Vintage Vitra Chairs
Design icons of the 20th century, the Vitra chairs for sale in our collection stem from a unique relationship, collaborating with some of the world's best designers. Dedicated to improving people's lives by leveraging the power of design, the ethos behind Vitra seating is to create innovative products and concepts to complement home decor and office spaces.Founded in the fifties in Switzerland by Willi Fehlbaum and Erika Fehlbaum, Vitra grew from a vitrine shopfitting specialist to a global leader in furniture manufacture. The successful negotiations with Herman Miller and a license to create pieces from the USA paved the way for their iconic designs to enter the market with never before seen concepts, detailed processes, and development. Their affiliation with George Nelson and the most famous designs from Charles and Ray Eames, such as the Ottoman and Lounge Chair, has enabled Vitra to continue to release new designs with conceptual expertise and creativity from visionary designers.Explore our carefully curated edit of Vitra chairs for sale at Vinterior and invest in some design history for your home.
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About Vitra Furniture
Vitra, founded in Basel in Weil am Rhein in 1953 began with Willi Fehlbaum and his wife Erika. Willi, a Swiss entrepreneur, was running a small business specialising in commercial furniture. However, the pair already had a keen eye for design. When Willi travelled to the USA with his son Rolf, they would quite by accident meet two influential designers who later contributed to the fortunate story of some of their most iconic Vitra chair designs. It was 1960, in New York, and Rolf would accompany his father on business trips to translate for him. Riding in a taxi, he asked the driver to stop to take a closer look at a plywood chair he saw in a shop vitrine. Influenced and enamoured by the chair design, he requested to speak to the producer, Herman Miller. Charles and Ray Eames would later design his accidental chair discovery.
After Willi began successful negotiations with Herman Miller, a businessman, and US manufacturer, he was granted the rights in 1957 to produce their designs in Europe under the Vitra chairs brand. Rolf, Willi's son, developed a close relationship with George Nelson, one of the founding fathers of American Modernism and the lead designer for Herman Miller and Alexander Girard. A close friendship evolved between the three and Alexander would significantly influence Rolf's understanding of design.
Having continued to work closely with some of the world's best designers and celebrated family-run businesses for over eight years, their philosophy remains the same, to maintain close relationships with their designers, customers, and employees. Partnerships like these led to the production of many timeless classics created with expertise and fine craftsmanship. As a world leader in furniture design, the Swiss company decided to open up the Vitra Design Museum in 1987, dedicated to researching and presenting innovation in the past and present; their collection is accessible to the public and appears in popular exhibitions of Vitra chairs. In addition, the Vitra Campus showcases a unique collection of contemporary European architecture.
Where to buy Vitra chairs in the UK?
Browse and shop from the Vitra chair collection at Vinterior today. You’ll fine Vitra chairs for sale including their design icons and lesser known pieces. Discover a curated mix of unique pieces and curated design classics; all are available to purchase online, and immediate delivery is available.