Pair of Multichairs

A pair of Joe Colombo Multichairs, designed in 1970 and produced by B-Line. Each chair is formed from two upholstered elements with an internal metal structure, joined by leather straps and hardware that allow the pieces to be arranged in multiple seating positions. This pair retains its original label.

1970
Metal structure, fabric upholstery and leather details
One chair: 47.2" W × 15.7" D × 23.6" H
(120 cm W × 40 cm D × 60 cm H)

One chair: 27.6" W × 23.6" D × 24.8" H
(70 cm W × 60 cm D × 63 cm H)

About the Maker
Joe Colombo was an Italian industrial designer born in Milan in 1930. His work focused on flexible, compact and multifunctional furniture for modern living. The Multichair, designed in 1970, is one of his best-known late works and is held in the collection of The Metropolitan Museum of Art, which describes it as a two-part design that can be taken apart and assembled in different ways for sitting, sleeping or lounging. The Met also holds Colombo’s original position studies for the Multichair, documenting the different ways he intended the design to be used.

Colombo’s career was brief but influential. Along with the Multichair, his important works include the Elda Chair, Tube Chair, Boby trolley and experimental domestic environments designed for increasingly mobile, space-conscious interiors. His designs remain closely associated with Italian radical design, modular living and the optimistic futurism of the late 1960s and early 1970s.