable for all styles!

THE 70S AND 80S WERE PROSPEROUS YEARS FOR SOFAS!!

As you may have noticed, the 1970s-80s were very prosperous for the birth of original and iconic sofas that still make history today.

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This post is also available in: Italian