Set of 4 FK 84 Armchairs by Fabricius and Kastholm in Velvet and Metal, 1960's

Set of four FK 84 armchairs by Preben Fabricius and Jørgen Kastholm for Kill International, designed in 1962 and produced in Germany in the mid 1960s. This model belongs to the FK series and is a clear example of mid century modern office and conference furniture: compact in footprint, generous in seating comfort and extremely reduced in detail. The chairs are built around a sculpted seat and back shell in moulded wood, fully upholstered in a deep black velvet that wraps the volume in one continuous surface. A three-star chrome-plated metal base carries the shell on a narrow central column, so the seat seems to float above the floor while the flat disc feet anchor the whole composition. The open steel armrests form a continuous line from the back into the front edge of the seat; only where the hands rest they are softly padded and covered in fabric, so the user touches textile while the metal line of the frame remains visually intact. It is a great combination of materials: cool, reflective chromed metal against the matte, tactile velvet, with the warm wooden shell quietly hidden beneath.

Within the broader work of Fabricius and Kastholm, the FK 84 sits exactly at the intersection of Danish modernism and the emerging international corporate interior of the 1960s. Both designers were trained as architects at the Danish School of Interior Design, where they studied under Finn Juhl and later worked in the orbit of Arne Jacobsen; you see that heritage in the way the chair balances ergonomics, clear geometry and precision engineering. Their collaboration for Alfred Kill International produced only a limited number of models, but many of them have since been recognised as key examples of Danish mid century design and are represented in museum collections such as the Museu de Arte in São Paulo, MoMA in New York and the Musée d’Art Moderne in Paris. The FK 84 translates that level of ambition to an executive or meeting-room chair: wide, low and inviting, with a soft, almost lounge-like seat, but disciplined by the strict tripod base and the disciplined, horizontal line of the armrests.

This particular set in black velvet emphasises the architectural shape of the shell and reads almost monochrome, with the chrome picking up the light and the upholstery absorbing it. The velvet is in good condition overall, the foam retains its resilience, and the chairs sit very comfortably, as intended. Wear is consistent with age and use; there is one small spot on one armrest towards the very end, visible on the last detail photo, but nothing that distracts in use. A coherent, period-correct mid century modern grouping for a meeting room, studio or collector’s interior, with the rare advantage of four matching examples from the same production. Worldwide shipping available; we arrange transport in-house and are often faster than external shippers, with delivery to the U.S. and Asia sometimes within two weeks. In the spirit of Gio Ponti and Arne Jacobsen.