Mid-Century Polished Aluminium and Black Leather Armchairs, Set of 2

Black leather and polished aluminium pair of armchairs designed by the renown Finnish designer Eero Aarnio. This stylish and elegant pair was produced by Mobel Italia, Italy in the 1960s. Both chairs are in great condition and can be perfectly used as they are. One of the two has some craquelure in the leather of the armrests as can be seen in the images.

Eero Aarnio (born 21 July 1932, in Helsinki) is a Finnish interior designer, noted for his innovative furniture designs in the 1960s, such as his plastic and fibreglass chairs. Aarnio studied at the Institute of Industrial Arts in Helsinki, and started his own office in 1962. The following year, he introduced his Ball Chair, a hollow sphere on a stand, open on one side to allow a person to sit within. The Ball Chair was introduced to the international public at the Asko stand at the Cologne furniture fair in 1966. The similar Bubble Chair was clear and suspended from above. Other innovative designs included his Pastil Chair (a beanbag-like molded armchair), and Tomato Chair (a seat molded between three supporting spheres). His Screw Table, as the name suggests, had the appearance of a flat head screw driven into the ground. He was awarded the American Industrial Design award in 1968.
Aarnio’s designs were an important aspect of 1960s popular culture, and could often be seen as part of sets in period science-fiction films. Because his designs used very simple geometric forms, they were ideal for such productions. Eero Aarnio continues to create new designs, including toys and furniture for children.