Kwok Hoi Chan (HK 1939-1990)

Rare sz15 lounge chair for ‘t Spectrum 1973.


This sculptural chair was manufactured for a short period during which time it is believed that around only 100 of the chairs were manufactured. This one was purchased from the first owner and is in superb original condition with only minimal signs of age and use.
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Tubular steel and thick leather 72x90x68cm

Price: 3.650 euro

http://www.merzbaufurniture.com

monotube chair

Wim van den Bergh (Nl.c20th)

chromed steel tube with leather slung seat. 48.5 wide x 67 deep x 73cm high.

Wim van den Bergh is an architect, writer, and professor of Housing and Design at RWTH Aachen.

An 80s homage to early modernism this is a highly elegant and rare chair: Only 30 examples of this chair were ever produced (by hand) of which the first prototype was commissioned by Museum Boijmans van Beuningen in Rotterdam in 1981.

Price: 4.500 euro

http://www.merzbaufurniture.com

Library storage unit

A wooden library / shelving unit.

1960s/70s. Teak veneer.

150 x 64 x 79.5cm high

Originally designed by Bauhaus architect Walter Gropius in the 1930s as a newspaper storage cabinet, this version was manufactured in small numbers in Italy in the 1960s (maker unknown).
Please note that this is a solid and well made item that is heavy (note: it can not be dismantled).

Price: 2.700 euro

http://www.merzbaufurniture.com

Sculptural palm wood furniture. Circa 1970s.

Unusual side chair (& table) – Hand-crafted/carved from solid palm wood (coconut wood). Originally purchased in the 1970s. The chair has a new drop-in bouclé upholstered seat.

Price: Chair: 1.220 euro / Table: SOLD

http://www.merzbaufurniture.com

Tulip chairs x8

Eero Saarinen (Finland/USA 1910-1961)

Knoll International. 1960s.

A rare set of original vintage model ‘Tulip’ chairs (these are the early versions with fixed bases).

Eero Saarinen’s Iconic Tulip Armchairs were designed in 1955-56 as part of his Pedestal Collection for Knoll. Saarinen sought to solve the issue of “the slum of legs” in traditional furniture by creating a chair with a single pedestal base, giving it a clean, sculptural appearance. While he originally envisioned the chair being made entirely of one material, technological limitations led to the use of a fiberglass seat and an aluminum base, painted to appear as a unified piece. The design, resembling both a flower and a wineglass, became revolutionary for its organic shape and simplicity. Its futuristic aesthetic, often associated with the Space Age, made it a staple of mid-century modern design.

Very good condition – The bases have been restored and the fiberglass shells have been cleaned. They have new cushions in chartreuse yellow/green upholstery with zip covers which are anchored to the seats using Velcro pieces to the underside.

Price: 7.000 euro (set of 8 – Note: we can also sell in sets of even numbers)

http://www.merzbaufurniture.com

Afra & Tobia Scarpa (Italy 1935- Now)

‘Soriana’ Lounge Chair & Ottoman. Cassina 1970s / early edition.

Early edition chair and ottoman. The chairs do have issues with the upholstery (fading/ one small hole and minor staining) and would benefit from being reupholstered. The ottoman is in better condition with absolute minimal signs of age and use.

Price: Chair 3.000 euro (one sold/one available) / Ottoman 1.900 euro

http://www.merzbaufurniture.com

Circa 1930s-40s table / desk

99.5 x 62 x 74.5cm high / solid oak construction.

Dutch oak constructivist table. A simple designed small side table (or desk) that combines classical and geometric block components to form a bold design table with quite an architectural feel to it.

There are some old marks and patina from years of use, but overall it is in good solid condition.

Price: 895 euro

http://www.merzbaufurniture.com

Isokon No.1 Stool

Venesta plywood table/stool for Isokon. 1930s

Plywood No.1 table/stool with its accompanying circular tray. Manufactured by Luterma. Both stool and tray are stamped/labelled Venesta.

The British furniture entrepreneur Jack Pritchard managed Venesta the import company for Luterma in England who later formed the Isokon furniture company which most notably employed Marcel Breuer. These tables/stools were distributed in England post 1933 until 1939 exclusively by Isokon alongside designs by Marcel Breuer and Egon Riss.

Although the designer of the stool remains anonymous, in 2004 the art historian Alastair Grieve described a modification of the original Luterma stool (of which this stool is one) when he wrote that the original design was subsequently re-designed by the architect and founder of the Bauhaus Walter Gropius (hired as a consultant to Isokon). The very slight alterations Gropius made was to include sharper curves to the cut-out squares of the stool. Gropius’s drawings for the redesign can reportedly be found in the collection of the V&A Museum, London.

The separate tray placed on top of the stool is unusual and rare in that it is much thinner than all other trays we have seen. This has led to some minor warping over time (which may have been why it was produced later with a thicker rim?) The thinner rimmed tray may suggest that this was an early production or at the least a more limited production?

h.46.5cm x w.44cm x d.44cm

Literature:-

  • Kermik, Juri (2004) The Luther factory: Plywood and furniture 1877-1940
  • Daybelge & Englund, (2019); Isokon and the Bauhaus in Britain
  • Pritchard, Jack (1984); View from a Long Chair: The Memoirs of Jack Pritchard

Price: 3.650 euro

http://www.merzbaufurniture.com