Arne Norell for Norell Møbel AB, Sweden

ARNE NORELL (Sweden 1917-1971) for NORELL MØBEL AB, Sweden.
Ari lounge chair with ottoman.
Frame of chromed flat steel, seat and back upholstered in ribbed patinated black leather.
Designed in 1966.
Produced by Norell Møbel AB, Sweden, with label.
With signs of wear due to use and the passage of time.
Measurements: 77 x 65 x 93 cm. Ottoman 38 x 67 x 51 cm.

Arne Norell started his own workshop in 1954 in the town of Solna, Sweden. Thereafter he moved to Småland and established his own company Möbel AB Arne Norell - today known as 'Norell Furniture' (or 'Norell Möbel AB' in Swedish). He was known for his versatile use of wood, leather, fabric, and metal in furniture characterized by comfort and ease. Arne Norell was a household name within the interior design-world of Europe. Several models were also produced in other parts of the world under a license. He was to a great extent inspired by Danish design. One example of this influence is the safari chair 'Sirocco'. Another of his designs is the lounge chair 'Ari'. It was awarded the British Furniture Manufacturer’s greatest award “showpiece of the year” in 1973. Many of the models he designed came into production after his death in 1971. His designs are still in production today.

The Ari armchair, designed in 1966, has been the flagship model of the Norell firm for forty years. An absolute modern classic, it is as relevant today as it was in its day, when it earned its creator the posthumous Piece of the Year award from the British Furniture Manufacturer's association (1973). It is an emblematic design from Norell, which successfully combines chromed metal with a body of expressive volumes upholstered in black leather, with padding based on parallel bands that not only makes it more comfortable, but also more attractive and elegant. Designer and furniture maker, Swedish Arne Norell opened his own workshop in Stockholm in 1954, and four years later he moved to the Swedish province of Småland, where he created the company Möbel AB Arne Norell. He was a versatile creator, who knew how to successfully take advantage of the different combinations of materials offered by tradition and industrial innovations. He used turned wood, bent wood, leather, fabric and metal in different shapes to build his furniture, which was always characterized by the combination of comfort and lightness. Many of his designs came onto the market after his death, manufactured by the company he founded, today under the name Norell Möbel AB.