Image source: B&B Italia — Charles Carré
© B&B Italia and the respective rights holders. Quoted to accompany INTEBEE's independent design commentary and research.
Charles Carré
Antonio Citterio's Charles sofa with a numbered, hand-assembled carré pattern on the seat cushion.
2300 × 730 × 970 mm
2024
Official product information
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Description
Overview
Charles Carré dresses Antonio Citterio's Charles sofa with a seat cushion cover worked in a carré (checkered) pattern. The B&B Italia product sheet gives the year 2024, and the page introduces the piece with a single line: "in the spirit of revamping the icons of our heritage collection, the Charles family is now adorned with a carré pattern".
Image source: B&B Italia — Charles Carré · © B&B Italia and the respective rights holders. Quoted to accompany INTEBEE's independent design commentary and research. · View official product page ↗ · Image use & copyright policy
Construction
The sofa stands on a core of tubular steel and steel profiles. Cold shaped flexible polyurethane foam under a polyester fibre cover pads it (shaped polyurethane in several densities for elements CHP_Q to CH150P_Q). Inside the seat cushion sits shaped polyurethane in several densities, with sterilized down added for the home version and polyester fibre for public spaces. The back cushions of CH48_C to CH72_C hold polyester fibre under box-style cotton. Die-cast aluminium feet complete the base, and the cover is fabric or leather finished with a grosgrain ribbon.
Specifications
Three-seat sofa CH228_Q: 230 cm wide, 97 cm deep, 73 cm high, seat height 42 cm, feet 19 cm (7 1/2") high.
Story
Squares cut one by one
According to the page, the cutting of the upper surface of the carré cushions is done square by square, and each square receives a number while it is cut so it can be identified later. Sewing then puts the squares back together. Each one is paired with a textile ribbon on fabric covers or with a leather profile on leather covers, first along the short sides (checkered / ribbon / checkered) and afterwards along the long sides.
A heritage icon revisited
The company presents the work as one step in refreshing the icons of its heritage collection.
Image source: B&B Italia — Charles Carré · © B&B Italia and the respective rights holders. Quoted to accompany INTEBEE's independent design commentary and research. · View official product page ↗ · Image use & copyright policy
More by Antonio Citterio
Hera Chair
Antonio Citterio's 2018 armless dining chair with a polymer shell and metal or wood feet
Repos Ottoman
The matching Repos footrest with a removable cover and four-star base
ID Air
Antonio Citterio's ID Air: an office chair with a one-piece perforated plastic backrest
ID Mesh
Antonio Citterio's ID Mesh: a spacer-fabric net backrest on a slim two-part frame
Collection
Charles
Charles by Antonio Citterio for B&B Italia (1997): a sofa system on inverted-L die-cast aluminium feet, with Carré, Large and Outdoor editions, bed and tables.
