Azuolas Convertible Sleeping Armchair In Ocean Blue Felt & Oak by V.E. Cukermaniene for VBK, 1970s

Model · Azuolas
Designer · Valerija Ema Cukermaniene
Manufacturer · Vilniaus Baldų Kombinatas
Origin · Lithuania
Period · 1970s
Style · Baltic Modern / Mid-Century Modern
Materials · Solid oak, felt
Colour · Brown, ocean blue

Object

At first, it is simply a small armchair. Pull it open and the geometry begins to unfold, transforming a compact piece of furniture into a place to sleep. Nothing disappears inside a complicated mechanism. The construction itself performs the transformation.

Part of Valerija Ema Cukermanienė's Ąžuolas furniture family, the chair belongs to a quieter chapter of European modernism, developed behind the Iron Curtain and largely unknown outside the Baltic states. There is something wonderfully domestic about it. Dark wood, ocean blue felt and a mechanism designed for apartments where one object might need to live several lives. It is furniture imagined not as decoration, but as a small piece of everyday architecture.

Designer

Valerija Ema Cukermanienė was a Lithuanian architect and furniture designer whose work moved naturally between interiors, architecture and objects. During the 1960s, 70s and 80s, she designed furniture for some of Lithuania's most important public interiors, including government, theatre and cultural buildings.

Her Ąžuolas collection brought that architectural thinking into the scale of domestic life. Armchairs, sofas, tables and convertible pieces formed a family rather than a collection of isolated objects. Practical constraints became part of the aesthetic, creating furniture that feels economical and rational but never anonymous.

Manufacturer

Vilniaus Baldų Kombinatas belonged to Lithuania's long tradition of furniture manufacturing and became an important producer during the country's Soviet period. Its history reaches back to the nineteenth century, while the company continues today as Vilniaus Baldai.

Pieces produced there during the postwar decades reveal a particularly Baltic interpretation of modernism. International ideas of functional furniture met local materials, manufacturing realities and the needs of increasingly compact urban homes, creating objects with an identity quite distinct from their Scandinavian neighbours.

Condition

The seating has been completely reupholstered in ocean blue felt. The original solid oak structure has been carefully polished, finished with walnut mordant and protected with transparent water-based lacquer. The armchair is preserved in excellent restored vintage condition while retaining the original structure and convertible function.

Dimensions

Width · 64 cm / 25.0 in
Depth · 48 cm / 19.0 in
Height · 89 cm / 35.0 in
Seat height · 46 cm / 18.0 in

Included

The convertible armchair is accompanied by a Back to the Furniture Certificate of Originality, a Back to the Furniture flyer, a Thank You card and a small gift.

Availability

The convertible armchair can be ready to ship within 10-15 workdays.

Shipping

Worldwide shipping is available. Every piece is carefully prepared and packed for international transport. Shipping costs are calculated according to destination at checkout, with tracking provided after dispatch.

Enquiries

For questions about the piece, its condition, shipping, delivery or any other details, please get in touch. Additional information is always available before purchase.

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