70s Percival Lafer “earth chair” collection lounge fauteuil and hocker

Designer
Percival Lafer
Manufacturer
Lafer MP (Moveis Patenteados)
Period
1976
Origin
Brazil
Material
Leather
Color
brown
Code
05240822ZF
Condition
Good condition consistent with age and use.
Dimensions
72cm (w) x96cm (d) xx 87cm (h) | seath 38cm || O: 67cm x 50cm x 45cm
Price
Sold, located CW
Provenance
See information below.

Born in Brazil in 1936, architect, product and furniture designer Percival Lafer managed to design pieces that were categorised as fine design for affordable prices. Lafer made an indelible contribution to Brazilian design.After graduating in architecture at the prestigious Mackenzie Presbyterian University in Sao Paulo, his father passed away unexpectedly, leaving the family furniture shop to his sons, at which point he abandoned his professional career as an architect before he it had begun, diverting instead to furniture design, a career he could pursue more easily due to the nature of his inherited business. Lafer launched the renowned “MP-1” Armchair in 1961 and it was an instant success, featuring a T-shaped steel base covered in thin pieces of solid rosewood, and a seat upholstered with layers of foam, rather than springs. This provided Lafer with the leverage he needed at the time to create his company, establishing himself as a business that won many patents, both a well-earned reputation for innovation and originality in design and the confidence to name his brand Lafer MP – the acronym MP stands for Moveis Patentados or “Patented Furniture” in furniture. Lafer consistently pursued ways to create good modernist designs at affordable prices for the middle classes, designing furniture pieces with a focus on mass production. In 1965, the MP-041 series included seats with solid wood frames and pre-shaped, hand-padded cushions. As well as other notable designs included the MP-89 armchair, designed in 1970 with cut plexiglass legs, mesh seat and leather cushions; the MP-071 armchair (1973); the S1 collection (1975) of sofas, armchairs and tables; and the MP-163 armchair (1976), better known as the “Earth Chair”. By using polished steel as the structural framework for the seating design, Lafer ensured a modern aesthetic, while using the preeminent material that features in the great majority of his designs, which are exotic woods and high quality leathers. Following the mismanaged marketing of the Mini Sala in 1966 and as a testament to Lafer’s reputation for innovation, it was immediately transformed into the well-received Mirage armchair in 1967. Brasil Contempo sold Lafer’s designs through a modern supply chain that enabled the successful Lafer MP company from the 1970s to 1985 to export to the United States and Europe. This MP-163 Earth lounge chair is in very good condition consistent with age and use!

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