flap gold edition

Edra celebrates two very special anniversaries in 2010. The first brings us back to 10 years ago, to the year 2000 which saw the launch of ‘Flap‘, a sofa designed by Francesco Binfaré that revolutionized the scenario of upholstered furniture. The second takes us back no less than 20 years in time, namely to 1990, when the extraordinary "Flowers" collection by Masanori Umeda was presented. It is a well-known fact that it is very unusual for a product to enjoy such a long lifetime, but ‘Flap‘ and ‘Flowers‘ have in fact very soon become icons, indispensable manifestos by means of which to declare a certain way to see life and the home. Never out of date, they have been dressed up especially for the occasion. Flap wears precious gold-plated leather, wild ecological fur and even large glittering Swarovski diamonds. It is precisely Edra, known all over the world for its incessant research for completely new formal expressions, that forcefully presents the value and topicality, the perfect physical and aesthetic functionality of these items, that are ‘historical‘ on the one hand, and very non-conformist on the other.
Flap invents a new kind of upholstered furniture. Always the same in terms of size, unlike many contemporary sofas that must by now be considered as complex systems, Flap can nevertheless modify its functions and appearance by adapting to the needs of every user, and to the different requirements that may arise in the course of the day: discreet day bed, vis-a-vis seat for two persons, single or double chaise longue, sofa seating 3-4-5 persons, with tall backrest for conversing, medium tall for reading, low for resting. Flap interprets a new desire for comfort; it is no longer an average-type object suited to everyone, but rather an object ready to adapt itself to the highly personal concept of comfort entertained by every individual.

Francesco Binfaré was born in 1939. From 1967 to 1988 as art director, introduced into the Center of Design Research Cassina the processes of artistic practice involving architects in the creation of emblematic products of the Italian Design. In 1972 he coordinates the development of projects for the “New Domestic Landscape” exhibition at MOMA, New York.
In 1980 he estabilishes The Design and Communication Center that was working for Cassina, Marcatrè, De Padova, Venini (1980-1992). He has taught at Domus Academy in Milan, at the Royal College of Art in London, at the European Institute of Design in Milan and has held workshops and conferences in cities around the world. Since 1992, plans for Edra.