Mid-Century Modern Sculptural Rattan "Elephant Boot" Chair by Eero Aarnio
View Similar Items
Mid-Century Modern Sculptural Rattan "Elephant Boot" Chair by Eero Aarnio
About the Item
- Creator:Eero Aarnio (Designer)
- Dimensions:Height: 26 in (66.04 cm)Diameter: 34 in (86.36 cm)
- Style:Organic Modern (Of the Period)
- Materials and Techniques:
- Place of Origin:
- Period:
- Date of Manufacture:1970
- Condition:Wear consistent with age and use. excellent condition.
- Seller Location:Philadelphia, PA
- Reference Number:Seller: LNS1stDibs: LU1273224420682
Eero Aarnio
“I always look ahead, never back,” Finnish design legend Eero Aarnio has been quoted as saying. A leading innovator of modern furniture design, Aarnio has long embraced a bold, playful, confident and colorful style several steps ahead of his time.
For his 1954 entrance test for the Institute of Industrial Arts in Helsinki, Aarnio created a whimsical painting of a man reading a newspaper in a red, curved chair whose silhouette foreshadowed Aarnio’s Ball chair of 1963. That spherical seat skyrocketed him to design fame, and decades later, it is still recognized as one of the world’s most futuristic designs.
Born in 1932 to a house painter and a seamstress, Aarnio has always had a cheerful disposition and an independent spirit. He went his own way early on: After just two years at Asko, the big Scandinavian furniture company that originally produced his Ball chair, Aarnio established his own studio in 1962.
Over the next decade, the young visionary made an indelible mark on the world. Open-minded and entrepreneurial, Aarnio embraced the aesthetics, materials and technologies of the Swinging Sixties, working with a new generation of plastics and molding them into fluid, organically shaped, brightly hued forms.
Introduced at the 1966 Cologne Furniture Fair, the pod-like fiberglass Ball chair soon adorned the homes of movie stars and royalty, graced magazine covers around the world and was featured in films and ads. The groundbreaking seat originally came in orange, white, black, yellow and red and could be ordered with a telephone installed in it. Yet this designer of the future, as he was known in the 1960s, has always insisted that he didn’t deliberately seek to be associated with the decade’s sci-fi aesthetic.
“I had no intention to create either pop or Space Age design — as many people label my work,” Aarnio declares in one of the essays included in Eero Aarnio — Designer of Colour and Joy, a book jointly created by the Design Museum and publisher WSOY to accompany 2016’s “Eero Aarnio” exhibition.
The show featured a number of Aarnio’s objects, including his iconic Ball, Pastil (1967), Bubble (1968), Tomato (1971) and Pony (1973) chairs. These were joined by lesser-known seating and other objects like the rattan Juttujakkara, or mushroom, stool (1960); the sculptural Double Bubble lamp (2000), with which Aarnio first explored the possibilities of rotation-cast plastic; and the three-legged Rocket (1995) and Baby Rocket (2006) stools, both parts of a collection produced by Artek after Tom Dixon, the company’s creative director from 2004 to 2009, discovered the original piece in Aarnio’s kitchen.
“Aarnio expanded the whole idea of what constitutes furniture,” explained Suvi Saloniemi, the Design Museum’s chief curator. “His significance as a designer is crystallized in the liberation of form that he has introduced by discovering the properties of plastic as the material of a designer. His furniture is sculpture-like and eye-catching, but the pieces are always utilitarian at the same time.”
Find an extraordinary range of vintage Eero Aarnio chairs, tables and other furniture on 1stDibs.
- Early Mid-Century Modern Sculptural Bamboo / Rattan Chaise Lounge ChairLocated in Philadelphia, PAAn amazing early bamboo chaise from c. 1940's. It features a bamboo frame with woven seating area. Has been professionally retouched and ready for immediate use.Category
Vintage 1940s American Mid-Century Modern Chaise Longues
MaterialsRattan
- Mid Century Italian Modern Sculptural Lounge Chairs or Club ChairLocated in Philadelphia, PAA sculptural pair of lounge chairs from Italy circa 1980's. They feature solid wood lacered arms with upholstered seating area. Fabric is original so recovering is recommended. Foam ...Category
Vintage 1980s Italian Mid-Century Modern Lounge Chairs
MaterialsFabric, Wood
- Mid-Century Modern Sculptural Lounge Chair by Vladimir Kagan for DirectionalBy Vladimir Kagan, DirectionalLocated in Philadelphia, PAA stunning dramatic form lounge chair designed by Vladimir Kagan and produced by Directional in the 1980's. Its retains the original upholstery which needs to be recovered. Padding a...Category
Vintage 1980s American Mid-Century Modern Lounge Chairs
MaterialsFabric
- Pair Mid-Century Modern Sculptural High Back Lounge Chairs by Adrian PearsallBy Craft Associates, Adrian PearsallLocated in Philadelphia, PAA dramatic vintage pair of tall back lounge chairs designed by Adrian Pearsall and produced by Craft Associates in the 1960's. These feature a sol...Category
Vintage 1960s American Mid-Century Modern Lounge Chairs
MaterialsFabric, Walnut
- Mid-Century Modern Rattan Cube Lounge Chair with Foot Stool by Willow & ReedBy Ficks ReedLocated in Philadelphia, PAA handsome and tropically modern club chair and ottoman, circa 1970s. This was designed by Henry Olko and produced by Willow & Reed. It features handmade rattan construction with cus...Category
Vintage 1970s American Mid-Century Modern Club Chairs
MaterialsFabric, Rattan
- Pair of Sculptural Mid Century Post Modern Barrel Back Swivel Lounge ChairsLocated in Philadelphia, PAA sculptural pair of swiveling lounge chairs circa 1980's. These very well made chairs feature a swiveling bases that return to their original position. The original fabric has a cou...Category
Vintage 1980s American Post-Modern Lounge Chairs
MaterialsFabric, Wood
- Eero Aarnio Mid Century Rattan Lounge ChairBy Eero AarnioLocated in Countryside, ILEero Aarnio midcentury rattan lounge chair. This chair measures: 45 wide x 32 deep x 24 high, with a seat height of 14.5 and arm height/chair clearance 24 inches All pieces of ...Category
Vintage 1970s European Mid-Century Modern Lounge Chairs
MaterialsUpholstery, Rattan
- Vintage Pastil Chair by Eero AarnioBy Asko, Eero AarnioLocated in Mortsel, BEIntroducing the Pastil Chair by Eero Aarnio in a timeless white color – a true vintage gem. This iconic chair, designed by the renowned Fin...Category
Late 20th Century Finnish Space Age Lounge Chairs
MaterialsPolyester
- Eero Aarnio Red Pony ChairBy Adelta, Eero AarnioLocated in Madrid, ESPony chair upholstered with red textile. This iconic seat was originally designed by Finnish designer Eero Aarnio in 1972. It features a metal frame and foam upholstery, covered with...Category
Late 20th Century Finnish Mid-Century Modern Lounge Chairs
MaterialsSteel
- Eero Aarnio Mid Century Rattan SofaBy Eero AarnioLocated in Countryside, ILEero Aarnio midcentury rattan sofa This sofa measures: 76 wide x 32 deep x 24.5 inches high, with a seat height of 14.5 and arm height of 24.5 inches All pieces of furniture ca...Category
Vintage 1970s Finnish Mid-Century Modern Sofas
MaterialsUpholstery, Rattan
- Iconic Eero Aarnio White Tomato ChairBy Eero AarnioLocated in New York, NYEero has always been drawn to the circular form and is perhaps best known for his designs ‘without edges’. The Tomato chair combines three circles on a ba...Category
2010s Finnish Modern Lounge Chairs
MaterialsFiberglass
$5,378 / item - Iconic Eero Aarnio Red Tomato ChairBy Eero AarnioLocated in New York, NYEero has always been drawn to the circular form and is perhaps best known for his designs ‘without edges’. The Tomato chair combines three circles on a ba...Category
2010s Finnish Modern Lounge Chairs
MaterialsFiberglass
$5,378 / item
Recently Viewed
View AllRead More
The 21 Most Popular Mid-Century Modern Chairs
You know the designs, now get the stories about how they came to be.
The Ball Chair, Eero Aarnio’s Space Age Masterpiece, Was Almost Never Made
Now considered emblematic of 1960s mod aesthetics, the Finnish designer's famous creation was far from an overnight success.