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.....