May 6

May 6 My New Living Room Addition-The Imola Chair from BoConcept

Like anyone without an endless budget, I've been gradually adding to our home over the last few years, as and when cash allows. Broadly speaking we have everything we need, certainly my passion for "up cycling" furniture has helped, but with two young kids, our 14 year old cream sofa and chairs were starting to look a little shabby, not to mention our chesterfield sofa which at 50 years old, finally gave up after one exuberant bounce too many.

Bit by bit, I've been adding to our collection; choosing to purchase statement pieces rather than rush into buying an all matching suite. Obviously, given my name, "the green velvet sofa" from MADE was our immediate purchase in the wake of the chesterfield sofa collapse, but then I've been spending a little bit of time researching and searching for the next pieces to go alongside it.

The next addition to our living room came about after a night at a NoHouseRules event at the home of This Style Rocks, which is about bringing brands into contact with those of us who want to purchase interiors items, largely because we are interiors addicts, in the nicest sense.

On display at Amy's house was the beautiful Imola Chair by BoConcept and alongside it Richard Wingfield, Director of BoConcept Newcastle and BoConcept Redbrick, who was doing his bit to convince people as to why it is the perfect chair.

Honestly, seeing it in the flesh, a genius move by Richard, meant that so many of us on that night were lusting after this chair, the shape, the soft leather, the comfort. Well he certainly sold it to me, and here it is in my living room.

I don't like matching furniture, so I wanted leather to match the velvet and I toyed between black and tan, but I'm an "autumn" colour decorator; think browns, yellows, greens, deep rich colours and so tan won the day.

Below you can read the story behind the Imola chair; did you know it's design is based around a tennis ball? and see some photos of it styled in my home.

The BoConcept Imola chair was designed by Henrik Pedersen in 2008. His design language is a blend of comfort, natural curves, clean lines and honest materials – honesty being one of his mantras.

Henrik trained as a Fashion Designer, graduating in 1989. During those studies, he identified his deeper affinity for graphic design. He merged the two, landing a job producing graphics for a fashion label. And would later move back to Aarhus to start a graphic, identity and packaging design studio with his wife. “I didn’t get into design. Design got into me! I’ve never met a fashion designer who didn’t care about cars, graphics and interiors – and vice versa. I see them all as one big interconnected element.”

Imola was inspired by one of the two swirling halves of a tennis ball. Each of the form’s distinctive sides appears to have been born from a single slice. Details that juxtapose the design’s enveloping curves with the sharp edges of the resulting side panels. The mix gives Imola tension and elevates your sense of visual comfort. While its low-profile base frame conjures the illusion of levitation.

Just a few of the reasons for its success.

What started out as a Design experiment, has now become a bestseller for BoConcept.

Instantly recognisable.

Available in over 120 fabrics and leathers – giving the customer the perfect chair for their home. It's also seen in restaurants, bars, and even football stadiums around the world.

Today, there are only four craftsmen in the world who are qualified to make the Imola chair. All work from the same factory in Europe, with two more craftsmen in training. That education, of around a year, is only offered to highly skilled upholsterers, and for good reason. Imola is a handmade-to-order product of exceptional quality.

Stretching and positioning such taut upholstery over Imola’s sculptural form is no easy feat. It is physically demanding work that requires years of expertise and a meticulous eye for detail. Each chair uses approximately three and a half square metres of fabric or leather, and over sixty metres of thread.

One handcrafted Danish icon, ready to adorn a home somewhere in the world, just like my front room and I absolutely love mine.

It is the 10th Anniversary of the Imola Chair later this year where BoConcept will be releasing limited number versions to customers; so watch out for that. You can purchase one here, or if you happen to be local to BoConcept Redbrick or BoConcept Newcastle, I can highly recommend their customer service and they also offer 3D design and interiors services, if you are looking for help in your interiors.