Flexform Groundpiece at 25: Portrait of an Icon
What makes a piece of furniture iconic? It isn’t beauty. The Carlton bookshelf isn’t beautiful, and yet 1980s interior design is unthinkable without it. It also isn’t functionality. The Ethan Allen armchair I am sitting in right now is comfortable, durable and perfectly attractive, but no one would claim it has star power. And yet panache doesn’t take you there either. At design expos from New York to Milan, there is no shortage of brilliant pieces, interesting experiments with scale, proportion and material. These items might become conversation pieces for the individuals who acquire them, but their story will stop there. They aren’t destined to become icons.
Great design only becomes iconic design when it captures the imagination of a historical moment while also pointing beyond it. That might sound lofty, but how else could one describe the Barcelona Chair? Or, for that matter, how else can one describe Flexform’s transformative Groundpiece seating system, which in 2026 is celebrating its 25th birthday?
Groundpiece by Flexform | Photo by Gabriele Basilico
When it was introduced in 2001, Groundpiece redefined what a sofa could be. It didn’t do so in a loud way, but with a modular concept and subtle changes in proportion and scale that anticipated the needs of the 21st century.
“Aware that changes in lifestyle spark new behaviors and needs, Groundpiece introduced a new dimension to the way the sofa is used, investing it with new functions. On today’s sofas, people rest, watch TV, read, and often work and even have dinner,” outlines Saul Galimberti, Design Center Director at Flexform. Groundpiece addresses these needs in three key ways: it uses generous proportions that invite relaxed, informal lounging; it incorporates practical features like shelves, storage and surfaces that support everyday living; and it offers a highly modular system that easily adapts to different spaces and needs.
Today, these features can be found to some extent in a number of different seating systems. But this wasn’t the case when Flexform was introduced. “From the very first glance, the Groundpiece sofa transcended the moment for which it was created,” explains Galimberti. “It has witnessed shifting habits and changing lifestyles. It watched the kitchen transform — from a once-isolated room to the star player in a new blended living space — becoming, like our modernity, an elegant hybrid. It remained still, but never static. It absorbed every evolution, becoming living proof that true design has no fear of time — it moves with it.”
Groundpiece’s silhouette is defined by low, inviting shapes and generous cushions, which can be ordered in either premium goose-down or durable dacron. It manages to be both elegant and comfortable, transforming chic spaces into authentic homes while complementing the surrounding architecture. The informality of the silhouette in no way compromises its aesthetic unity.
Groundpiece can be specified in a number of different arrangements — or in Flexform’s words, “compositions” — to meet the needs of specific spaces. In some formulations that remove the back cushions, it really isn’t a sofa at all, but more of a chaise, daybed or bench. To put it another way, Groundpiece isn’t a sofa, but a modular system. This means that it can be anything you need it to be.
Upholstery is removable in both fabric and leather versions (a must for coffee drinkers). There are five different types of upholstery — linen, cotton, cashmere and leather — and each is available in several colors. While Groundpiece sofas are best known in muted colors, the Ernest fabric can be ordered in bright orange and green. In the right space — say a midcentury California bungalow – these options would really shine.
The most iconic element of the Groundpiece seating system, however, is the armrest. Well, armrest is really not the right word for these low metal storage elements covered in cowhide that can be inserted in different parts of the structures. In 2001, this simple modular element elevated Flexform from a great sofa into something iconic.
Groundpiece was the creation of architect Antonio Citterio. He recalls that, when he first conceived of the piece, he was not sure it would catch on: “When we designed it, in 2001, it felt like an idea rich in substance but with little chance of success. Too simple, too direct, non-traditional. It wasn’t even clear whether it was a sofa or not. And yet we found the experiment compelling — this encounter between art and a cushion — something extraordinary, almost paradoxical. So, we went ahead with it.”
Preliminary sketches for Groundpiece by Antonio Citterio
Preliminary sketches for Groundpiece by Antonio Citterio
Groundpiece’s legendary armrest was conceived as a tribute to Donald Judd, the most influential and austere American designer of the 20th century. Judd, an artist and art critic by training, designed furniture by searching rigorously for the essence of the object. In Judd’s formula, “a work of art exists as itself; a chair exists as a chair itself.”
Like Judd, Citterio took his cues from the materials he was working with: “In the case of Groundpiece, the leather allowed us to translate proportions and asymmetries — borrowed from art — into a domestic object. That’s the essence of creativity: a chain of references, emotions and perceptions filtered through our own sensibilities.”
At 25, Groundpiece has earned its spot in the annals of design history. But it’s no museum object. It belongs in contemporary homes — in your home.
Truly, there is no other sofa on the market that reflects the needs of our time — the way we live and work in our domestic spaces — more effortlessly than Groundpiece. It is, to paraphrase Judd, simply itself.
Designers looking furnish with Flexform’s modular icon can read more about the sectional sofa, Groundpiece, here.
Cover Image: Groundpiece by Flexform, photo by Maria Vittoria Backhaus
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