The Scirocco Chair by Arne Norell from 1964

Scirocco Chair

Norell’s Safari chair is an interpretation of Kaare Klint's Famous Safari chair, which has been long considered a revolutionary chair in the design world.   

Kaare Klint designed his Safari Chair in 1933. He wanted to produce a light, portable armchair and was inspired by the English officers chair he had seen in a travel guide from Africa. The purpose of using the chair in the field was maintained as the chair is easy to disassemble - and assemble - with no tools. Maybe the world's first D-I-Y, flat-packed piece of furniture.
Campaign Chair

Safari Chair
I have attached an image of the Campaign Chair, the Safari Chair by Kaare Klint and Arne Norell’s Scirocco chair, showing its progression and evolution.


My first question when I first came across the Scirocco Chair was, ‘what’s with the name?’  Also used as girl's name, Scirocco is of Italian and Arabic origin and means "warm wind". The word was originally a description of the wind that blew over Italy from the Libyan deserts.

When I look at the Scirocco Chair and read the meaning of the word, there is a certain romance to this, reminding me of Lawrence of Arabia and swaying tents and endless sand dunes. I can envisage a bedouin tent full of Sirocco Chairs draped with rein deer hides( maybe substituted for a goat hide!) surrounding a warm hearth and the aroma of sweet mint tea.

Anyway I have tracked down the original manufacturer and had Pylle, our resident Dane ask if they have any old stock left. Well I guess if you ask the right question you get the answer you are looking for. They contacted us back a few days later to let us know they had a few left still in their original boxes, so we purchased what they had, what a find!

I hope to have one in each of our showrooms by end of next month for our clients to look and order from. The few that remain will be shipped in the new year.

What luck.....

Tord Boontje

Tord Boontje is from the Netherlands and was a member of a def metal band. Apparently he had a child and somehow channeled his metal into this, another wonderful creation!

We are thrilled to be receiving some of his porcelain this Christmas; platters, dinner plates and an adorable egg cup. I saw these and our GM Megan, knew of Tord but I didn’t.  It immediately made me think of my daughter and how wonderful it would be for her to grow up remembering these beautiful porcelain, I guess like Bunnikens. 



We are currently choosing some of his fabric to have in our Showrooms also.  I’m also going to choose a couple of easy chairs that I want to cover in his fabric. Maybe a Plank Chair or Alf Svensen easy chair, both would look stunning and its fun to be able to do something with a sense of light and warmth.



The Wonders of Wikkelsø

We rarely see work by Illum Wikkelsø (pronounced Vikkelsow). His work is some of the most intriguing and diverse from the midcentury in Denmark and yet he remains a bit of a enigma.

His multitude of designs, from sofas to desks and easy chairs, reflects a person with a creative mind and a great understanding of design, resulting in some really iconic pieces.


This is an image of an extremely rare V11 sofa which was produced by Holger Christiansen and I have never see in oak before. The sofa befits the name, its long and sleek and has beautiful lines.


We had this model recovered in elmotique tobacco, it just looks so right. Its great to see such a rare iconic piece brought back to life.




Great Dane - what's going on...

So much going on at Great Dane this week!  Our Sydney sale kicked off with a bang yesterday - despite the crazy weather!   Great Dane subscribers were treated to a VIP preview night including an additional 10% off already reduced stock.  It runs until Tuesday at 107-109 Botany Road, Waterloo - so get in early to avoid disapointment. 

This weekend we are holding our first ever Magazine Swap.  Inside Out have been kind enough to sponsor this event and have provided us with a pile of magazines for design fans to pour over and trade for an old one you've had at home and haven't the heart to throw away.  And the best part?   You can get comfy on our favourie pieces (a sit in the Prime Time Chair a must) whilst you make your selection.  Check the website for more details - Sunday 5th Sept 3-6pm Sydney and Melbourne. 

We're also celebrating the charming Niels Moller this month - an award winning designer of Danish furniture.  A great family story as Niel's son Jorgen managegs the company now and recounted a beautiful memory of working for his father as a child - tacking the J.L. Moller stamp onto sideboards.  He is continuing in his fathers footsteps; maintaining the Moller philosophy of hand craftsmanship and production without assembly line.  Simply beautiful.

Speaking of family - don't forget Dad this Sunday!