Of all the designers that Vitra has worked with, no partnership has lasted longer - or been more prolific and successful - than the one with Antonio Citterio. During the past 25 years of cooperation, numerous office chairs, visitor’s chairs, waiting sofas as well as entire office systems have continuously set new standards.
The Suita sofa range marks a new chapter in the cooperation between the Swiss furniture manufacturer and the Milan-based designer. For the first time, a piece of furniture for the living area has been designed: a modern sofa range featuring Citterio’s signature style.
The name Suita is a reference to the Alpine cultural area shared by German-speaking Switzerland and northern Italy. Suita is Rumansh (a Rhaeto-Romance language spoken in parts of Grisons and one of the four official languages of Switzerland) and means suite, series, ensemble.
Suita has been conceived as a classic sofa range, whose individual pieces can be mixed and matched, and - thanks to their discreet design - can easily be integrated into existing furniture arrangements. The sofa range consists of a two-seater, a three-seater and a chaise longue (which comes in several different versions), a daybed, two upholstered platforms, an ottoman and a club armchair. Two special features of Suita are the optional raised headboards on the sofas and the chaise longue, and the optional shelves that can be mounted on the back of the sofas.
Since Suita comes in many versions, it can be used in all living room spaces to fulfil nearly all kinds of furnishing needs. This is due to the sofa range’s compact design - a feature that people living in urban living spaces will especially appreciate. The motto when creating Suita was "concentration with quality". The aimed-for spatial efficiency was attained through the sleek design of the basic shell, a steel structure with interlaced bands stretched across it in both directions. It is then coated in foam and upholstered in a choice of either a textile or leather cover. The seat and backrest cushions ensure extremely comfortable seating.
The light and elegant appearance of the Suita range is due mainly to the fact that the basic frame seems to practically float on top of the visible base. The bridge-like construction of the feet made of aluminium die-casting (or, optionally, of polished, black or white coated aluminium) is not only an important feature of the furniture group, its characteristically rounded edges also pays homage to American mid-century design (Eames, Nelson and Girard).
The design concept behind Suita was to offer an extremely comfortable piece of furniture for a compact space. There are two basic lines that serve to meet various customers' comfort needs:
The Suita Classic line distinguishes itself with a firmer seat and backrest cushions. The large square cushions serve to give the sofa a more formal appearance, which means that in its firmer upholstery version it can also be used in an office setting.
The Suita Casual line features exceptionally soft cushions, which makes it specifically suitable for private living spaces. The sofa and chaise longue are available with a set of pointed cushions in various sizes that can be mixed and matched. The cushion textiles include motifs taken from traditional Grisonian patterns as well as fabric designs by Alexander Girard.
Suita Fauteuil complements the Suita Sofa range by Antonio Citterio with a compact armchair featuring a comfortable seat height and a high back.
Viewed in profile, Suita is the visual embodiment of comfort: the deep, softly padded seat and long armrests blend elegantly into the high back bolstered with a neck cushion. One look is all it takes to convey the sense that one can really sit back and relax in this chair while being cradled by its body-conscious form.
Suita Fauteuil can be combined with all other furniture items in the Suita Sofa range, as it shares with them not only the formal design but also the characteristic frame base made of aluminium and the covers made of fabric and leather. Suita Fauteuil is available with firm or soft seat cushions, making the armchair ideal for use in the home as well as in lobbies, lounges, conference rooms and waiting areas in offices and public spaces.
Designer: Antonio Citterio
