Innovative, Iconic and Italian Arflex Finds its Antipodean Forever Home
With product innovation and adaptability at its heart, Arflex is an undeniable icon of the Italian furniture industry. As sought after as it was at its inception in 1947, the brand finds its Antipodean forever home with its long-term collaborator and one of the country’s most recognised furniture, lighting and accessories distributors, Space Furniture.
Started by a group of Pirelli-based technicians, Arflex’s journey to become a widely recognised furniture design and manufacturing company was born from the need to experiment with new materials and technologies.
Anchored in the promise of research, adaptability and constant improvement, Arflex introduced post-war Italy to furniture through a combination of a modern design aesthetic and cutting edge technologies, blurring the borders between beauty, comfort and advanced functionality. The CEO of Space, Christina Owyong, explains: “Arflex is a furniture company that is constantly focused on cultural experimentation. Its avant-garde status is based on imposing new technological products that make an ongoing contribution to both design culture and comfort.”
Arflex’s agility and ability to embrace change has found its expression not only in its commitment to technological advancement. Numerous collaborations and partnerships with renowned designers have presented opportunities for ongoing development and resulted in a series of globally recognised iconic designs, such as the recently re-released classic triangle structure of the Cradle sofa by Neri&Hu, the modularity of the puffy pillowshaped Marenco seating from the 70s, to the revolutionary Strips sofa designed by Cini Boeri in the 60s, and the true classic of the 50s office - the Elettra chair.
The latter – as with many of Arflex’s seminal pieces encapsulates the timeless character of the innovation-driven manufacturer. Elettra was designed by masters of Italian design, the renowned architecture, urban planning and design studio B.B.P.R. Created in 1954, the iconic chair has more than stood the test of time, with its universal and elegant form that continues to elevate contemporary interiors around the world. Timeless in its classic design and functional in its adaptability, the seating’s unpretentious metal frame is as current as it was over half a decade ago, and will remain so for years to come - another testament to the brand’s ability to stay relevant for future decades.
The new normal demands more flexibility than ever before, and Arflex adaptable from its beginning, continues to push the boundaries of design and materiality, now in their new Australian home. “Space is proud to continue to represent Arflex’s iconic stable of designers, whose incredible products have made a significant contribution to the design lexicon. In Asia, Arflex has always been part of the Space stable, and we are happy to align our Australian showrooms in 2020,” concludes Owyong.