What makes a bit of furnishings iconic? It isn’t magnificence. The Carlton bookshelf isn’t lovely, and but Nineteen Eighties inside design is unthinkable with out it. It additionally isn’t performance. The Ethan Allen armchair I’m sitting in proper now could be comfy, sturdy and completely engaging, however nobody would declare it has star energy. And but panache doesn’t take you there both. At design expos from New York to Milan, there isn’t any scarcity of sensible items, attention-grabbing experiments with scale, proportion and materials. This stuff would possibly develop into dialog items for the people who purchase them, however their story will cease there. They aren’t destined to develop into icons.
Nice design solely turns into iconic design when it captures the creativeness of a historic second whereas additionally pointing past it. Which may sound lofty, however how else may one describe the Barcelona Chair? Or, for that matter, how else can one describe Flexform’s transformative Groundpiece seating system, which in 2026 is celebrating its twenty fifth birthday?
Groundpiece by Flexform | Photograph by Gabriele Basilico
When it was launched in 2001, Groundpiece redefined what a settee may very well be. It didn’t achieve this in a loud means, however with a modular idea and refined adjustments in proportion and scale that anticipated the wants of the twenty first century.
“Conscious that adjustments in way of life spark new behaviors and desires, Groundpiece launched a brand new dimension to the way in which the couch is used, investing it with new capabilities. On as we speak’s sofas, folks relaxation, watch TV, learn, and sometimes work and even have dinner,” outlines Saul Galimberti, Design Middle Director at Flexform. Groundpiece addresses these wants in three key methods: it makes use of beneficiant proportions that invite relaxed, casual lounging; it incorporates sensible options like cabinets, storage and surfaces that assist on a regular basis dwelling; and it affords a extremely modular system that simply adapts to completely different areas and desires.
At this time, these options will be discovered to some extent in quite a few completely different seating techniques. However this wasn’t the case when Flexform was launched. “From the very first look, the Groundpiece couch transcended the second for which it was created,” explains Galimberti. “It has witnessed shifting habits and altering existence. It watched the kitchen rework — from a once-isolated room to the star participant in a brand new blended dwelling house — turning into, like our modernity, a chic hybrid. It remained nonetheless, however by no means static. It absorbed each evolution, turning into dwelling proof that true design has no concern of time — it strikes with it.”
Groundpiece by Flexform
Groundpiece’s silhouette is outlined by low, inviting shapes and beneficiant cushions, which will be ordered in both premium goose-down or sturdy dacron. It manages to be each elegant and cozy, reworking stylish areas into genuine houses whereas complementing the encompassing structure. The informality of the silhouette by no means compromises its aesthetic unity.
Groundpiece will be laid out in quite a few completely different preparations — or in Flexform’s phrases, “compositions” — to fulfill the wants of particular areas. In some formulations that take away the again cushions, it actually isn’t a settee in any respect, however extra of a chaise, daybed or bench. To place it one other means, Groundpiece isn’t a settee, however a modular system. Which means it may be something you want it to be.
Upholstery is detachable in each cloth and leather-based variations (a should for espresso drinkers). There are 5 various kinds of upholstery — linen, cotton, cashmere and leather-based — and every is out there in a number of colours. Whereas Groundpiece sofas are finest recognized in muted colours, the Ernest cloth will be ordered in vivid orange and inexperienced. In the precise house — say a midcentury California bungalow – these choices would actually shine.
Groundpiece by Flexform
Essentially the most iconic component of the Groundpiece seating system, nevertheless, is the armrest. Nicely, armrest is admittedly not the precise phrase for these low steel storage parts coated in cowhide that may be inserted in several components of the buildings. In 2001, this easy modular component elevated Flexform from a fantastic couch into one thing iconic.
Groundpiece was the creation of architect Antonio Citterio. He recollects that, when he first conceived of the piece, he was undecided it will catch on: “After we designed it, in 2001, it felt like an concept wealthy in substance however with little likelihood of success. Too easy, too direct, non-traditional. It wasn’t even clear whether or not it was a settee or not. And but we discovered the experiment compelling — this encounter between artwork and a cushion — one thing extraordinary, virtually paradoxical. So, we went forward with it.”
Preliminary sketches for Groundpiece by Antonio Citterio
Preliminary sketches for Groundpiece by Antonio Citterio
Groundpiece’s legendary armrest was conceived as a tribute to Donald Judd, essentially the most influential and austere American designer of the twentieth century. Judd, an artist and artwork critic by coaching, designed furnishings by looking rigorously for the essence of the thing. In Judd’s formulation, “a murals exists as itself; a chair exists as a chair itself.”
Like Judd, Citterio took his cues from the supplies he was working with: “Within the case of Groundpiece, the leather-based allowed us to translate proportions and asymmetries — borrowed from artwork — right into a home object. That’s the essence of creativity: a sequence of references, feelings and perceptions filtered via our personal sensibilities.”
At 25, Groundpiece has earned its spot within the annals of design historical past. Nevertheless it’s no museum object. It belongs in up to date houses — in your house.
Actually, there isn’t any different couch in the marketplace that displays the wants of our time — the way in which we reside and work in our home areas — extra effortlessly than Groundpiece. It’s, to paraphrase Judd, merely itself.
Designers wanting furnish with Flexform’s modular icon can learn extra concerning the sectional couch, Groundpiece, right here.
Cowl Picture: Groundpiece by Flexform, photograph by Maria Vittoria Backhaus
