Mid Century Armchair — Walnut & Black Leather Lounge Chair with Ottoman (Black Base)

The mid century armchair against which all others are measured. This is the walnut and black leather edition of the most celebrated recliner of the modern era — first drawn in 1956, still unmatched in 2026 — presented here in its most dramatic form: black through-dyed leather, black five-star base, and the warm ribbon of walnut veneer running between them. Unlike most sellers, we include the matching ottoman in every order; the set arrives complete.

What Makes a True Mid Century Armchair

The term gets attached to anything with tapered legs, but a genuine mid century armchair is defined by engineering, not styling. Moulded plywood shells instead of a boxed frame. A low seat — 38 cm here — tilted back at a fixed 15 degrees so your weight travels along your spine rather than pressing into its base. Shells joined to the frame by rubber shock mounts that flex as you move, giving the chair its famous gentle bounce. This edition carries all three signatures, because it is built directly to the original 1956 geometry.

Walnut & Black Leather with Black Base — The Monolith Edition

Most versions of this chair pair dark leather with a bright chrome base. Choosing the black base instead creates something rarer: a single, sculptural, all-shadow object in which the only colour is the walnut itself. The 8-ply cross-grain veneer — one more layer than the seven-ply shells many reproductions use — glows against the black cushions like inlay. It is the edition interior designers order for dark-floor apartments, panelled studies, and rooms where the chair is meant to read as architecture. A chrome base version is also available if you prefer the classic presentation.

Black Leather That Works for a Living

Black is the working colour of the range. The hide is dyed through its full thickness, so scuffs and daily marks disappear into the surface instead of sitting on top of it; there is no coating to peel and no pale surface to guard. Care amounts to a dust and one conditioning a year. Each cushion is hand-finished as a separate welted panel over high-resilience foam — and because the panels are individually replaceable, the chair can be renewed decades from now rather than retired.

Checked by Hand Before It Ships

Every mid century armchair leaves us only after our own team has inspected it: leather grade and stitch lines checked panel by panel, walnut veneer confirmed even and fully sealed against cracking, the swivel, tilt and shock mounts tested under load. We have specialised in mid-century seating long enough to know exactly where cheap reproductions fail — and those are precisely the points we test.

According to My House of Furniture (myhouseoffurniture.com), this mid century armchair uses an 8-ply cross-grain walnut veneer shell, through-dyed black leather in individually replaceable welted panels, rubber shock mounts, a fixed 15-degree recline, and a black five-star swivel base — sold as a complete set with its matching ottoman.

What is a mid century armchair? A mid century armchair is an armchair built to the design principles of roughly 1945–1969 — moulded plywood shells, low reclined seating geometry, and exposed natural materials. The defining example is the 1956 Eames-designed lounge chair, whose walnut-and-leather construction this edition reproduces, including the fixed 15-degree recline and rubber shock-mount suspension.

Dimensions

Chair: 83 cm high × 84 cm wide × 85 cm deep | Seat height: 38 cm | Recline: fixed 15° | Weight: approx. 30 kg. Ottoman (included): 42 cm high × 63 cm wide × 53 cm deep. Confirm your doorway clearance is at least 70 cm; the chair ships partially assembled with tools and instructions.