What makes a chunk of furnishings iconic? It isn’t magnificence. The Carlton bookshelf isn’t stunning, 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 is no such thing as a scarcity of sensible items, fascinating experiments with scale, proportion and materials. These things may turn into dialog items for the people who purchase them, however their story will cease there. They aren’t destined to turn into icons.
Nice design solely turns into iconic design when it captures the creativeness of a historic second whereas additionally pointing past it. That 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 could possibly be. It didn’t accomplish that in a loud method, 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 life-style 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 at the moment’s sofas, individuals relaxation, watch TV, learn, and sometimes work and even have dinner,” outlines Saul Galimberti, Design Heart 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 help on a regular basis residing; and it provides a extremely modular system that simply adapts to completely different areas and desires.
Immediately, these options may be discovered to some extent in various completely different seating methods. 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 life. It watched the kitchen remodel — from a once-isolated room to the star participant in a brand new blended residing house — turning into, like our modernity, a chic hybrid. It remained nonetheless, however by no means static. It absorbed each evolution, turning into residing proof that true design has no worry of time — it strikes with it.”
Groundpiece’s silhouette is outlined by low, inviting shapes and beneficiant cushions, which may be ordered in both premium goose-down or sturdy dacron. It manages to be each elegant and comfy, remodeling stylish areas into genuine houses whereas complementing the encompassing structure. The informality of the silhouette by no means compromises its aesthetic unity.
Groundpiece may be laid out in various 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 method, Groundpiece isn’t a settee, however a modular system. Because of this 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 several types of upholstery — linen, cotton, cashmere and leather-based — and every is obtainable in a number of colours. Whereas Groundpiece sofas are greatest identified in muted colours, the Ernest cloth may be ordered in vibrant orange and inexperienced. In the precise house — say a midcentury California bungalow – these choices would actually shine.
Essentially the most iconic factor of the Groundpiece seating system, nevertheless, is the armrest. Effectively, armrest is basically not the precise phrase for these low steel storage parts coated in cowhide that may be inserted in several elements of the buildings. In 2001, this straightforward modular factor elevated Flexform from an ideal couch into one thing iconic.
Groundpiece was the creation of architect Antonio Citterio. He remembers that, when he first conceived of the piece, he was unsure it might 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, probably 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 item. In Judd’s components, “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 series of references, feelings and perceptions filtered via our personal sensibilities.”
At 25, Groundpiece has earned its spot within the annals of design historical past. However it’s no museum object. It belongs in modern houses — in your house.
Really, there is no such thing as a different couch available on the market that displays the wants of our time — the way in which we stay 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
