We like to know the story behind the products in our collections. Often, you’re drawn towards something because you simply like how it looks, but sometimes there is more to a piece of furniture than just its aesthetics. Take our Mid-Century collection as an example; we love the timeless design of these wooden-framed chairs, but did you know the chairs are actually an important piece of Polish design history?
The 366 Easy Chair was first designed in Poland in 1962 by Jozef Chierowski, an interior and piano designer. In the 1960’s, 70’s and 80’s, it was the most popular chair in the country, with over 500,000 people owning one of these small, practical seats. The chairs were purposely designed to be small – their original size was slightly small than the model available today. There wasn’t much money in Poland at the time and a lot of people lived in small flats. Chierowski designed the chair to fit into small spaces, and also to reduce the costs of production, using as little materials as possible. As a result, it was a huge hit with consumers.
The chair had been out of production for 30 years when 366 Concept’s founders, Maciej Cypryk and Agata Górka, decided to revive it for a new market. Classic Mid-Century designs from Denmark and England had been receiving a boost in popularity in recent years (Fritz Hansen, Hans Wegner, Ercol) and it made sense to introduce the rest of the world to the 366 Easy Chair. The design has similar characteristics to other popular Mid-Century furniture with its sleek and simple wooden frames and focus on functionality. To bring it up to date and add a contemporary spin, 366 Concept added a wide range of colours and fabrics to choose from with options now including the original Easy Chair, a comfy Rocking Chair and a stylish Two-Seater Sofa.
To complement the 366 chair, and to offer an option for anyone looking for a larger design, 366 Concept also reissued the second most popular Polish Mid-Century chair – the Fox. Designed by architect, H. Lis, the Fox Armchair offers a similar aesthetic to the 366, but with a larger frame. Also designed in the 1960’s, the Fox Armchair was a common sight in Polish clubs and restaurants in the middle of the last century. The Fox series is available in the same choice of fabric and colours as the 366, with the Armchair, a Rocking Chair, a Footstool, and Two-Seater and Three-Seater Sofas available.
