COLLECTION IN STORE ONLY. Two of the three chairs will be delivered by Pav from Money For Nothing TV show on 15th May 2025. One has already sold.
A Bartholomew Cocktail Chair originally manufactured in Germany in the 1950s - has been rescued from landfill, stripped and reupholstered in a beautiful luxurious Atlas blue velvet with a unique 'Matisse inspired' patterned back created by furniture designer Simon Hawtin-Smith. Simon was selected for the project by Money For Nothing's presenter, Sarah Moore in the long standing BBC TV series and he was filmed in his Manchester based workshop.
 
The chairs were then acquired by Esme Burton at Circa 21- and filmed in situ here for a series due out at the end of 2025.
 
 
This gorgeous & extremely comfortable little cocktail chair has been professionally reupholstered.
All the foam and original inners have been replaced and the chair still has its original spring cage intact, making it very comfortable compared to many of today's cheaper reproductions.
The tapered legs have also been refinished and upholstered with the rich velvet leg stockings.
An iconic and collectible cocktail chair it would bring a touch of classic Mid Century style to any interior space. With tapered legs typical of the period and a curved back that hugs you as you recline.
Fully compliant with current domestic fire regulations.
 
Matisse Henri, 1869-1954 France
The back of the cocktail chair is influenced by Matisses' large wall mural size cutouts, 'drawing with scissors' silhouettes of marine vegetation- this era of work in 1946, transcended the confines of an easel.
An artist known for his fluid draughtsmanship, bold colours & simplification of form.
His 'Cut Outs' are paper collage of cut shapes from painted papers, arranged into lively compositions by his studio assistantants under his direction, after he became wheelchair bound later in life after 1941. Through the cut-outs, he was finally able to unite two branches of his practice. He described the process of making them as both “cutting directly into color” and “drawing with scissors.”
He never wanted to be a 'prisoner of stye' or a 'prisoner within himself' hence this change in artistic direction- but he had visited the cut out style in a previous decade, when he made large stage sets for an opera and ballet.