Although now dubbed the King of Slovenian Design, Niko Kralj was for many years one of the great unsung heroes of industrial design.
The late architect and furniture designer Kralj was known for groundbreaking seating and tables that seamlessly blend functionality with an elegant economy of line. He received little recognition outside his own country, despite registering 120-plus patents and models, including those for the Mosquito bar stool — named for its winglike seat and first produced in 2012 — and a number of inventive “foldables,” like the Rex coffee table and Rex daybed for children.
Sleek and space-saving, Kralj's iconic foldable Rex rocking chair was created in 1956 — it epitomizes his sleek and laconic minimalism, conveying a sense of strength and fluidity, both in its pleasingly geometric open form and its gracefully arching folded silhouette. A contemporary version of Kralj’s mid-century masterwork is produced by the Ljubljana-based furniture company Rex Kralj.
Over the course of his career, Kralj also established close ties with such design giants as Charles and Ray Eames, Richard Buckminster Fuller, Olof Pira and Ilmari Tapiovaara, all proponents, like him, of an aesthetic that inhabits the sweet spot between elegant simplicity and pragmatism.
Today, Kralj’s timeless rocking chairs are in the collections of a number of international museums, including New York’s Museum of Modern Art, Copenhagen’s Designmuseum Denmark and the National Technical Museum Prague.
Find vintage Niko Kralj furniture on 1stDibs.
$366Sale Price|20% Off
Desk chair 1950s
By Niko Kralj, Stol Kamnik
Located in Ljubljana, SI
Industrial look desk chair from 1950s. Comfortable to sit in and rest a bit. Proves to be a design classic. Beautiful vintage patina.
Steel
Shell Lounge Square Chair in Natural Walnut with upholstery seat in leather
By Niko Kralj
Located in Ljubljana, SI
With a square frame holding two shells, the Shell Square Lounge is an interesting blend of striking geometric lines in metal and softly curved plywood. Niko Kralj elevated the Shell Chair to a new level, displaying the infinite possibilities of the shell concept. For the ultimate in luxury and relaxation, the Shell Square Lounge can be upholstered in sumptuous leather or fabric and used in conjunction with the Shell Footstool. Shell Lounge Square designed mid-century architect and designer Niko Kralj in 1956. Niko developed the notion of using two plywood parts in the early 1950s, aiming to create an ergonomic ‘Lupina’ chair that formed a single, basic component. With various shapes, applications and frames, the concept has been used for decades in offices and homes as well as for public seating...
Walnut
$2,422 / item
H 27.96 in W 19.69 in D 27.56 in
Contemporary Mexican Easy Chair in Walnut Wood and Natural Leather Seat
By Laura Noriega
Located in Guadalajara, Jal.
The “Your Skin” easy chair is a comfortable low chair with a solid and light structure perfect to accentuate with its impeccable and minimal aesthetics the decoration in every room o...
Leather, Walnut
1950s Italian Chiavari Brass Ballroom Chair
By Chiavari
Located in Buchanan, NY
A stunning Italian Mid-Century Modern brass ballroom chair with upholstered seat by Chiavari. This mid century brass ballroom chair by Chiavari is a mu...
Brass
Hunting Chairs, Sweden, 1950s
Located in Antwerp, BE
Set of hunting chairs and matching table - 1950s Mid-century hunting chairs set of three made in the 1950s in Sweden. The back of the chairs are made of two deer antlers while the l...
Antler
4 French 1950s Dining / Side Beech Chairs
Located in Long Island City, NY
4 French 1950s beechwood and vinyl upholstered side chairs. Price is per chair.
Beech
$6,790 / item
H 33 in W 24 in D 34 in
Midcentury, Line Lounge Chair by Michael van Beuren, Walnut & Velvet, by LUTECA
By Michael van Beuren, Luteca Furniture
Located in Los Angeles, CA
The Line lounge chair was designed in circa 1945 by Michael van Beuren, an American who trained at Germany's prestigious Bauhaus school and then immigrated to Mexico to become one of the most successful and sought after furniture designers of the 20th century. The Line chair has a distinctly Latin American flavor with its curved legs whilst honoring the international style...
Velvet, Walnut
Mid-Century Modern Walnut Frame Lounge Chair by Viko Baumritter
By Viko Baumritter
Located in Port Jervis, NY
Simple and elegant and in excellent vintage condition. Naugahyde remains in top condition and is quite comfy and stylish. Walnut frame is also in like new condition.
Naugahyde, Walnut
$2,400Sale Price|20% Off
H 28.58 in W 30 in D 28 in
Ib Kofod-Larsen Walnut Scandinavian Danish Modern Lounge Chair for Selig
By Selig, Ib Kofod-Larsen
Located in Wayne, NJ
Lovely chair by Ib Kofod-Larsen imported by Selig. It features stunning sculpted arms new Removable / Washable Cushion cover. The webbing is in good condition. The Selig emblem is pr...
Walnut
Pair Knoll Pfister Black Leather Lounge Chairs, 1980
By Charles Pfister, Knoll
Located in Chicago, IL
Pair Knoll Pfister Black Leather Lounge Chair, 1980. Original black leather is great condition.
Leather
Audoux & Minet Tripod Rope Chair, France, 1950s
By Adrien Audoux and Frida Minnet
Located in Lewes, East Sussex
A lovely rope and wood chair by Frida Minet and Adrien Audoux, 1950s, France. These unusual sculptural chairs are a typical Audoux et Minet modernist design incorporating elements of...
Rope, Wood
Set of 6 Fine French 1950s-1960s Dining Chairs
Located in Long Island City, NY
A set of six fine French Mid-Century sculptural solid oak side chairs.
Oak
Set of 4 Fine 1950s Dining Chairs
By Ateliers Saint Sabin
Located in Long Island City, NY
A set of four fine French mid-century "compass / gondola" solid beech side chairs.
Faux Leather, Beech
Early 1950s Eames DCM (Dining Chair Metal)
By Charles and Ray Eames
Located in Oakland, CA
Early 1950s Eames DCM with the silver dollar seat back tabs, constructed of ash with a chromed frame. The chair came from the original family whose owner was an architect in the Paci...
Chrome
1950s Rex Folding Plywood Chairs, Set of 4
By Niko Kralj
Located in High Point, NC
This cleverly folded plywood chair, is minimal, practical and functional. World renowned by designers for it's "calm contemporary elegance and a feelin...
Plywood
Set of Three Original Folding Rex Chairs by Niko Krajl ca. 1960s
By Niko Kralj
Located in Peabody, MA
Set of three mid-century modern "Rex" folding chairs, designed by Niko Krajl in 1952. This vintage set dates to the 1960s, and were made in Slovenia. Recognized by the Designmuseum...
Bentwood