Mid Century Cocktail Chair

The Mid-Century Cocktail Chair

Once a rather tired mid-century cocktail chair, this piece has been gently and sympathetically reimagined.

Cocktail Hour

I knew the clink of glass on tray,
The hush before the end of day.
Perfume, laughter, coats half-worn,
Old stories told till early morn.

They drifted home, the night grew still,
Yet here I stand — I always will.
Rooms change, lives turn, the music ends,
But objects stay. And wait. And mend.

The original curved shellis finished in a finely embossed upholstery with a gentle sheen, its vertical ribbing echoing the sculptural lines of the chair. Layers of warm beige, soft stone and biscuit tones create a nuanced surface, across which twisting vines and leaves appear as subtle tonal decoration rather than pattern — quietly present, catching the light and then receding again. The original braid trimhighlighted with a smudge of a soft metallic muted gold, just the tiniest hint of glimmer.

In contrast, the seat becomes the heart of the piece. Upholstered in my own rich velvet, Edge of Autumn in soft stone, the warm neutral ground allows the autumnal colours and painterly energy of the artwork to sing. The twisting leaves of the seat mirror and amplify those ghosted across the shell, bringing cohesion to the piece as a whole.

This reimagining honours the bones of a mid-century classic while allowing it to shed its politeness. The result is a chair that feels both elegant and slightly feral — a cocktail chair with a story, where restraint and expression sit side by side.

Designed as an accent chair, it feels at home in a living room, dining room or hallway, and makes a beautiful dressing table chair.

SIZE / DIMENSIONS:

Height: 70 cm
Width: 50 cm
Depth: 48 cm

Cocktail chairs emerged in the mid-20th century as compact, sculptural seating designed for conversation rather than lounging. Intended to be gathered in pairs or small groups, they held guests through drinks, stories and long evenings — elegant, upright and quietly present once the room fell still.

Available now — if you’d like to see it in person, just get in touch to arrange a viewing. Free collection from Lodgebush, with local delivery available.

Please note:this is a reimagined vintage piece. It is not new and will show signs of age and previous use.