Verzuu, Jacobus Johannes Josephus (Ko) 1901-1971 NL.

ADO speelgoed / toys. Circa 1934-35

Two miniature club chairs and a side table (each piece with company labels and burnished markings)

Between 1925 and 1955 Dutch designer Ko Verzuu designed many toys under the influence of the Dutch Modernist De Stijl painters. His designs were inextricably bound up with innovations in art, health care and pedagogy in the first half of the 20th century. In 1920, the sanatorium Berg en Bosch was founded in the sanctuary on the outskirts of Apeldoorn – this sanatorium offered rest and care to tuberculosis patients. Once patients had recovered from their illness, returning to regular working life often proved to be difficult. In order to prepare patients better for their reintegration, the sanatorium developed a modern treatment: occupational therapy. One of the ways this took shape was in the production of wooden toys. These toys were given the name ADO; an abbreviation that initially stood for Arbeid door Onvolwaardigen (Labour by the Deficient), but was wisely changed in 1962 to Apart Doelmatig Onverwoestbaar (roughly translated as Special Functional Indestructible?)

Price: 1.250,00

http://www.merzbaufurniture.com

Hague School (early c20th)

Writing desk. Circa 1920s. oak and coromandel wood.

159.5cm wide x 84.5cm deep x 74.5cm high

A well proportioned sturdy desk in the Dutch art deco/modernist style. There are various compartments and pull out shelves inside. The top was once also brown but has been darkened to a very befitting dark brown/black. (Note: the locks are not working on the two doors)

Price: 3.200 euro

http://www.merzbaufurniture.com

Marcel Breuer (Hn/USA 1902-81)

B40 Dining Chairs in Nickel-Plated Tubular Steel and Eisengarn fabric by Marcel Breuer for Tecta, 1980s. Set of 4

A rare set of four modernist chairs. Originally designed in the 1920s, this set were produced by Tecta who used sturdy eisengarn fabric common to Bauhaus chairs in the c20th (eisengarn labels to underside of seats). The tubular steel frames are very close the originals in nickel plated fine steel that makes them incredibly light and yet robust in their construction.

Price: 2.750 euro (currently on hold until wed. 7th Oct)

http://www.merzbaufurniture.com

Wim den Boon (Nl. 1912-1968)

1967. Storage boxes. Beech wood. Each 55 x 65 x 28cm high.

A set of four solid beech wood storage boxes that were designed by the Dutch mid-century architect Wim den Boon. They were designed and made specifically for a client in Laren in the Netherlands. We have a drawing by the architect (that will be supplied with the boxes) that shows the boxes were originally designed to go underneath an in-built sofa to add extra storage space to the room.
They each have wheels that enable them to be rolled around easily. They can also be stacked as shown (although they were not originally designed to be stacked and they are quite heavy).

Price: 1.250 euro

http://www.merzbaufurniture.com

Jan de Jong (Nl 1917-2001) / Dom Hans van der Laan

Rare Bossche School bench for Vincentius Church, Netherlands. 1964.

162.5 x 45 x 52.5cm high.

Early design bench (1964, Netherlands) by Jan de Jong, the Dutch Bossche School architect and protegé of the Dutch Benedictine monk and architect Dom Hans v.d. Laan. The bench was made for and used in the Vincentius a Paulo church in Eindhoven; an important early example of Bossche School architecture by De Jong. 

The installation of the furniture for the church was made under the supervision of Dom Hans v.d. Laan. Essentially it was through these early Jan de Jong projects that Dom Hans v.d. Laan was able to witness the realisation of his complex design ideas and beliefs for what was possibly one of the first times.

Price: 5.750 euro

http://www.merzbaufurniture.com

Junzo Sakakura and Daisaku Cho (Japan c20th)

Tendo, Japan. Circa 1970s. (makers label to back). Veneered plywood with original upholstery.

A scarce (outside of Japan) original Teiza Isu (low chair) model 5016 lounge chair. Designed in 1960 by Junzo Sakakura and Daisaku Cho who were prominent Japanese modernist figures who collaborated on iconic postwar furniture.

As the name “low chair” suggests, the low seat, at 29cm, allows you to sit cross-legged or with your legs stretched out. The rear of the seat is slightly sloped, and the thick cushion supports your body, allowing you to sit without straining your lower back.

Original fabric with some minor signs of age and use.

Price: 3.700 euro

http://www.merzbaufurniture.com

Gaetano Pesce (Italy 1939-2024)

Cassina 1980s. Designed by Gaetano Pesce in the 1980s this is a rare early low back edition feltri (felt) chair which was purchased from its first owner.

113cm wide (at its widest with quilt attached) x 83cm deep x 72cm high (seat height is 44cm)

The feltri chair is a radical 1980s Italian design that brought craft materials and thinking into the realm of product design. Pesce was aware (like the artist Joseph Beuys in the 70s) of the symbolism of felt as an industrial material – serving as a metaphor for warmth, survival and psychological protection. The feltri was manufactured with detachable quilt back and seat covers a variety of colourways  (like many products during the era) in order to appeal to the taste of customers. This chair has a black seat and extra back cushion and a light soft pink detachable quilt (the previous owner used it mostly without the quilt). 

Price: 3.900 euro

http://www.merzbaufurniture.com

Gino Sarfatti (Italy 1912-85)

Iconic Gino Sarfatti Model 213 wall lamp designed for Arteluce in 1956. Aluminium shade.

A rare classic Italian modernist lamp in all original, vintage used condition.

Price: 6.800 euro

http://www.merzbaufurniture.com