Italian Art Deco Armchair, White Velvet and Walnut, 1930s

Design
1930s

Manufacture
1930-1939

Location
Lonigo, IT

Art Deco Armchair, Walnut, Italy, 1930s

An Art Deco armchair built around an exposed wooden frame, where two broad angled armrests run from the front legs up and back in a single uninterrupted line, framing a fully upholstered seat and back. The structure is the defining gesture: the arms and legs are conceived as one continuous wooden element that carries the upholstery between them, so that the soft body of the chair appears to be held within an open timber armature rather than resting on a hidden frame. The back is tall and gently inclined, the seat deep and low, giving the piece the reclined, comfortable stance that the period associated with domestic lounge seating.
The frame is in solid walnut with a warm polished finish, the wide flat arms squared in section and softened only at the edges where they meet the back. The contrast between the substantial wooden members and the clean upholstered volumes is characteristic of 1930s Art Deco production, where cabinetmakers explored the expressive potential of simple, geometric forms.