Skip to main content
Elda Armchair
Iconic Designs

Elda ArmchairBy Joe Colombo

About the Design

With its bulbous fiberglass shell and plush leather cushions, the Elda chair looks as if it belongs on a big-budget 1970s-era film set. That’s just where you’ll find it — the piece made its feature-film debut in the 1977 James Bond movie The Spy Who Loved Me. The chair was created by Cesare "Joe" Colombo (1930–71), an Italian artist-turned-industrial-designer known for his retro-futuristic works. Colombo started his career as an artist, studying painting at the Accademia di Belle Arti di Brera in Milan before he went on to study architecture at the Polytechnic University. Throughout the 1950s, Colombo found a home within the Abstract Expressionist movement, creating paintings and sculptures that were exhibited throughout Europe.

Colombo’s focus shifted to design when he took over his family business, an electrical appliance manufacturing company, where he experimented with industrial production techniques. In 1962, he opened his own architecture and design firm. With a focus on futuristic living systems inspired by the technological advances of the space race, Colombo created everything from air-conditioning units to dinnerware to furniture, most famously the 1963 Elda chair.

Named after Colombo’s wife, the Elda chair was designed to wholly surround its sitter, as if it were hugging them. The designer envisioned the chair to be a place of comfort in the home from which you could use digital technology to connect with the world — as it turns out, Colombo had impressive foresight. A year following his death, Colombo’s design work was included in the 1972 exhibition “Italy: The New Domestic Landscape” at the Museum of Modern Art in New York City.

Elda Armchair

to
9
2
10
10
10
8
2
Elda Chair by Joe Colombo for Comfort - 1960's Italy
By Joe Colombo
Located in Lisboa, PT
Iconic Elda Chair by Joe Colombo for Comfort - Collectible Design Masterpiece The Elda Chair, designed by visionary Italian designer Joe Colombo for Comfort in the 1960s, is an unpa...
Category

Vintage 1960s Italian Mid-Century Modern Armchairs

Materials

Leather, Fiberglass

Joe Colombo Swivel "Elda" Italian Lounge Chair
By Joe Colombo, Comfort, Italy
Located in Vienna, AT
Lounge chair designed by Joe Colombo (1930-1971) in 1963 model "Elda"for Comfort. Made of fiberglass structure reupholstered with creme bouclé fabric which make it very unique. It ha...
Category

Vintage 1960s Swiss Mid-Century Modern Armchairs

Materials

Bouclé, Fiberglass

Elda Swivel Lounge Chair by Joe Colombo for Comfort Italy, circa 1963
By Joe Colombo, Comfort, Italy
Located in Virginia Beach, VA
A swivel lounge chair in Fiberglass and black Leather. All original Elda Chair Designed By Joe Colombo for Comfort Italy. A unique design that sits on a hidden swivel base that spins...
Category

Vintage 1960s Italian Mid-Century Modern Swivel Chairs

Materials

Leather, Fiberglass

Vintage Joe Colombo Elda Chair, Comfort Fratelli Longhi, Black Leather
By Joe Colombo, Comfort, Italy
Located in Brooklyn, NY
Original Elda Chair, designed by Joe Colombo and manufactured by Comfort Fratelli Longhi. The Elda Chair’s futuristic design reflects Colombo’s interest in space exploration and mode...
Category

20th Century Italian Space Age Lounge Chairs

Materials

Leather, Fiberglass

Vintage Iconic Joe Colombo Elda Armchair, Italian Space Age, White Leather
By Joe Colombo, Comfort, Italy
Located in Milano, IT
It’s 1963, Space Age is at its dawn, and Italian architect Joe Colombo designs a piece that will define the aesthetics of the era: we’re of course talking of the Elda chair, named af...
Category

Vintage 1960s Italian Space Age Armchairs

Materials

Leather, Fiberglass

Joe Colombo 'Elda' Lounge Chair, White Leather and Fibreglass, by Comfort, Italy
By Comfort, Italy, Joe Colombo
Located in Wargrave, Berkshire
Joe Colombo ‘Elda’ Lounge Chair, Black Leather and White Fibreglass Shell, Produced by Comfort, Italy. 93cm high, 95cm wide, 98cm deep. The Elda Chair was designed by Joe Colombo in...
Category

Vintage 1960s Italian Mid-Century Modern Lounge Chairs

Materials

Leather, Fiberglass

20th Century Italian "Elda" Black Leather Chair By Joe Colombo c.1970
By Joe Colombo
Located in Royal Tunbridge Wells, Kent
One of the most iconic design pieces of the 20th century, the Elda chair was designed by Joe Colombo in 1963. Utilising innovative manufacturing techniques, Colombo created this fibr...
Category

20th Century Italian Other Chairs

Materials

Leather, Fiberglass

Golden Limited Edition Elda Chair by Joe Colombo for Longhi Italy no. 7/20
By Joe Colombo
Located in Sas van Gent, NL
What more can be said about this iconic design by Joe Colombo that hasn’t been said before? A design far ahead of its time, on the verge of space age and modernism. Colombo was able...
Category

2010s Italian Space Age Armchairs

Materials

Metal

Elda Armchairs
By Joe Colombo
Located in Paris, FR
While visiting a shipyard, Joe Colombo was inspired by the hulls of ships to design a chair. He created a self-supporting fiberglass structure that was as robust as anything. This 3...
Category

Vintage 1970s Armchairs

Materials

Leather

Golden Limited Edition Elda Chair by Joe Colombo for Longhi Italy no. 8/20
By Longhi, Joe Colombo
Located in Budapest, HU
LONGHI celebrated the Elda chair's 60th anniversary by creating a limited edition golden chair based on Joe Colombo’s original ELDA design. The chair was on...
Category

2010s Italian Space Age Armchairs

Materials

Metal

Elda Armchair, Joe Colombo for Conforti, white leather, 1975
By Joe Colombo
Located in Milano, Lombardia
The Elda Armchair, designed by Joe Colombo for Comfort Italia in 1963, is an icon of modern design. Featuring an avant-garde and futuristic design, this armchair offers extraordinary...
Category

Vintage 1970s Italian Space Age Rocking Chairs

Materials

Leather, Fiberglass

Related Items
Space Age Pop Art Vintage Red Orange Plastic Dining Chairs Joe Colombo Italy Six
By Joe Colombo
Located in Vienna, AT
Space Age red and orange six plastic pop art vintage chairs or dining chairs model Universale designed by Joe Colombo 1965 - 1967 and executed by Kart...
Category

Vintage 1960s Italian Space Age Chairs

Materials

Plastic

Pair of Italian Leather Swivel Lounge Chairs
Located in Las Vegas, NV
Nice pair of leather swivel chairs. Chairs feature a unique leather slipcover giving them a real welcoming, sacky feel. Leather is butter soft in a dark smokey blue, a real cross b...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Swivel Chairs

Materials

Leather

Pair of Italian Leather Swivel Lounge Chairs
Pair of Italian Leather Swivel Lounge Chairs
$2,800 / set
H 35 in W 31 in D 37 in
Tubular Chair after Joe Colombo
By Joe Colombo
Located in Brooklyn, NY
Postmodern lounge chair made by an anonymous creator in the style of Joe Colombo's radical Tube Chair. Its playful silhouette is made up of four cylinders of varying sizes are fixed ...
Category

20th Century American Post-Modern Lounge Chairs

Materials

Faux Leather

Tubular Chair after Joe Colombo
Tubular Chair after Joe Colombo
$4,200
H 37 in W 31 in D 53 in
Kartell Joe Colombo Chair in Crystal by Joe Colombo
By Kartell, Joe Colombo
Located in Brooklyn, NY
A true symbol of Sixties design, famous also for being the only piece by Kartell made entirely of wood. Contemporary technology has made it possible to create the same product using ...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Lounge Chairs

Materials

Plastic

Kartell Joe Colombo Chair in Crystal by Joe Colombo
Kartell Joe Colombo Chair in Crystal by Joe Colombo
$4,351 / item
H 22.5 in W 28.38 in D 25.63 in
Joe Columbo Elda Lounge Armchair Chair Vintage c 1970's
By Joe Colombo
Located in Chicago, IL
In 1964, Joe Colombo designed the Elda fibreglass armchair for Comfort. The "Elda" Armchair is one of the most well-known designs of Italian designer Joe Colombo and was named after ...
Category

Vintage 1970s Italian Mid-Century Modern Lounge Chairs

Materials

Leather, Fiberglass

Pair of Joe Colombo Chairs No. 4801, Black Plywood Wood, Kartell, Italy, 1960s
By Kartell, Joe Colombo
Located in Hausmannstätten, AT
A pair of "interlocking" lounge chairs by Joe Colombo for Kartell, Italy, manufactured in Mid-Century, circa 1963. Joe Colombo's iconic 4801 armchair was designed in 1963/1964. A mod...
Category

Vintage 1960s Italian Mid-Century Modern Armchairs

Materials

Plywood, Wood, Bentwood

Italian Swivel Lounge Chair in Yellow Upholstery
Located in Waalwijk, NL
Lounge chair, leatherette, wood, Italy, 1970s Large and comfortable winged lounge chair in yellow faux-leather upholstery. The rounded overall shape of the easy chair, with the wings reaching towards the armrests, makes sure that the chair almost hugs the seater. I would like to bring to your attention that we have a second chair...
Category

Vintage 1970s Italian Mid-Century Modern Lounge Chairs

Materials

Wood, Faux Leather

Italian Swivel Lounge Chair in Yellow Upholstery
Italian Swivel Lounge Chair in Yellow Upholstery
$3,850
H 35.44 in W 39.38 in D 39.38 in
Joe Colombo ROLL chiars for Sormani Italy 1960s
By Joe Colombo
Located in Padova, IT
A pair of very rare an Space Age icons chairs designed by Joe Colombo Roll and produced in Italy by Sormani from 1962 to 1964. Burnished iron frame an...
Category

Late 20th Century Italian Space Age Armchairs

Materials

Iron

Joe Colombo ROLL chiars for Sormani Italy 1960s
Joe Colombo ROLL chiars for Sormani Italy 1960s
$22,682 / set
H 27.96 in W 31.5 in D 27.56 in
Joe Colombo Swivel "Elda" Leather Lounge Chair
By Joe Colombo, Comfort, Italy
Located in Vienna, AT
Lounge chair designed by Joe Colombo (1930-1971) in 1963 model "Elda"for Comfort. Made of fiberglass structure upholstered with black and white leather which make it very unique. It ...
Category

Vintage 1960s Swiss Mid-Century Modern Armchairs

Materials

Bouclé, Fiberglass

Joe Colombo Swivel "Elda" Leather Lounge Chair
Joe Colombo Swivel "Elda" Leather Lounge Chair
$11,900
H 37.8 in W 39.38 in D 37.41 in
Joe Colombo for Comfort Lounge Chair 'Elda' in Black Leather and Fiberglass
By Comfort, Italy, Joe Colombo
Located in Waalwijk, NL
Joe Colombo for Comfort, lounge chair ‘Elda’, fiberglass, leather, Italy, 1963 The ‘Elda’ chair is one of the most well-known designs of Italian designer Joe Colombo. This lounge ch...
Category

Vintage 1960s Italian Post-Modern Lounge Chairs

Materials

Leather, Fiberglass

Vintage Swivel Pod Chairs by Joe Colombo for Lusch Erzeugnis Germany
By Joe Colombo, Lusch Erzeugnis, Lusch & Co
Located in Brooklyn, NY
Take post-modern interior design for a spin with these funky goblet-shaped swivel chairs conceived by Italian designer Joe Colombo for West Germany's Lusch Erzeugnis chair company! T...
Category

Mid-20th Century German Mid-Century Modern Lounge Chairs

Materials

Faux Leather, Naugahyde, Plastic

Cognac leather and white Elda chair by Joe Colombo for Longhi Italy
By Joe Colombo
Located in Sas van Gent, NL
What more can be said about this iconic design by Joe Colombo that hasn’t been said before? A design far ahead of its time, on the verge of space age and modernism. Colombo was able...
Category

2010s Italian Space Age Armchairs

Materials

Metal

Cognac leather and white Elda chair by Joe Colombo for Longhi Italy
Cognac leather and white Elda chair by Joe Colombo for Longhi Italy
$11,921 Sale Price
28% Off
H 36.23 in W 36.23 in D 36.23 in
Previously Available Items
Vintage Elda Lounge Chair in mocha by Joe Colombo for Comfort Italy 1970s
By Comfort, Italy, Joe Colombo
Located in ABCOUDE, UT
This special edition in mocha leather and a matching mocha fiberglass shell, is one we have not came across before. Created in the 1970s in Italy by renowned designer Joe Colombo, na...
Category

Vintage 1970s Lounge Chairs

Materials

Leather, Fiberglass

Joe Colombo for Comfort Fratelli "Elda" Chair
By Joe Colombo
Located in Astoria, NY
Joe Colombo for Comfort Fratelli Longhi "Elda" Black Leather Swivel Chair, on black fiberglass base, fabric marked "Comfort" to underside of seat cushion. 36.25" H x 37.5" W x 32" D;...
Category

Mid-20th Century Italian Mid-Century Modern Lounge Chairs

Materials

Leather, Fiberglass

Joe Colombo for Comfort Fratelli "Elda" Chair
By Joe Colombo
Located in Astoria, NY
Joe Colombo for Comfort Fratelli Longhi "Elda" Black Leather Swivel Chair, on black fiberglass base, fabric marked "Comfort" to underside of seat cushion. 36.25" H x 37.5" W x 32" D;...
Category

Mid-20th Century Italian Lounge Chairs

Materials

Leather, Fiberglass

Joe Colombo Swivel "Elda" Lounge Chair
By Comfort, Italy, Joe Colombo
Located in Vienna, AT
Lounge chair designed by Joe Colombo (1930-1971) in 1963 model "Elda"for Comfort. Made of fiberglass structure upholstered. It has a swivel base of 360 degrees rotation and wheels th...
Category

Vintage 1960s Swiss Mid-Century Modern Armchairs

Materials

Bouclé, Fiberglass

Joe Colombo Swivel "Elda" Lounge Chair
Joe Colombo Swivel "Elda" Lounge Chair
H 37.8 in W 39.38 in D 37.41 in
Rare vintage original Joe Colombo Elda chair by comfort Italy 1960 black leather
By Joe Colombo, Comfort, Italy
Located in Ijzendijke, NL
Original vintage ''Elda chair'' by Joe Colombo for Comfort Italy 1960. Most desired version of black leather and white fiberglass. The ‘Elda’ chai...
Category

Vintage 1960s Italian Mid-Century Modern Lounge Chairs

Materials

Leather, Fiberglass

Joe Colombo For Sormani Roll Brown Leather Spring Steel Armchair Pair (2) , 1962
By Sormani, Joe Colombo
Located in Vienna, AT
Pair of Joe Colombo for Sormani, Roll Brown Leather Spring Steel Armchairs, Pair (2) , 1962- The price is for the pair! Very stylish pair of armchairs designed by Joe Colombo in 196...
Category

Vintage 1960s Italian Mid-Century Modern Armchairs

Materials

Steel

Poltrona 'Elda' Joe Colombo per Comfort, 1965
By Joe Colombo, Comfort, Italy
Located in Milano, IT
Iconica poltrona modello 'Elda', disegnata da Joe Colombo e prodotta da Comfort a partire dal 1965. Struttura e scocca in fibra di vetro, seduta e schienale rivestiti da cuscini in ...
Category

Vintage 1960s Italian Mid-Century Modern Armchairs

Materials

Leather

Poltrona 'Elda' Joe Colombo per Comfort, 1965
Poltrona 'Elda' Joe Colombo per Comfort, 1965
H 35.83 in W 38.59 in D 37.8 in
Joe Colombo 1970s Additional System Chaise Lounge
By Joe Colombo
Located in Padova, IT
One of the most iconic Space Age design by Joe Colombo for Sormani, Italy, 1970s. The "Additional System" seating system consisting of a series...
Category

Vintage 1970s Italian Mid-Century Modern Chaise Longues

Materials

Aluminum

Joe Colombo Italian Brown Leather Elda Armchair, 1960s
By Joe Colombo
Located in Basildon, London
Originally designed by Joe Colombo in 1965 after he visited a shipyard where the boat hulls were made from fibreglass, and named after his wife, the Elda armchair has become a true d...
Category

Vintage 1960s Italian Space Age Armchairs

Materials

Leather

Joe Colombo ‘Elda’ Lounge Chair in White Leather and White Fiberglass
By Joe Colombo
Located in Hilversum, NL
Joe Colombo lounge chair model ‘Elda’, fiberglass, white leather, Italy, design 1963, 1971 production. 1st owner. The ‘Elda’ chair is one of the most well-known designs of Italian d...
Category

Late 20th Century Italian Mid-Century Modern Lounge Chairs

Materials

Leather, Fiberglass

Elda Lounge Chair in Red Leather by Joe Colombo for Comfort Italy 1970s
By Comfort, Italy, Joe Colombo
Located in ABCOUDE, UT
Iconic design chair by top designer Joe Colombo. The Elda chairs were produced by Comfort Italy from the early 60s. The rotating white fibreglass shell gives the chair a clean look a...
Category

Vintage 1960s Lounge Chairs

Materials

Leather, Fiberglass

Joe Colombo Elda Chair Wrapped in Grey Belgian Boucle, 1960's
By Joe Colombo
Located in Culver City, CA
This chair is absolutely iconic-- designed by Joe Colombo in the 1960's this chair can be seen in the homes of tastemakers and celebrities like Alexander Werz and Jonathan Adler. This chair was designed in 1965 and this example is an early original example by Comfort Italia that has been completely reupholstered and wrapped in a fine Belgian boucle...
Category

Vintage 1960s Italian Mid-Century Modern Lounge Chairs

Materials

Bouclé

More Joe Colombo Designs
Coupe Lighting Series
Coupe Lighting Series
Average Price
$3,484
Number Available
25
Coupe Lighting Series
Materials
Metal, Aluminum, Chrome
Styles
Mid Century Modern
Shop All
Boby Trolley
Boby Trolley
Average Price
$960
Number Available
25
Boby Trolley
Materials
Plastic
Styles
Mid Century Modern
Shop All
Joe Colombo Topo Lamp
Joe Colombo Topo Lamp
Average Price
$997
Number Available
16
Joe Colombo Topo Lamp
Materials
Metal, Chrome, Steel
Styles
Mid Century Modern
Shop All
Joe Colombo Spider Lamp Series
Joe Colombo Spider Lamp Series
Average Price
$2,332
Number Available
14
Joe Colombo Spider Lamp Series
Materials
Metal, Aluminum, Chrome
Styles
Mid Century Modern
Shop All