Safari Armchair in Cognac Leather from Wilhelm Kienzle, 1950s

Details

Description

Safari armchair by Wilhelm Kienzle, Swiss manufacturer Wohnbedarf, early 1950s.

Light oak frame, seat, back, and armrests upholstered in thick … Read more Safari armchair by Wilhelm Kienzle, Swiss manufacturer Wohnbedarf, early 1950s.

Light oak frame, seat, back, and armrests upholstered in thick leather with saddle stitching. The backrest can be reclined using a wing nut.

The woodwork has been cleaned, sanded, and varnished. The leather has been cleaned and conditioned in several stages by saturation, revealing a deep and even cognac patina.

H 82 cm × W 54 cm × D 65 cm

Seat height: 36 cm

Note: a slight scratch on the leather strap of the right armrest (see photos).
Designed in 1928 by Wilhelm Kienzle, the Safari chair has become a lasting example of modernist furniture. One example is in the permanent collection of the Vitra Design Museum in Weil am Rhein.

The model shown is made of solid golden oak and features a seat, backrest, and armrest straps in raw leather. The thick leather, saddle-stitched and secured with copper and brass buckles and fittings, ensures both durability and aesthetic appeal.

In his analysis of the chair held at the Vitra Design Museum, Claude Lichtenstein notes that this collapsible model is inspired by a type of seat used in the 19th century by British colonial officials, which Kienzle had observed in London in 1928. Lightweight and compact, it rests on a non-self-supporting structure: the legs are connected by round bars inserted into the open seam of the seat cover, while leather straps stretched between the legs absorb the lateral load. The movable backrest is attached by a pivot, and the leather armrests are held in place by brass buttons.

During the interwar period, other designers, notably Kaare Klint, offered similar interpretations. Kienzle's design, however, appears to have been mass-produced only after 1945 by the Swiss firm Wohnbedarf. In the post-war period, the Safari chair became the embodiment of a free and non-conformist lifestyle. See less