Tina Christensen - Set of four “Nordisk” chairs - IKEA - 1999 -

Sold as a homogeneous suite of four “nordisk” chairs, produced by ikea from 1992, this rare set embodies the experimental audacity of the swedish giant’s great post-modern period. Conceived by danish designer tina christensen, the model subtly dialogues with the “light & steel” furniture of french designers pascal and olivier mourgue: the same search for visual lightness, the same play of controlled curves, but applied here to a refined nordic vocabulary. Each chair juxtaposes two emblematic materials of the 90s: beech plywood - finely worked for the seat and backrest, it allows an ergonomic curve that naturally follows the lumbar curve (the grained veneer, left in satin varnish, reveals a warm honey tint); steel tubing - curved into a single continuous ribbon, it forms the rear uprights and the central crosspiece, emphasizing the “wave” silhouette that earned the model its nickname (“wavy chair” in the catalogs). The medium gray powder-coated paint - a very nineties tone - protects the steel while creating a soft contrast with the wood. Made in romania - ikea's partner country for hardwoods since the late 1980s, these pieces carry the reference 100.297.91 / pqm13755, dated 1999. Presented in the 1993 ikea catalog for scandinavia, then withdrawn at the end of 2000, the nordisk series was never widely distributed: its mid-to-high-end positioning and its production cost (double wood/steel structure) confined it to a limited audience. -- dimensions (cm): 75.5 (h) X 46 (w) X 49 (d) X 45 (h seat). Origin & period: romania, 1999 beautiful original condition - uniform wear and tear: scattered micro-scratches on the edge of the seat and occasional patina of the varnish; tiny oxidation marks on the steel legs and localized chips in the matte gray lacquer; no structural play, perfect stability; ready for use.