Mid-Century Model Merkur Leather Sofa by Arne Norell from Arne Norell AB, 1960s

About This Piece

Vintage Design

Show description

Designer	Arne Norell
Manufacturer	Arne Norell AB
Design Period	1960 to 1969
Production Period	1960 to 1969
Country of Manufacture	Sweden
Attribution Marks	This piece has an attribution mark such as a manufacturer’s label, a certificate of authenticity, or a production mark
Style	Mid-Century, Scandinavian Modern
Detailed Condition	Good — This vintage item remains fully functional, but it shows sign of age through scuffs, dings, faded finishes, minimal upholstery defects, or visible repairs.
Restoration and Damage Details	Light wear consistent with age and use, Patina consistent with age and use, There is a visible stain on the couch from use.
Product Code	QU-413275
Materials	Leather
Color	Brown
Width	195 cm 195 cm
Depth	85 cm 85 cm
Height	75 cm 75 cm
Seat Height	40 cm
Weight Range	Heavy — Over 80kg

Shipping & Delivery

Ships from	Sweden
Returns	Returns accepted within 14 days of delivery, except for Made-to-order items

Delivery Options

Front Door Delivery: (Included in Every Order)	A skilled driver will unload the item(s) from the delivery truck and bring it to your building’s doorstep. You will be responsible for further transport beyond that point. We recommend asking a family member or friend for an extra hand; alternatively, you may upgrade to In-Home Delivery (see below). The delivery partner will email and/or call you at least one day in advance to arrange a delivery time. A wooden crate may be used for intercontinental shipments for maximum protection. Item will be left in its packaging after delivery. A signature will be required upon delivery.
In-Home Delivery: (For in-home delivery service, additional fees apply. Please get in touch)	A skilled driver or a team of two will bring your item(s) inside your home and place it in the immediate entryway. For unusually large or heavy items, we recommend asking a family member or friend for an extra hand, as we cannot send more than 2 drivers. The delivery partner will email and/or call you one day in advance to arrange a delivery time. A wooden crate may be used for intercontinental shipments for maximum protection. Item will be left in its packaging after delivery. A signature will be required upon delivery.

Front Door Delivery:
(Included in Every Order)

A skilled driver will unload the item(s) from the delivery truck and bring it to your building’s doorstep. You will be responsible for further transport beyond that point. We recommend asking a family member or friend for an extra hand; alternatively, you may upgrade to In-Home Delivery (see below).
The delivery partner will email and/or call you at least one day in advance to arrange a delivery time.
A wooden crate may be used for intercontinental shipments for maximum protection.
Item will be left in its packaging after delivery.
A signature will be required upon delivery.

In-Home Delivery:
(For in-home delivery service, additional fees apply. Please get in touch)

A skilled driver or a team of two will bring your item(s) inside your home and place it in the immediate entryway. For unusually large or heavy items, we recommend asking a family member or friend for an extra hand, as we cannot send more than 2 drivers.
The delivery partner will email and/or call you one day in advance to arrange a delivery time.
A wooden crate may be used for intercontinental shipments for maximum protection.
Item will be left in its packaging after delivery.
A signature will be required upon delivery.

*Important Note

Please examine every order upon delivery. In the event that there are visible signs of damage or missing or incorrect pieces, please indicate the problem on the Delivery Note and contact us within 48 hours of delivery. A signed delivery receipt without notations of missing, damaged, or incorrect item(s) represents your acceptance of the complete order in perfect condition.

About the Designer

Arne Norell

Designer Arne Norell was born in 1917 in Åsele, Sweden, and was active in the postwar era—at the height of international fascination with Scandinavian design. Little biographical information is available about his formative years, but we do know that he opened a furniture workshop in Stockholm in 1954. In 1958, he launched his eponymous manufacturing company, Møbel AB Arne Norell, on a two-acre farm in Småland. Through the course of his prolific career, this idyllic setting remained Norell’s central source of inspiration and the site where he designed and produced all of his own furniture until he passed away in 1971.

Norell is often praised for pioneering “conceptual” furniture, because he employed traditional materials—leather, turned wood, bentwood, and metal, for example—in unexpected forms, often with lyrical results. His designs have an affinity with those of Danish designer Kaare Klint (1888-1954), who, a generation before, brought time-honored, vernacular forms into modernist expression. In fact, Klint’s iconic Safari Chair (1933) inspired Norell to create the Sirocco Safari Chair (1964), which is lightweight, collapsible, and held together by leather support straps instead of glue or screws. Norell’s wood-framed Inka Armchair, Indra Sofa, and Ilona Sofa (design dates unverified) are likewise held together by leather.

While Norell’s designs found a solid market within his lifetime, his greatest recognition came posthumously: The British Furniture Manufacturers Association awarded Norell’s low-slung, steel-framed, leather-clad Ari Chair (1966) “Show Piece of the Year” in 1973. Norell’s pieces have become increasingly collectible in the 2010s.

Today, Norell’s daughter and son-in-law, Marie Norell-Möller and Thomas Möller, carry on his work, operating under the name Norell Møbel AB. In 2014, the company celebrated its 60^th anniversary. It’s the only Swedish company that has continuously manufactured the entirety of Norell’s catalogue since the 1950s.

* Images courtesy of Norell Möbel AB