Image source: Zanotta — Karelia
© Zanotta and the respective rights holders. Quoted to accompany INTEBEE's independent design commentary and research.
Karelia
A frameless 1966 armchair shaped as a soft sequence of waves
1966
Official product information
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Overview
Karelia is Liisi Beckmann's 1966 armchair for Zanotta. The manufacturer describes it as an early frameless armchair and a non-conformist pop icon of the 1960s, with a soft wave-like surface inspired by the bays and gulfs of the Republic of Karelia in Finland.
Construction
Model 870 is made entirely around a graduated polyurethane-foam frame, without a separate rigid frame. Its current removable cover is offered only in Zanotta's Terso and Quantum fabrics.
Specifications
- Designer: Liisi Beckmann
- Design year: 1966
- Model: 870
- Structure: Graduated polyurethane foam
- Cover: Removable; Terso or Quantum fabric
Story
Karelia's landscape reference
Zanotta presents Karelia as both a 1960s pop icon and a symbol of freedom. Beckmann translated the indented coastline of her Finnish homeland into a sequence of padded waves, creating one of the manufacturer's first armchairs made entirely from polyurethane foam. The chair is now back in production. Its current fabric cover replaces the vinyl associated with its 1970s production, while the frameless idea and sculpted surface remain central to the design.