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A Deep Dive with Andreas Siesing

4222299. MARIO BELLINI. For Vitra, four chairs, model “Figura” 1980s.

Do you remember when Eta Kroon had been to the Milan Furniture Fair in 1982? She came back a changed woman. Drained by the sheer flood of impressions, she wrote in a Swedish magazine about what she’d experienced:

“One step over the threshold—and the unthinkable became reality. There were pieces in incredible colour combinations and decorations, furniture created by people who neither could nor wanted to spell the word ‘standard measurements.’”

The shapes. The expressions. The proportions.
But above all—the colours. In the exhibition stands, there was a riot of “vivid pastels—plenty of yellow and turquoise—as well as bold reds, blues or blacks, and in slightly more sophisticated settings, combinations of red, black and grey.”

With that one sentence, she put her finger on something fundamental. The 1980s weren’t just one long pastel daydream. It wasn’t only about “the art of mixing turquoise and apricot,” to borrow a line from Eta Kroon’s colleague Lena Ringström. The 1980s were much more than that.

Far more, in fact. For a few key years—say 1983 to 1986—black, red, and grey were essential colours in cutting-edge interiors. Grey was a favourite for leather-upholstered seating. So modern!
Black and red made for dramatic, impactful contrasts. Absolutely stunning!
Sandin & Bülow’s Hommage Josef Frank cabinet from 1985 is probably the first Swedish example that springs to mind—but there are many others worth mentioning.

With that context, it’s fair to say that the Figura armchairs now at Stockholms Auktionsverk’s Düsseldorf branch must have been the height of sophistication in their time. Designed by Mario Bellini—one of the true design icons of the 1980s, who even had a solo exhibition at MoMA in 1987.
Not bad, right?

Take a closer look at the little black triangles. The wide belt detail at the waist.
If that’s not a direct nod to the fashion of the era, I don’t know what is. They must have been absolutely spot-on—especially in black against red.

So being able to share that these four armchairs are currently available for 879 SEK feels almost like a public service announcement.
As a particularly persistent colleague of mine always says: "Buy!"

- Andreas Siesing, design and 20th-century furniture expert

Happy Bidding! Best wishes,

Auctionet's experts
Andreas Siesing, Tom Österman, Kayleigh Davies and David Brolin.

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