Created from minimal materials in 1969 by Italian industrial designer and architect Cesare “Joe” Colombo (1930–71), the Tube chair is a sculptural representation of comfort and efficiency. Fitting to its name, the sprawling seat is made from four PVC plastic tubes of different diameters cushioned with polyurethane foam and fastened together with metal clasps. All of the components can be neatly tucked inside of each other, like a Russian doll, making it easy to move and stow away.
Lauded for such unconventional seating as the Elda chair and the Joe Glove armchair, Colombo started out as a painter and studied architecture at the Polytechnic University in Milan before putting his avant-garde spin on product design.
Today, Colombo is revered as a master of modern Italian design thanks to his provocative modular furniture that embodies the future-forward spirit of the Space Age. Colombo believed that furniture should be “interchangeable and programmable,” and the Tube chair’s arrangement of cylinders is as playful as it is integral to adaptability and convenience, properties its maker intended for this pioneering work.
Like his Additional Living System seating in 1967, the individual tubes are designed to be assembled into different configurations in order to best accommodate the sitter. The piece, which was initially accompanied by a cotton drawstring bag for portability, was originally produced by the Italian furniture company Flexform and since 2016 has been available through Cappellini.
Early Edition Pair of Joe Colombo Tube Chair for Flexform, Italy
By Joe Colombo
Located in Brussels, BE
Early Edition Pair of Joe Colombo Tube Chairs for Flexform The Tube Chair, designed in 1969 by Joe Colombo for Flexform, is an iconic example of radical Italian design. Composed of ...
Fabric, Plastic, Wood
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...
Bouclé, Fiberglass
$14,600
H 36.82 in W 39.77 in D 37.01 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...
Leather, Fiberglass
Elda Lounge Chair by Joe Colombo for Comfort, Italy 1960s
By Joe Colombo, Comfort, Italy
Located in bruxelles, BE
Swivel armchair in beige canvas and black shell by Joe Colombo. Elda model. Seat height 40 cm. Wear due to time and age of armchair. FOR SHIPPING, REQUEST US FOR RECEIVE THE BEST PRICE
Fiberglass, Canvas
$5,950 / item
H 23.23 in W 27.56 in D 25.99 in
Joe Colombo Chair No. 4801, Black Plywood, Kartell, Italy, 1960s, One of Two
By Kartell, Joe Colombo
Located in Hausmannstätten, AT
One of two "interlocking" lounge chairs designed by Joe Colombo for Kartell, Italy, manufactured in midcentury. Joe Colombo's iconic 4801 armchair was designed in 1963-1964. A modern chair with striking visual appeal by the master of Italian Space Age design. A limited number of wood 4801 chairs...
Plywood
Joe Colombo 'Supercomfort' Armchair for B-Line
By Joe Colombo
Located in Tilburg, NL
Joe Colombo 'Supercomfort' Armchair for B-Line. Designed in 1964. New, current production. The Supercomfort armchair designed by Joe Colombo is the result of a meticulous ergonomi...
Leather, Oak
$17,397 / set
H 27.01 in W 31.01 in D 31.5 in
Joe Colombo 20th Century Pair of Armchairs from the Series “Additional System”
By Joe Colombo
Located in Barcelona, ES
Pair of armchairs From the series “Additional System” Manufactured by Sormani Italy, 1968 From the archives of Side Gallery Barcelona Aluminium,...
Aluminum
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 ...
Bouclé, Fiberglass
$11,159 / set
H 27.56 in W 27.96 in D 29.93 in L 27.56 in
Pair of Nastro Lounge Chairs by Joe Colombo for Bonacina 1889, Re-edition
By Bonacina 1889, Joe Colombo
Located in Hellouw, NL
Few designers captured the optimism of post-war Italian design quite like Joe Colombo. Known for his forward-looking vision and unconventional approach to furniture and interiors, Co...
Rattan
Joe Colombo Sella 1001 Lounge Chair, Italy, 1970
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Original Sella 1001 lounge chair designed by Joe Colombo, Italy, 1970. One of Colombo’s most distinctive seating designs, the Sella 1001 combines a dramatically curved molded shell ...
Acrylic, Plywood
Joe Colombo Chair 300 for Karakter
By Joe Colombo
Located in Barcelona, Barcelona
Joe Colombo Chair 300 for Karakter Designed by the forward-thinking Italian designer Joe Colombo, Chair 300 is a beautiful example of his funct...
Wood
$11,900 / set
H 23.23 in W 27.56 in D 25.99 in
Pair of Joe Colombo Chairs No. 4801, Black Plywood Wood, Kartell, Italy, 1960s
By Joe Colombo, Kartell
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...
Plywood, Wood, Bentwood
$21,188
H 36.23 in W 36.23 in D 36.23 in
Golden Limited Edition Elda Chair by Joe Colombo for Longhi Italy no. 8/20
By Longhi, Joe Colombo
Located in Nagykovácsi, Central Hungary
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...
Metal
Sold
H 25.2 in W 24.41 in D 42.52 in
Early edition 'Tube Chair' designed by by Joe Colombo for Flexform, 1960s
By Joe Colombo
Located in amstelveen, NL
Joe Colombo, Tube chair, Flexform, Italy, circa 1969. This is a genuine 1st edition Joe Colombo's Classic "Tube" or "Tubo" chair, constructed from fiberglass shells overlaid with f...
Steel
Joe Colombo Tube Chair
By Joe Colombo, Flexform
Located in Brooklyn, NY
Original first-issue Tube lounge chair, designed by Joe Colombo for Flexform. A highly collectible example of Italian postmodern design by the vision...
PVC
Joe Colombo Tube Chair
By Flexform, Joe Colombo
Located in New York, NY
Produced in the 1960s the tube chair but Joe Colombo is a unique play on shapes and space. Like Russian dolls, the plastic tubes stack and fit in one-anothe...
Foam, PVC
Tube Chair by Joe Colombo
By Joe Colombo
Located in Brussels, BE
Iconic tube chair by Joe Colombo, 1969. Manufactured by Flexform. Modular chair with plastic tubes, foam and covered by a polyurethane coat.
Plastic
Joe Colombo Tubo Chair
By Joe Colombo
Located in Wargrave, Berkshire
Joe Colombo for Flexform, Italy, circa 1969. This is a genuine vintage example of Colombo's Classic "Tube" or "Tubo" chair, constructed from fiber glass shells overlaid with foam and...
"Tube Chair" by Joe Colombo for Flexform, 1968-1969
By Joe Colombo
Located in New York, NY
"Tube Chair" in four parts. Designed by Joe Colombo for Flexform, Italy, 1968-1969. Joe Colombo, Italian architect and designer, responded to the changing social conditions of the...
Foam, PVC
