Categories / Design and Interiors

Zanotta 1960s space age Karelia armchair reissued

Karelia

Is your home lacking some mad space age design? You might want to consider investing in the Zanotta Karelia armchair.

A bizarre piece of seating that could only come from the 1960s, It was actually design in 1966 by Liisi Beckmann, offering a polyurethane foam frame covered in either white, yellow, green, red, blue or black vinyl Texiré fabric. Alternatively, you can go upmarket and opt for leather upholstery in various coloured finishes.

Either way, you get a seat that's unlikely to impress your gran, but is sure to be a talking point for almost everyone else. Whether any of them would want to sit on those ridges? Well, that's another matter altogether. Prices start at £1,255.

Find out more at the Nest website

Categories / Design and Interiors

Heal’s midcentury-style Dinky armchair in Lucienne Day-inspired fabric

Calyx

Looking for a bit of bold, midcentury style in your living room? Check out the Heal's Dinky armchair.

Dinky by name and in nature, this Heal's exclusive is designed to have a small footprint, with small foam seat and high back. Ideal is space is limited. That fabric is apparently a Heal's reinterpretation of Lucienne Day's Calyx fabric, adding an extra of 1950s cool.

Finished off with those angled legs in natural or dark stain, the chair sells for £1,295.

Find out more at the Heal's website

Categories / Design and Interiors

Poltrona Frau Sanluca 1960s armchair by Achille Castiglioni

Sanluca

From the man behind such gems as the Brionvega RR226 audio system and the Snoopy lamp comes a lesser-known reissue – the Poltrona Frau Sanluca armchair by Achille Castiglioni.

Designed in 1961, it's all about the curves, stripping out non-essential padding to create something that offers optimal support, as well as that other armchair essential – distintive good looks.

The chair has a rigid wooden structure, with upholstery in Pelle Frau leather and feet semi-glossed in black. Not cheap, as you might expect, selling for £3,724.75.

Find out more at the Nest website

Categories / Design and Interiors

1930s-style Niven armchair and footstool at Heals

Inven

New in at Heals is this Niven armchair and footstool, unmistakably inspired by the 1930s.

Love that sloping back and angled arms, not to mention those straight edges, all derived from a hardwood frame, with support from high-resilience foam and hollowfibre cushions. That upholstery is brown semi-aniline leather.

£995 gets you the armchair, with the footstool sold separately – that goes for £450.

Find out more at the Heals website

Categories / Design and Interiors

John Lewis midcentury-style Radio armchair in orange

Radio_chair

We did feature a version of this fairly recently in a particularly bold patterned fabric, but now John Lewis is offering its midcentury-style Radio armchair in a very retro shade of orange.

Ok, it's officially 'tangerine', but you know what we mean. It's still got that cool, 60s-style shape, splayed birch legs, rounded backrest, slim arms plus a hardwood frame and foam cushioning with Dacron fibre wrap for support.

It's made to order and retails for £799, with a matching footrest coming in at an additional £399.

Find out more at the John Lewis website

Categories / Design and Interiors

Mitch modernist-inspired armchair at John Lewis

Mitch1

I've said before that John Lewis is pretty much the best place on the high street for good quality, retro-inspired design. Not just the midcentury stuff either, with this Mitch armchair taking its inspiration from the pre-war era.

Although to be fair, it could have a touch of influence from the 1970s too with that mix of leather and polished steel. There's no denying that shape is inspired from the 1930s though, a large curved armed and sloping, ridged seat, perfect for kicking back after a hard day.

Available now, you can pre-order one now for £899. See over the page for a front-facing image.

Find out more at the John Lewis website

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