Cini Boeri "Gradual System" Armchairs for Gavina, Camel Velvet, 1970, Set of 2

Design
1970

Manufacture
1970-1979

Location
Lonigo, IT

Cini Boeri "Gradual System" armchairs for Gavina, camel velvet, Italy, 1970, set of two.

Designed in 1970 by Cini Boeri for Gavina, this armchair belongs to the iconic "Gradual System"—a groundbreaking modular design conceived as a response to the evolving dynamics of domestic life. With its clean geometric volume and soft upholstery, the armchair rests on a sculptural black fiberglass base, which originally integrated storage compartments and mobility features such as casters, allowing for seamless reconfiguration within the living space.

The design embodies Boeri’s vision of adaptability: a seating element that maintains its autonomy while remaining part of a larger architectural system. The interplay between softness and structural clarity, between comfort and control, speaks to the radical spirit of 1970s Italian design.

Unveiled the same year as Mario Bellini’s "Camaleonda," the "Gradual System" reflects a broader cultural shift toward modularity and spatial freedom. Boeri’s work emerged from a rich design dialogue with contemporaries such as Gio Ponti, Ettore Sottsass, Nanda Vigo, and the Castiglioni brothers—figures who helped define the postwar Italian avant-garde.

This armchair, elegant and forward-looking, stands as a singular expression of that ethos: a piece that doesn’t just furnish space, but redefines how we move through it.

The set can be split. The armchairs can be sold singularly.