Marco Zanuso Sir Chair

Newly reupholstered in dark blue velvet.

A collaboration between Italian designer Marco Zanusi and Italian furniture manufacturer Artflex in the late 1940s and early 1950s saw the arrival of a new Sir and Lady on the scene. Each had curvaceous forms, slender legs, and plush velvety texture.

The Sir and Lady are, of course, the famous chairs that have been signature Artflex pieces for more than sixty years. In 1948 Artflex commissioned Zanuso to design its first furniture models using new foam-rubber upholstery. Zanuso praised the material as it enabled designers to revolutionise the system of upholstery and structural manufacturing, and to create visually exciting and inventive contours.

Zanuso designed the Sir Chair in 1949 and the Lady Chair in 1951 and each consisted of a series of elements that were individually upholstered and then assembled together. Overall, the chairs are a vision of comfort, elegance, and a whimsical and voluptuous sense of form.