Avio, designed by Piero Lissoni, is an elegant yet relaxed sofa system that can reinterpret and improve the use of any type of space. Modular and linear, with a light structure that easily complements a variety of settings, Avio's design is the result of extensive aesthetic research. The sofa combines functional and proportional poise, playing with the contract between the lightness of the slim structural framework and the plump volume of the seats. The sofa is ideal for both home and contract environments; at Salone, Avio finds an easy stylistic affinity for classic, architectural designs by Florence Knoll.

"This is a true industrial project, of great complexity," says Lissoni, "based on the idea of a structural steel beam that through a series of brackets supports different parts for diversified use: the seats are conceived as platforms, but also as support surfaces made of different materials. In practice, it is a product that changes the traditional idea of upholstered furniture, taking the form of a technological and aesthetic alphabet to assemble in different compositions, for different needs."

Avio is constructed around an elegant load-bearing structure, a steel beam that acts as a spine for seats, backs and tables. The framework translates into a versatile system that can generate benches, sofas for two or three people, a chaise longue and tabletops in a practically infinite sequence and can produce surprising corner compositions. Avio's padding provides maximum comfort, and the sofa can be covered in leather or fabric, completed with decorative throw cushions. An object of clear, precise beauty, ideal for everything a sofa is supposed to offer: for resting, conversing, reading, listening to music, sleeping, watching a film, enjoying an aperatif...

"My points of reference," Lissoni continues, "are Mies van der Rohe, Eero Saarinen, Florence Knoll. Names that have awesome importance for anyone who works on design. Nevertheless, I don't think we should hide in the shadow of the great masters: you always have to come to terms with the contemporary world, without making heritage into the sole value with which to approach the future."

The sofa system premiered at the Salone del Mobile is joined by cabinets, and in the near future it will be enhanced by new elements to gradually expand its functional range and versatility.