Italian brand Flexform has launched its first outdoor furniture collection designed with the help of architect Antonio Citterio. The newly released Outdoor collection includes sofas, armchairs, tables, chairs and an array of other accessories.
To create the collection Flexform called on designers including Citterio, and re-edited historical designs by Mario Asnago and Claudio Vender, to create products for outdoor use.
The range draws on the company’s characteristic design culture, which is rooted in Italian craftsmanship, and using long-lasting materials on products that are “timeless and elegant [with] a light contemporary touch”.
“Outdoor space, whether large or small, deck, porch or patio, is increasingly becoming the place to fully enjoy every season,” said the brand.
“It is almost an extension of the indoor space and, no matter what you call it, is worthy of the same careful design consideration.”
Two sofa designs are included in the new collection: Vulcano, designed by Citterio, and Zante, created by Flexform’s Design Centre.
The Vulcano base is made from marine plywood, while the arm and backrest structures are composed of austenitic stainless steel.
The woven upholstery is made of polypropylene fibre or polyurethane rubber and comes in a variety of earthy tones from bordeaux red to olive green.
The Zante sofa comes in two different seat depths and can be easily disassembled and stacked for safe storage. The upper part of the seating system is made from iroko veneer – a type of wood that is highly resistant to weather conditions – and sits on a frame made in austenitic stainless steel.
The arm and backrests are made from solid iroko and feature a unique design of hand-fitted, interlocking strips of irregularly shaped wood.
The outdoor collection also includes a series of dining and coffee tables. The Zefiro dining table by Citterio has sleek, cast-aluminium legs, with an epoxy powder-coat in white, khaki green, wine red, or a burnished or satin finish.
The tabletop comes in a variety of stone suitable for outdoor use, including Beola argentata (silvery green gneiss), pietra del Cardoso, lava stone and porphyry.
Other tables designed by Citterio include the Monreale made of iroko wood, the Fly Outdoor family of tables and the Tindari coffee tables that are covered in a woven polypropylene fibre or rubber.
A duo of ottomans also feature in the outdoor collection, called Bangkok and Phuket, which are each covered in woven polypropylene fibre and are available in the colours bordeaux and olive green.
Citterio has also created a series of chairs for Flexform, including the Thomas armchair – a bestseller from the indoor collection, now adapted into an outdoor version.
Thomas’ seat cushion is padded in polyurethane foam covered with a protective, breathable and waterproof laminated fabric, which all rests atop an iroko wood base, with feet made from die-cast metal alloy tips.
Other pieces in the collection include the modern Moka Outdoor chair by designers Asnago and Venderto, the Dafne chair by Flexform’s Design Centre with a woven seat and backrest, and the Cesta Outdoor cabinet also by Design Centre. The Cesta accessory is designed as “the ideal complement to sofas and armchairs”, and can be used as a magazine holder or storage bin on places like terraces and patios.
For more information on Flexform’s outdoor collection, visit the brand’s website.
