Much has been written about the built-in obsolescence of our throwaway society these days but there are some things – things that are the very embodiment of ‘classic design’ – that have longevity at their core. This is literally the case with Arne Jacobsen’s stacking chairs.

Each chair passes through 22 pairs of hands during its manufacture; the nine layers of wood veneer are carefully selected for homogenous strength of grain; the grain of two of the layers is laid perpendicular to the others to add strength, along with two layers of cotton stout; the UV bond between the seat and the frame is tested to a force of 300 Newtons; the bend between the seat and the back can take a load of 85kg – that means that if you turn the chair upside down, you can actually stand on it with total confidence (as shown above). The quality of these chairs means that they represent a solid investment and, when they are bought for a family home, they also become a treasured and valued heirloom that will last for generations.

To demonstrate this longevity it is worth looking at situations in which the chairs get a lot of use. The Ant Chair was designed in 1952 for Nova Nordisk Pharmaceuticals and some of the chairs from that date are still in use at the company nearly 60 years later.

In 1962 Arne Jacobsen designed St Catherine’s College in Oxford. His designs went further than just the fabric of the building with cutlery, furniture, and lampshades being of his own idiosyncratic design. Series 7 Chairs grace the Library and the Refectory and many of these chairs too are still in use today.

The Royal Festival Hall on London’s South Bank receives 24 million visitors a year, a great many of whom sit in the foyers and restaurants of the building at some stage during their visit. The RFH started using the Series 7 Chair in 1995 and some of those original chairs are still in use. In 2007, during a major refurbishment, 650 more chairs were purchased and since then – a potential 147,000 ‘bums on seats’ for each chair – there have been only minor faults on just six chairs.

Until the end of 2011, you can invest in this legendary longevity and also make a significant saving – buy six of the Series 7, Ant, Grand Prix or Lily chairs and only pay for five – equivalent to a discount of over 16%.

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Until the end of the year (31.12.2011), we have three great offers in conjunction with our partners at Fritz Hansen.

Six for the price of five on Arne Jacobsen stacking chairs: the Grand Prix, the Ant or the Series 7. Order six identical chairs and only pay for five – for example, six Series 7 chairs in coloured ash finish for £1,425 instead of £1,710. In our online store, the offer will be applied in the shopping basket as a discount when a quantity of 6 is selected. Since the launch of the Ant chair in 1952, the Arne Jacobsen stacking chairs have become design classics thanks to their functionality, durability and timeless design. This offer also applies to the ‘Lily’ or 3108 Chair.

More than 15% off orders for Swan Chairs in fabric Upholstery. Designed for the Royal Hotel Copenhagen in 1958, the Swan was ground-breaking at the time – no straight lines only curves. Now is the perfect time to order this design classic as a chair in Fame wool upholstery is only £1,887 instead of £2,245 or order in Divina wool upholstery for £1,995 instead of £2,385.

Finally, get 50% off a baby Kaiser Idell lamp when you order the Kaiser Idell Luxus Table Lamp or the Kaiser Idell Floor Lamp (6580F). That makes the baby lamp £195 instead of £390. Contact the Store for more details.

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Cassina has taken full advantage of technological advances to develop new outdoor versions of some of the most important projects by Le Corbusier, Pierre Jeanneret, and Charlotte Perriand: LC1 armchair, LC3 armchair and two-seater sofa, LC7 small armchair, LC8 stool, LC10-P table along with the Tokyo chaise, designed by Perriand in 1940.

In collaboration with the Le Corbusier Foundation and Pernette Perriand-Barsac , Perriand’s daughter and heir, Cassina has carefully updated the materials and construction to make these icons of the Modern Movement resistant to extreme climates.

A structure in high grade stainless steel, naturally draining cushion fillings and fabrics developed for the boating industry provide a level of durability that ensures the furniture will remain in perfect condition – not soggy or mouldy.  The padding is ECOFILL, a hollow fibre that is totally natural, organic, hypoallergenic and hydrophilic. It dries quickly when exposed to the elements and is also very comfortable. The covering fabrics are stain and mould resistant and either self-draining or water-repellent.

These advanced materials make the new outdoor range a truly versatile and long-lasting option for these iconic pieces.

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Just a reminder that there is one month left of this fabulous offer, in conjunction with Fritz Hansen: order the iconic Egg™ Chair designed by Arne Jacobsen and receive a FREE matching footstool – order before the 30th September.

Arne Jacobsen designed the Egg™ for the lobby and reception areas in the Royal Hotel, in Copenhagen. The commission to design every element of the hotel building as well as the furniture was Jacobsen’s grand opportunity to put his theories of integrated design and architecture into practice. The Egg is one of the triumphs of Jacobsen’s total design – a sculptural contrast to the building’s almost exclusively vertical and horizontal surfaces. The Egg sprang from a new technique, which Jacobsen was the first to use; a strong foam inner shell underneath the upholstery. Like a sculptor, Jacobsen strove to find the shell’s perfect shape in clay at home in his own garage.

Now is the perfect time to order this piece of 20th Century design history.

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Aram Store is very pleased that we have now become distributors in the UK for the range of furniture designs currently being produced by the Italian manufacturers Mattiazzi.

Mattiazzi was formed in 1978 and over the last thirty years they have continually invested in the latest CNC (computer numeric controlled) machinery to keep their quality sharp but have never forsaken the original attitude of craftsmanship to their work which sees the majority of their output still shaped and finished by hand.

It is this combination of traditional skills incorporated with the latest furniture manufacturing technology that has led many of today’s influential designers such as Sam Hecht, Konstantin Grcic, the Bouroullec brothers and Nitzan Cohen towards working with Mattiazzi.

Osso Chair by Ronan and Erwan Bouroullec

Branca Chair by Sam Hecht and Industrial Facility

He Said / She Said Chair by Studio Nitzan Cohen

Please contact us for further information on Mattiazzi products by emailing aramstore@aram.co.uk or phoning the Store on 020 7557 7557.

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