Spotlight: Joe Colombo’s ‘Elda’ Chair

Furniture Design

Jan 19

The designer with his 1965 creation. Studio Joe Colombo

Italian designer Joe Colombo is known for his bold and dynamic designs. after Colombo visited a shipyard in 1963 where he admired the molded fiberglass hulls on boats, he found himself envisioning a chair using the same techniques. To make the design even more iconic, he named it after his wife, Elda.

the space age ‘Elda’ chair features seven detachable cushions that hook onto a molded fiberglass shell which sits upon a rotating base. produced by Italian brand, Comfort, in 1965, The design debuted at the Eurodomus 1 fair in Genoa, where the design made its first appearance. In the decades that have followed, the ‘Elda’ chair has remained in high regard, residing in the homes of collectors and design connoisseurs who cherish the timeless nature of the design.

Here are some of our favorite interiors featuring the ‘Elda’ chair.

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Galerie Germain, avenue de Saxe, Paris. Designed by architect Marcel Boyer in 1976

Karl Lagerfeld’s Paris residence, photographed in 1969, featured a Joe Colombo Elda armchair. Photo by Reginald Gray

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The Paris atelier of Luis Laplace and Christophe Comoy

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DISCLAIMER: THE MILLIE VINTAGE DOES NOT OWN ANY RIGHTS TO THESE PHOTOS. PLEASE NOTE THAT ALL IMAGES AND COPYRIGHT BELONGS TO THE ORIGINAL OWNERS. NO COPYRIGHT INFRINGEMENT INTENDED.

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