Black Leather Pig Ottoman
View Similar Items
Black Leather Pig Ottoman
About the Item
- Creator:Dimitri Omersa (Designer),Svenskt Tenn (Manufacturer)
- Dimensions:Height: 15 in (38.1 cm)Width: 32 in (81.28 cm)Depth: 11 in (27.94 cm)
- Style:Scandinavian Modern (Of the Period)
- Materials and Techniques:
- Place of Origin:
- Period:
- Date of Manufacture:1950
- Condition:Wear consistent with age and use.
- Seller Location:Sagaponack, NY
- Reference Number:Seller: 7979.0021stDibs: LU89031063446
Dimitri Omersa
Omersa is best known for its iconic leather footstools and decorative objects that take on animal forms. The British furniture brand appropriately began with a pig.
Legend has it that a man named “Old Bill” worked for eclectic department store Liberty of London and wanted to use leftover scraps of leather from handmade luggage to craft an animal-shaped footstool. The first swine-shaped ottoman was born in 1927. Decades later, in 1958, Yugoslavian native Dimitri Omersa had found work in the leather industry in a town in Hertfordshire after time spent imprisoned in the years following World War II. He was working for an independent leather company when he and Bill crossed paths. Taking a shine to one another, Dimitri took over production of the playful leather pig footstools and ottomans for Liberty, and Old Bill retired.
Omersa’s line of animal-themed furnishings expanded to include donkeys, elephants and more. The company made these home accessories in the United Kingdom specifically for Liberty until the mid-1970s and the ears of the lovable leather creatures that were produced during the era are said to have been adorned with the retailer’s branding. A leather badge now appears on the furnishings that is inclusive of the name Omersa as well as the year of manufacture.
Today Omersa creates bespoke leather stools, desktop accessories and other seating in various animal shapes. The company’s artisans rely on traditional methods to craft each of their pieces by hand, paying particular attention to sustainable practices. To this day, Liberty continues to stock the Omersa animals it has carried since the 1930s.
In 1963, the animals crossed the pond to America and won a gold medal at the California State Fair. The mid-1960s saw a relationship take shape between Omersa and Abercrombie & Fitch — long before it transformed into a clothing mecca for teens in the 1990s and early 2000s — while the 1980s saw Omersa forge a partnership with Scully and Scully, a purveyor of luxury furniture and decor founded in New York City.
Dimitri Omersa passed away in 1975, but the animals continued to be produced by his wife Inge for another decade.
While the ownership of the business has changed hands more than once since then, Omersa’s artisans continue to create a range of animal-shaped decorative objects and furnishings that include sheep, cows, horses and more. Annual production is limited, and each piece, made with top grain cowhide leather sourced from an environmentally responsible UK tannery and stuffed with the wood wool of European pine trees, is designed and produced by local craftspersons in Lincolnshire, England.
Find authentic Dimitri Omersa leather animals, decorative objects, seating and other furniture on 1stDibs.
Svenskt Tenn
Today, the name Svenskt Tenn is associated around the world with the vibrant, modernist textiles and furniture of Josef Frank, who was the Swedish company’s chief designer in the mid-20th century. But the term “svenskt tenn” actually means “Swedish pewter,” and the very first goods the company sold were stylish pewter objects, such as an elegant 1927 candelabra found in the collection of the Saint Louis Art Museum, or a sleek, understated mirror in the collection of the National Museum of Fine Arts. These pieces were designed to appeal to discerning but price-conscious shoppers in 1920s-era Stockholm.
Art teacher and interior designer Estrid Ericson (1894–1981) partnered with pewter artisan Nils Fougstedt (1881–1954) to establish Svenskt Tenn in 1924, and their creations quickly gained a reputation for high quality and affordability, winning a gold medal at the International Exhibition of Modern Decorative and Industrial Arts in Paris in 1925 — the design fair that brought global attention to the Art Deco style.
The experience of renovating her own apartment in the 1920s exposed Ericson to Swedish functionalism — or funkis, as it was known in Sweden — a branch of modernism that advocated uncomplicated forms, subdued colors and utility. She was inspired to open an interior design department at Svenskt Tenn, and in 1930 the firm introduced its first line of furniture.
Selections included items produced by the companies Gemla and Bodafors, as well as original designs by Ericson and the architects Uno Åhrén and Björn Trägårdh, who had worked together on the redesign and expansion of the showroom. The trio’s furniture was displayed at Stockholm’s Galleri Modern in 1931, where it was met with praise from critic Gotthard Johansson, a leading proponent of Swedish functionalism. Johansson admired the “pure lines” and “modern austerity” of the furniture, establishing Svenskt Tenn as an important voice in Swedish design.
But the signature partnership that would come to define the look of Svenskt Tenn was in part the result of political turmoil and the emergence of Nazism in Europe. When Josef Frank fled Vienna for Stockholm in 1933, he was already an accomplished architect who questioned modernist orthodoxy in design. He disliked tubular steel furniture and believed that monochromatic surfaces were distressing to viewers, while pattern and ornament gave interiors a sense of warmth and calm. Ericson was an admirer of Frank’s work, and offered him the chance to design products for Svenskt Tenn. Their professional partnership, particularly in textile design, would eventually become one of the hallmarks of Swedish modernism.
Frank and Ericson collaborated from 1934 until Frank’s death in 1967, with Frank creating unmistakable, bold designs and Ericson employing her flair for interiors, merchandising and display. The pair called their shared approach “Accidentism” or “The Happy Chances Philosophy,” mixing and matching the new and antique, the serious with the playful and pattern with solid colors to find eclectic new combinations in their showroom.
Frank’s textiles are like a visual catalogue of exotic plants and flowers, geological formations and maps, inspired in part by Ericson’s world travels and by Frank’s love of folk art. Svenskt Tenn continues to sell fabric, wallpaper and household goods, many of which sport variations of Frank's signature botanical motifs. Antique and vintage Svenskt Tenn pewter, lighting, furniture, textiles and decorative objects are generally priced anywhere from $2,500 to $25,000 depending on scale and condition.
The tenets of Scandinavian modernism are as fresh and relevant now as they were in the 1950s — light-filled and airy rooms with white walls are perfect settings for comfortable furniture upholstered in one of Josef Frank’s indelible patterns, and nearly a century since its founding, the signature aesthetic of Svenskt Tenn remains as distinctive and timeless as ever.
Find antique and vintage Svenskt Tenn mirrors, seating, tables and other furniture on 1stDibs.
- 1950s PK33 Stool by Poul Kjaerholm for E. Kold ChristensenBy E. Kold Christensen, Poul KjærholmLocated in Sagaponack, NYAn early 'PK-33' stool, with a round black leather cushion on three satin-chromed flat bar legs. Maker's mark on underside.Category
Vintage 1950s Danish Scandinavian Modern Stools
MaterialsChrome
- WYETH Original Party OttomanLocated in Sagaponack, NYAn oversized ottoman filled with hand-tied springs for added comfort and upholstered in natural leather.Category
2010s American Mid-Century Modern Ottomans and Poufs
MaterialsLeather
$14,500 - WYETH Original Spring Pouf OttomanLocated in Sagaponack, NYA traditional handcrafted and tied coil spring pouf ottoman with an oiled walnut base in white bouclé fabric.Category
2010s American Mid-Century Modern Ottomans and Poufs
MaterialsBouclé, Walnut
$5,400 / item - Wyeth Original Spring Pouf OttomanLocated in Sagaponack, NYA traditional handcrafted and tied coil spring pouf ottoman with an oiled walnut base in Knoll Luxe fabric.Category
2010s American Mid-Century Modern Ottomans and Poufs
MaterialsWalnut
- 1950s Danish Teak and Wool Ottoman by Finn Juhl for France & SonBy France & Søn, Finn JuhlLocated in Sagaponack, NYA simple and elegant ottoman or stool crafted of solid teak and upholstered seat in charcoal grey wool.Category
Vintage 1950s Danish Scandinavian Modern Ottomans and Poufs
MaterialsTeak, Upholstery
- Danish Orange Leather Pouf by Ivan SchlechterBy Ivan SchlechterLocated in Sagaponack, NYVersatile upholstered unit adaptable to a wide variety of uses from low lounge seating, Asian style dining and yes, even as an ottoman if so desired. New production by the original m...Category
2010s Danish Scandinavian Modern Ottomans and Poufs
MaterialsLeather
- Liberty 's Ottoman Leather Pig by Dimitri OmersaBy Dimitri OmersaLocated in Brussels, BEPig ottoman first made in the 1930's for Liberty 's London during decades and later for Abercrombie & Fitch. By Dimitri Omersa, United Kingdom.Category
Mid-20th Century British Arts and Crafts Ottomans and Poufs
MaterialsLeather, Wood
- Midcentury Barcelona Ottomans / Stools in Black Leather for KnollBy Knoll, Ludwig Mies van der RoheLocated in BROOKLYN, NYMidcentury Ludwig Mies van der Rohe Barcelona ottomans / stools for Knoll. The classic design that helped define Mid-Century Modernism. Premium leather in a black color. As you can s...Category
Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Ottomans and Poufs
MaterialsChrome
- Johannes Spalt Tufted Stool Ottoman 'Constanze' Wittmann, Black Leather, 1960sBy Johannes Spalt, WittmannLocated in Hausmannstätten, ATA rare foot stool from the 'Constanze' (engl. Constance) series designed by Prof. Johannes Spalt for Wittmann, Austria, manufacured in midcentury. Johannes Spalt designed the Const...Category
Vintage 1960s Austrian Mid-Century Modern Stools
MaterialsChrome
- Canvas and Leather Strap OttomanLocated in Westwood, NJA canvas and leather strap ottoman with nailhead trim accents. The classic cube design makes it a perfect transitional piece of furniture to use ...Category
21st Century and Contemporary Asian American Classical Ottomans and Poufs
MaterialsLeather, Canvas
$935 / item - Vintage Omersa Leather DonkeyBy Dimitri OmersaLocated in Los Angeles, CAClassic leather donkey by Omersa. Definitely a very early model. Missing eyes and ears and tail. Great looking age and patina. Perfect stool, ottoman or...Category
Vintage 1950s Great Britain (UK) Ottomans and Poufs
MaterialsLeather
- X-Base Ottoman in Faux Shagreen LeatherLocated in East Hampton, NYLuxurious X-shaped ottoman with oversized brass caps to feet and rich leather in faux shagreen. This item is currently in our East Hampton showroom.Category
Vintage 1960s American Ottomans and Poufs
MaterialsBrass
$1,680 Sale Price42% Off