FINLAND
1950s
Elm, shearling, leather
28″ wide x 32 1/2″ high x 24 1/2″ deep (seat height 17 3/4″)

Carin Bryggman was the first woman in Finland to establish her own interior design firm. After World War II, she and her architect father Erik were hired to restore the medieval Turku Castle, and she designed much of the furniture and fixtures that were employed in the space. She went on to design a wide range of interiors, from private homes to banks, shops and restaurants, as well as large-scale projects such as the Sibelius Museum, Åbo Akademi School of Economics, and Turku Academy House, often collaborating with her father.

This armchair was created for the town hall of Iitti (seen here in an archival photo), and produced by Kirjopuu Oy, in the 1950s. It has been fully restored and covered in shearling, with leather buttons. The sculptural elm frame has a forceful presence.