Charles Corner Sofa

B&B Italia Charles Corner Sofa

DESIGNER: ANTONIO CITTERIO

The Charles sofa, characterized by the lightness of its shapes, can be combined in many ways. Covering available in fabric or leather.

The Charles sofa is one of the cornerstones of the B&B Italia collection of sofas and seats for the living area. Born from the pen of Antonio Citterio, who created its design in 1997, Charles is a seat with regular and contemporary lines, ideal both for modern and dynamic living environments, as well as for enriching spaces with a more formal style with beauty and comfort. The feet are in the shape of an inverted L, in polished or painted brushed die-cast aluminum, which give lightness to the seat. Charles is a modular sofa that offers numerous compositional possibilities. As for the upholstery, this sofa is available with leather or fabric cover in different categories.

A landmark in the world of design since its introduction by B&B Italia in 1997, the Charles sofa designed by renown Italian architect and designer, Antonio Citterio, has become synonymous with modern design and represents the standard against which most other sofas are compared. The lightness of the design is brought about by lifting it high off the floor with a fine, highly reflective, inverted ‘L’ shaped foot placed at the extreme corners of the sofa so that it appears to float. Its simple, uncluttered form is perfectly proportioned and easy to integrate into almost any interior. Extremely comfortable, the design includes loose back cushions to soften its otherwise carefully controlled and highly architectural appearance. Over time Charles has grown into an extensive family of elements allowing it to be used in many ways and in different parts of a house or in prestige office interiors.

Internal frame: tubular steel and steel sections

Internal frame upholstery: Bayfit® (Bayer®) flexible cold shaped polyurethane foam, polyester fibre wadding

Internal frame upholstery ottoman: shaped polyurethane of different densities, polyester fibre wadding

Seat cushions upholstery: shaped polyurethane, sterilised down, polyester fibre wadding

Back cushions upholstery: polyester fibre

Feet: die-cast bright brushed aluminium

Ferrules: thermoplastic material

Cover: fabric or leather

B&B Italia celebrates the 20th anniversary of Charles, the iconic seating system designed by Antonio Citterio in 1997, showcasing a special version which offers two new coverings in orange/red and grey/blue colours, shades Charles Eames identified with in the ‘60s, and features Charles 20 in the dedicated installation designed by Migliore+Servetto Architects. The Charles sofa, framed by a graphic scenic backdrop, surrounded by history, with its elegance and balance, it represents a constant. Behind it, images from the last twenty years appear – events, objects, scientific and technological discoveries emerge as striking images from the semi-transparent graphic backdrop, in a dynamic overlapping of historical references. The relentless march of time is shown through the evolution of cities and populations displayed in a stratification of graphics and data. Recent skylines, from Shanghai to Milan, animate and outline a constantly evolving landscape. Everything is dynamic and constantly changing, while at the centre, the Charles sofa, stays constant, modern – an iconic and timeless piece, dominating the scene.

A leading piece in contemporary lifestyle, Charles owes its immense success to both its shape and aesthetics, and to the research and innovation that went into its design: values which are part of B&B Italia’s dna and underlying themes in all of its projects. The characteristics which have made it a contemporary classic are numerous: a slim but strong structure, thanks to the metal frame embedded in cold polyurethane foam mouldings, a single seating cushion, a light appearance accentuated by the essential design of the “inverted L”- shaped die cast aluminium feet. High seat modularity starting with sixteen elements per type and different sizes - this is the concept behind Charles. The sixteen elements offer a wide variety of linear and corner compositions while the chaise-longue end units make peninsula compositions possible for open spaces.

20 years on from its debut, Charles reconfirms its qualities as longseller and bestseller product of the company and is still nowadays a reference model in the world of design worldwide. The exhibition will take place in the B&B Italia’s stores worldwide after it spins off from Milan’s via Durini showcase.

Concept

High seat modularity starting with sixteen elements per type and different sizes - this is the concept behind Charles. Linear and corner compositions are developed with these elements, particularly with chaise longue end units. Peninsula-style compositions can be beautifully arranged in the centre of room. A single seat-cushion, a series of free cushions placed on the backrest, a light picture enhanced by the pure lines of die-cast aluminium feet make Charles a sofa with a decidedly modern taste.