Luxury Design, Past & Present
Sofa, model Sleep-O-Matic designed by Marco Zanuso in 1951.
Manufactured by Arflex (Italy)
Metal structure, foam rubber back and seat covered by refined fabric newly upholstered.
Early and rare production with only two legs instead of three as usual.
The seat cushion is mounted on a track allowing it pull away from the back and create a wide bed.
Exhibited in the IX Triennale di Milan in 1951 and awarded with the Gold Medal.
Literature: G. Gramigna, Repertorio 1950-1980, p. 81, Mondadori, 1985
Marco Zanuso (1916-2001) Born in Milan (Italy). He was one of a group of Italian designers from Milan shaping the international idea of "good design" in the postwar years. Trained in architecture at the Politecnico di Milano university, he opened his own design office in 1945. From the beginning of his career, at Domus where he served as the editor from 1947-49 and at Casabella where he was editor from 1952-56, he helped to establish the theories and ideals of the energetic Modern Design movement. As a professor of architecture, design and town planning at the Politecnico from the late 1940s until the 1980s, and as one of the founding members of the ADI in the 1950s, he also had a distinct influence over the next design generation coming out of Italy.