In the motto that reads “the whole is greater than the sum of its parts,” borrowed from the world of psychology, the essence of the Sity sofa conceived in the 1980s by designer
Antonio Citterio
, able at the time to anticipate with great foresight the change of conception that was about to invest the domestic environment and in particular the way of living in the living room.
Sity is in fact a modular sofa, able to change and evolve according to taste or need, but without ever forgetting comfort, as demonstrated by the presence of a frame equipped with a chaise longue that puts seating comfort at the center. It was the beginning of a transformation that still lasts today and has seen the living area become a place in the home not only to show off, but in which to spend more and more time and share moments together with family or friends.
BIOGRAPHY OF DESIGNER ANTONIO CITTERIO
Antonio Citterio was born in 1950 in Meda, a district in Lombardy that would go on to gain an important reputation over the years precisely because of the presence of several design and furniture companies.
After graduating in architecture from the Milan Polytechnic in 1975, Citterio began his career as a designer and architect, opening an associated studio with Terry Dwan at the turn of the 1980s and 1990s, before founding Antonio Citterio and Partners, with offices in Milan and Hamburg, together with Patricia Viel.
The Sity sofa, designed in 1986 for a project for B&B Italia, earned Citterio the Compasso d’Oro, an award the designer would go on to win again in 1994 thanks to the Mobil by Kartell drawer system designed with Oliver Low.
In addition to serving as art director for clients such as Maxalto, Arclinea and Azucena for 10 years, from 2006 to 2016, Citterio also worked as a lecturer in architectural design at the Academy of Architecture in Mendrisio, Switzerland.
FABRICS
B&B Italia’s Sity seating system is designed in removable fabric, but since this is a sofa that is now discontinued, there is now an option to restore the structure, opting for many different covers.
SITY CHAISE LONGUE SOFA
The chaise longue is probably the most distinguishing element among those of the Sity sectional sofa, as it clearly symbolizes the change introduced by the seating system designed by Antonio Citterio.
The presence of the peninsula, which allows you to stretch your legs and assume a more relaxed position, makes it clear that the sofa is no longer solely a place to entertain guests, sit and converse, but also a new space in which to rest or spend time comfortably watching television with friends.
In other words, Sity was designed by Citterio as a function of a new reality and those who inhabit it.
FEATURES
Sity is a sofa that is ahead of its time precisely because it senses the importance of making the main element of the living area more flexible and welcoming. According to B&B itself, which commissioned the design from Citterio, it is “a courageous step toward finding a seating system composed of flexible, separable structures that can reorganize today’s complex living scenario.”
That is why the straight sofa, its curved version and finally the frame equipped with a chaise longue, i.e., the three central elements of the system, are joined by about another 20 pieces, among which there is also a bed, which can be combined directly with the base or placed in the same room anyway.
Regardless of the final composition, Sity’s identity can be summed up precisely by the gentle curves of its peninsula, a design that became a forerunner and would inspire furniture companies and designers around the world in later years.
The best way to discover all the features of Sity is to come
to our showroom
at 04 Via Boccaccio, Milan.
