Cini Boeri

Maria Cristina Mariani Dameno (19 June 1924 – 9 September 2020), known as Cini Boeri, was an Italian architect and designer. She was considered "one of the great pioneering women in Italian design and architecture", who was described by Paola Antonelli as a "formidable architect and designer [and] paragon of Milanese elegance and verve."

Early life and education Cini Boeri was born in 1924. She grew up in Milan and earned her degree in architecture from the Polytechnic University of Milan in 1951 – one of only three female graduates that year. At that time, there were more female interior designers than architects in Italy because it was thought that women were too fragile to work outside.

Work and career At the Palazzo dei Diamanti, Ferrara. A design created by Cini Boeri in collaboration with Marco Zanuso

In the 1970s, Boeri began designing showrooms for Knoll in Europe and America. She also designed a variety of sofas and chairs for the company, some of which are still in production today. In addition, she worked for a variety of other design companies, including lighting company Artemide, furniture companies such as Arflex, Knoll, and , and the housewares company Rosenthal.

During the 1960s, Cini Boeri completed a series of residential projects in Sardinia. Notable among these were Casa Bunker, a brutalist structure situated atop a cliff, and Villa Rotonda, an elegantly designed snail-shaped residence. Both projects were carefully crafted to establish a harmonious dialogue with the surrounding landscapes, reflecting Cini Boeri's sensitivity to the environment and her ability to integrate architecture seamlessly into nature. 1989 Steps drawer (Estel) 1989 Feltro chandelier (Venini) 2007 To the wall bookcase (Magis) 2011 Bebop sofa (Poltrona Frau)

Architecture 1966–67 Holiday house in Punta Cannone (La Maddalena, Italy)

Prizes and awards Boeri was awarded many prizes; among those, in 1979 a Compasso d'Oro for her "Strips" sofa system for arflex, and a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Italian Cultural Institute of Los Angeles in 2008. She was made a Grande Ufficiale Ordine al Merito della Repubblica Italiana in 2011, and was awarded the Gold Medal from the city of Milan in 2019. 2011 Grand Officer of the Order of Merit of the Italian Republic 2012 Nominata Socio Onorario ADI 2019 Ambrogino d'oro