Group& – [merzbau]

Wim den Boon (Nl.1912-1968)

Bespoke lounge chair. 1960s.

Original lacquered steel frame (swivel back rest) with slung leather seat and back.

65 x 65 x 68cm high (seat height 32.5 cm)

An important lounge chair by Wim den Boon. This is an historical piece of furniture and an important part of the legacy of Wim den Boon as an important Dutch architect and interior designer.

Wim Den Boon was a Dutch designer, interior designer and architect. Den Boon was a strict thinking man who believed strongly in the transforming capacities of architecture and design who left behind a small body of work. Most of his furniture was made for specific projects. This particular chair is a fine example of Den Boon’s work and dates from the early 1960s . The second photo shows this chair in its original setting (photo: NAI Rotterdam).
It has new leather upholstery. The new leather is a copy after the original upholstery as can be seen in the last photo.

We have a collection of furniture in stock by Wim den Boon of which most pieces are bespoke pieces that were commissioned for private homes in the Netherlands (and come with provenance – see other listings)

Price: 3.400 euro

http://www.merzbaufurniture.com

Wim den Boon (Nl. 1912-68)

A small wall mounted oregon pine desk (ladies desk) with accompanying drawer unit.

128 x 39.5 x 72cm high
Designed and made to commission for a private residence in Laren, NL in the 1960s (Like much of den Boon’s work this item documented at the Het Nieuwe Instituut, Rotterdam). It was initially designed to work as a vanity unit, although nowadays can be used as a neat little desk.

Purchased from its initial owner who commissioned it amongst other furniture specifically for their home.

Between the 1950s & 60s, Dutch designer and architect Wim den Boon was at the height of his powers. His success alongside other designers as ‘Group &’ (including Hein Stolle, etc.) and later with Goed Wonen lay in the fact that his purist design of the interiors and furniture fitted in seamlessly with the functionalist design of the late thirties. (Goed Wonen was a foundation and leading magazine formed after the war with the aim of “raising the standard of living in the Netherlands by improving home furnishings in the broadest sense of the word…”)

Den Boon wrote several articles for Goed Wonen – His articles are almost without exception educational, presenting readers sometimes quite forcibly with the liberating nature of the new design. His polemical character, stubbornness, and especially the strongly didactic tone of his articles was too much for many employees and readers of Goed Wonen and in 1950 the editors forced him to resign. It was also around 1950 that he broke his relationship with ‘Groep &’ and established himself as an independent interior designer in The Hague. From then on, his interior designs are increasingly characterised by a very careful treatment of the space that can be very strict, deliberate, and sober but also highly refined. Throughout this golden period of the 50s-60s, an extensive oeuvre was created, varying from small renovations and furniture designs to complete new construction projects for private individuals such as those who commissioned this piece.

This is a unique piece of Dutch mid-century modern design history (please note that we are also selling other items that came out of the same house)

Minor superficial wear and tear. A scratch to the top of the drawer unit and some minor discolouring.

Price: 1.450 euro

http://www.merzbaufurniture.com