Luxury is a term that has long since been associated with Italian furniture. When you purchase anything that’s made in Italy, rest assured, you’re getting your money’s worth. Case in point, not many furniture brands on the market can compete with these 10 Italian sofa brands on grounds of design or quality.
So, if you’re looking to splurge some money on your home’s furnishing, check out these names. You won’t be disappointed.
Top 10 Best Italian Sofa Brands To Scope Out For Your Living Room
1. B&B Italia (1966)
B&B Italia is probably the most famous on this list. The company’s high-end sofas are known for having an excellent blend between aesthetics and comfort. Not only so, but the brand’s products have also been rated to have great durability. When properly maintained, a B&B Italia’s leather sofa can last for years.
If you’d like an example, take a look at the award-winning Michel sofa collection by Antonio Citterio. This beautiful design is only one of the many superb collections that B&B Italia offers.
The company was founded in 1966 by the entrepreneur Piero Ambrogio Busnelli. Since then, B&B Italia has grown to become a truly impressive business. Its headquarter remains in Novedrate, Italy. However, it has seven flagship stores in many countries globally and around 750 points of sales worldwide.
To give you a sense of just how accomplished B&B Italia is (and how good its products are), it has won Italy’s most prestigious design award — the Compasso d’Oro — four times.
2. Arflex (1948)
Alongside B&B Italia, Arflex is a name that is up there with the very best. The brand has a rather glorious history, having also had a Compasso d’Oro under its belt. It also has many definitive designs that have changed the way sofas are designed.
The Strips collection, created by Cini Boeri in the 60s, was designed with a removable quilt cover. These days, if you dig around for long enough, you can find plenty of sofas with the same design. They have this collection to thank for the inspiration.
Arflex was founded in 1948 by Marco Zanuso in Milan, Italy. These days, the company produces both affordable and high-end furniture. Most of their pieces follow the contemporary school of design.
3. Cassina (1927)
In 1927, Cesare and Umberto Cassino set up a company by the name of Amedeo Cassina in Meda, Italy. In the 1950s, the company burgeoned in size and began to produce many kinds of furniture for the masses. Among their portfolios include chairs, beds, tables, sofas, and more.
Later on, Cassina even grows more when orders for high-end furniture pieces come in from cruise liners, luxury hotels, and restaurants. The demand for the company’s pieces still hasn’t stopped today. Their high-end, designer furniture is still very much sought-after.
Many of Cassina’s creations have even gone so far as becoming “cult pieces” like the LC2 sofa. It was designed by Le Corbusier (Charles-Édouard Jeanneret) in collaboration with Charlotte Perriand and Pierre Jeanneret.
4. Flexform (1959)
Flexform, like its name suggests, specializes in designing and manufacturing modular furniture pieces. Some of their products like the Flexform Cestone can be re-configured at will to suit your space better.
The company was founded in 1959 by Romeo, Pietro, and Agostino Galimberti as Flexform di Galimberti. Like any other company, it didn’t start big. For years, Flexform worked out of a small armchair and sofa workshop in Meda, Italy.
The firm’s big break came in 1967 when it became a public company and transformed into a veritable industrial-size business.
True to the Galimberti brothers when they founded Flexform, the company’s products today are composed of both affordable and high-end models. As a result, their products are relatively accessible for the masses.
5. Maxalto (1975)
If it’s elegant and refined designs that you’re searching for, you will like Maxalto’s offerings. Their collections include many kinds of upholstered sofas that feel heavenly to sit on or, in the case of their sofa beds, to lie on.
Maxalto’s greatest selling point isn’t comfort, though. Rather, the secret is in their design. The company offers a wide array of contemporary sofas, most of which come with highly sophisticated looks.
The marque was founded in 1975 as part of B&B Italia. Over the years, Maxalto developed a separate identity from its parent company. Now, it has more or less become its brand.
6. Saba (1987)
Saba is a relatively young brand in the industry, having been founded in 1987. Nevertheless, in the short time that it’s been around, it has released many impactful designs.
Its collections are composed of modern upholstered sofas whose primary focus is to provide their users with as much comfort as possible. Due to this focus, many of Saba’s designs come across as plain and minimalistic. It’s not a bad thing if this is the aesthetic you’re going for!
If you need a sample, we highly recommend that you check out Saba’s Geo sofa. It’s minimalistic but no less comfortable and roomy.
7. Moroso (1952)
For the best-upholstered sofas, one of the top Italian sofa brands to look to is Moroso. The company has been building these pieces since its founding in 1952.
Moroso often collaborates with famous designers to create high-end furniture pieces. Every single one of their products has an artisanal feel. Nonetheless, they also have touches of industrialism here and there.
So, the best way to describe Moroso products is that they’re the perfect marriage between new and old, traditional and contemporary. If you want to see this blend of qualities in action, check out Moroso’s best collections like Heartbreaker or Victoria & Albert.
8. De Padova (1956)
De Padova’s story began in the 1950s. It started up as an importer of Scandinavian furniture. In the process of expanding the business, De Padova grew into furniture-making, as well.
In the 70s, De Padova collaborated with Vico Magistretti — one of the finest industrial designers in Italy — and built furniture for offices. Not long after, De Padova’s furniture for the home began rolling out to showrooms, too.
Some of De Padova’s earliest designs like the Edizioni De Padova are so good, they’re still being sold today.
9. Molteni&C (1934)
In 1934, Angelo Molteni set up the company that’s now known as Molteni&C in Giussano, Monza e Brianza, Italy. The workshop was located right in the middle of a furniture district. It attracted enough attention that success quickly followed.
Molteni&C’s momentum hasn’t slowed down one bit. The company still produced some of the finest “made in Italy” sofas today. Furthermore, with annual releases of new collections, it still proves itself to be one of the best Italian sofa brands one year to another.
One of its most recent collections, the Gregor, is a modular sofa that you can reconfigure and refit to your likings.
10. Zanotta (1954)
Founded in 1954 by Aurelio Zanotta in Nova Milanese, Zanotta is the brand behind some of Italy’s most iconic designs in the period from the 1960s to the 1980s.
At first, the company mostly specialized in producing upholstered furniture. As the popularity of its products grew and more renowned designers were willing to work with it, its product offerings expanded as well.
A highly innovative company, Zanotta was at the forefront of many design trends. In 1965, it was the first company to use PU foam and frameless construction for its pieces.
In 1968, its Sacco bean bags became a great hit. So influential it was that decades later in 2020, the Sacco was given a Compasso d’Oro.
Zanotta markets many different collections today, both in the affordable range and high-end. You can make your choice flexibly depending on your budget. Nevertheless, even the cheapest Zanotta sofa will be miles better than anything your local IKEA can give you.
Final Words
A sofa is an integral part of the living room. With this list, we hope that you have found your future sofa among the offerings of these 10 Italian sofa brands.
Which one is your favorite and what’s the collection you’re going to get (or hoping to get)? Tell us about it in the comment!