Italian Magister Lounge Chair and Ottoman by Franz Sartori for Flexform, c1960s

Although Franz Sartori was best known as a sculptor, he was also a talented furniture designer who produced low-slung, streamlined lounge chairs, sofas and other mid-century modern pieces.

Sartori was born Teodoro Antonio Franz Sartori in Milan in 1927. His most fruitful period of designing furniture came in the 1960s and ’70s. During that time, Sartori collaborated with Italian manufacturer Flexform on armchairs, living room sets, sofas and lounge chairs featuring plump cushions, geometric silhouettes and undulating legs. Sartori’s seating was extremely comfortable and came upholstered in fine leather, soft velvet or luxurious bouclé. Additionally, he worked with furniture company Cristal Arte on wall mirrors made of glass, lacquer and crystal arranged in layers of concentric circles.

Throughout his design career, Sartori participated in numerous exhibitions and received several awards, including first prize for design at the International Competition Fiera di Trieste, the Papal Lateran Gold Cross at the Vatican in 1968, the Europremio of Honor for Design in 1970 and La Madonnina International Award in Milan in 1973.

Today, Sartori’s artworks and furniture pieces are found in public and private collections around the world.

On 1stDibs, find a range of vintage Franz T. Sartori seating, mirrors and other furniture.

Comfort, consistency and high-quality Italian craftsmanship are the values on which furniture manufacturer Flexform has built its global reputation. The third-generation family-run business is based in Brianza, Italy’s premier furniture manufacturing district, and produces sofas, chairs, outdoor seating and other pieces known for their modern aesthetics and functional designs.

The brand dates back to 1959 when the Galimberti brothers — Romeo, Pietro and Agostino — started the Flexform di Galimberti workshop. Flexform prides itself on crafting pieces that are perfectly proportional and versatile enough to adapt to the needs of the user and the space in which they are placed. Always elegant and refined in appearance, Flexform’s furniture is recognizable by its timelessness and use of high-end, sustainably sourced materials like linen, cotton, cashmere and wood including oak, ash, walnut and rosewood. Among the company’s most iconic collections are its take on the sectional sofa, which accounts for how lifestyles have changed: People now read, watch TV, eat and work on sofas. The 2001 Groundpiece collection, designed by Antonio Citterio, is one of its best sellers. The low, deep sofa, with its signature goose-down cushions and padded armrests that provide a flat multipurpose surface, is a casual take on the sectional that focuses on maximum comfort.

The company keeps its designs fresh by collaborating with architects and other designers to bring in new perspectives about people’s wants, needs and interactions with furniture. Designer Citterio, for instance, has been partnering with Flexform for almost 50 years and has been instrumental in creating some of the brand’s most celebrated and successful pieces. Along with the Groundpiece collection, this includes the 1996 metal and leather-upholstered A.B.C. armchair. (Its 2014 update is the award-winning A.B.C.D. chair.) Other partners include some of Italy’s most prominent creative minds: Cini Boeri, Joe Colombo, Paolo Nava, Carlo Colombo and Giulio Manzoni.

With over 20 flagship stores around the world, Flexform’s furniture can be found in spaces as diverse as Middle Eastern hotels, Italian villas and American lofts. By avoiding seasonal trends and focusing on consistent innovations in comfort and style, Flexform has been an exemplary figure of the “Made in Italy” luxury furniture scene.

Find Flexform sofas, lounge chairs and other furniture on 1stDibs.