‘Soriana’ Lounge Chair & Ottoman. Cassina 1970s / early edition.
Early edition chair and ottoman. The chair does have a few 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.
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.
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
A very rare long teak sideboard with sliding doors designed by one of the best of Danish designers for one of the top Danish companies. The beauty with these sideboards is both the simplicity and modesty of design combined with the highest quality of finish visible especially in the details. It has easy sliding doors and a variety of shelves and drawers inside that can be easily adjusted to the required height.
Brutalist / Structuralist chair. Netherlands. Circa 1960s/70s.
Steel & leather/hide.
An interesting architectural chair. Its construction and manufacture lead us to believe that it is possibly a prototype? – Its design reflects the style of post-war structuralist architecture/interiors typical of several Rotterdam architects from the period. (we are still researching the design).
Unique bespoke table that was commissioned as part the furnishings of the Bethlehem Church built in 1979 in Breda. The church was designed by two Bossche School architects: Hans van der Laan (the nephew of Dom Hans vd Laan) together with the architect Harry van Hal. The table is solid, beautifully built and heavy. . Solid merbau wood. 175.5 x 131 x 76cm
The model 020 ‘Stick’ chair was designed by Dutch industrial designer Bruno Ninaber van Eyben in 1977.
The design is made up of three constituent parts that fit together: two pieces of angled plywood and a length of stick with a round profile. The stick in the middle connects the plywood pieces and functions as the backbone and strength of the chair.
These rare chairs were manufactured in very limited numbers due to the production costs and difficulties. Only 150 of these chairs were produced. Apart from its low production numbers the other reason that so few exist is because they can easily get damaged – Due to the stool’s fragility we recommend that it should be purchased by a design lover that appreciates its sculptural qualities rather than its functionality!