Image source: Artek — Karuselli Lounge Chair
© Artek and the respective rights holders. Quoted to accompany INTEBEE's independent design commentary and research.
Karuselli Lounge Chair
Yrjö Kukkapuro's 1964 fibreglass lounge chair with leather seat and swivel and swing mechanism
800 × 920 × 975 mm
1964
Finland
Official product information
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Description
Overview
The Karuselli Lounge Chair is credited by Artek to Yrjö Kukkapuro and dated 1964. Artek says it exemplifies his interest in achieving ultimate comfort through a union of function, ergonomics and organic form.
Construction
The base and shell are fibre glass and the brace is steel. The seat surface is leather upholstery with PU foam padding, and the chair has a swivel and swing mechanism. The page adds Made in Finland.
Specifications
- Dimensions: W 80 cm · D 97.5 cm · H 92 cm (not labelled on the drawing)
- Upholstery: black or white leather on the page; Sörensen Prestige leather colours on request
- Brace: chrome-plated steel (variant list)
Story
Sculpted for the body
According to Artek's page, shaping the chair took Kukkapuro several years: he covered himself in chicken wire and cast his body in plaster in a lounging pose to work out the dimensions. The product leaflet describes the original prototype as thin metal netting covered in sackcloth and dipped in plaster, and says the inspiration reportedly came when the designer was making snow chairs with his daughter.
Image source: Artek — Karuselli Lounge Chair · © Artek and the respective rights holders. Quoted to accompany INTEBEE's independent design commentary and research. · View official product page ↗ · Image use & copyright policy
International success
The leaflet states that Kukkapuro began developing the fibreglass chair in the 1950s and arrived at its form in 1964. Artek adds that it became an immediate international success: Gio Ponti chose it for the cover of Domus in 1966, and Sir Terence Conran proclaimed it his favourite chair.
