Armchair by Willem Hendrik Gispen for Kembo, Set of 6

About This Piece

Vintage Design

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Creator	Willem Hendrik Gispen
Manufacturer	Kembo
Design Period	1950 to 1959
Production Period	1950 to 1959
Country of Manufacture	Netherlands
Identifying Marks	This piece has been attributed based on archival documentation, such as vintage catalogs, designer records, or other literature sources
Style	Midcentury
Detailed Condition	Good — This vintage/antique item may have some wear such as scratches and other signs of ageing.
Restoration and Damage Details	Light wear consistent with age and use, Patina consistent with age and use
Product Code	MNK-1195817
Materials	Metal, Vinyl
Color	Black
Width	45 cm 45 cm
Depth	45 cm 45 cm
Height	71 cm 71 cm
Seat Height	43 cm

Shipping & Delivery

Ships from	Switzerland
Returns	Returns accepted within two days of delivery, except for Made-to-order items

Sustainability

Carbon Neutral	For every purchase made, Pamono offsets 100% of estimated carbon emissions from global shipping.
Vintage	Choosing vintage and antique furniture reduces your carbon footprint by cutting down on waste and reduces demand for new materials and extends the life of the products we use.

Delivery Options

Front Door Delivery: (Included in Every Order)	A skilled driver will unload the item(s) from the delivery truck and bring it to your building’s doorstep. You will be responsible for further transport beyond that point. We recommend asking a family member or friend for an extra hand; alternatively, you may upgrade to In-Home Delivery (see below). The delivery partner will email and/or call you at least one day in advance to arrange a delivery time. A wooden crate may be used for intercontinental shipments for maximum protection. Item will be left in its packaging after delivery. A signature will be required upon delivery.
In-Home Delivery: (For in-home delivery service, additional fees apply. Please get in touch)	A skilled driver or a team of two will bring your item(s) inside your home and place it in the immediate entryway. For unusually large or heavy items, we recommend asking a family member or friend for an extra hand, as we cannot send more than 2 drivers. The delivery partner will email and/or call you one day in advance to arrange a delivery time. A wooden crate may be used for intercontinental shipments for maximum protection. Item will be left in its packaging after delivery. A signature will be required upon delivery.

Front Door Delivery:
(Included in Every Order)

A skilled driver will unload the item(s) from the delivery truck and bring it to your building’s doorstep. You will be responsible for further transport beyond that point. We recommend asking a family member or friend for an extra hand; alternatively, you may upgrade to In-Home Delivery (see below).
The delivery partner will email and/or call you at least one day in advance to arrange a delivery time.
A wooden crate may be used for intercontinental shipments for maximum protection.
Item will be left in its packaging after delivery.
A signature will be required upon delivery.

In-Home Delivery:
(For in-home delivery service, additional fees apply. Please get in touch)

A skilled driver or a team of two will bring your item(s) inside your home and place it in the immediate entryway. For unusually large or heavy items, we recommend asking a family member or friend for an extra hand, as we cannot send more than 2 drivers.
The delivery partner will email and/or call you one day in advance to arrange a delivery time.
A wooden crate may be used for intercontinental shipments for maximum protection.
Item will be left in its packaging after delivery.
A signature will be required upon delivery.

*Important Note

Please examine every order upon delivery. In the event that there are visible signs of damage or missing or incorrect pieces, please indicate the problem on the Delivery Note and contact us within 48 hours of delivery. A signed delivery receipt without notations of missing, damaged, or incorrect item(s) represents your acceptance of the complete order in perfect condition.

About the Maker

Kembo

Dutch furniture manufacturer Kembo was established in the 1950s by the well-known designer W.H. Gispen (1890-1981). The name is a shortened version of the Dutch slogan, 'Kom Eerst Maar Bij Ons' meaning ‘Come see us first’. Upon resigning from his immensely successful eponymous furniture manufactory, Gispen , he co-founded the design manufacturing company Kembo in the early-1950s with Ru Meijer.

In the beginning, Kembo's products were designed by Gispen himself, but were produced by companies elsewhere. Commercial success, however, soon led to expansion and the construction of a factory in Veenendaal for the production of their office furniture. Characterized by a balance between shape and function, Gispen’s designs for Kembo included ergonomic steel framed pieces. One of the first pieces Gispen designed for Kembo was the Model 302 Armchair (1954), which won an award at Milan’s Triennale that same year. Other designers for Kembo included J.B. Meyer and Gerrit Veenendaal.

Sometime around 1960, Gispen left Kembo in order to pursue his interests in architecture, and at the age of seventy-nine he began drawing lessons at the Royal Academy in The Hague. Not long after Gispen's departure, Meijer left the firm as well, leaving Kembo to his three sons Sjoerd, Gelder, and Just Meijer who continued to run the company, introducing office furniture in the 1990s. Kembo was one of the first producers to offer laminated seating and injection molded plastic furniture in an office setting. Designs from this time included the Thema Conference Chair (1995), and the office program Plato (1998) both designed by NPK Industrial Design; the office program Lost Boys, (2003, Dutch Design Prize) by Khodi Feiz, which was accepted into the permanent collection of the Het Stedelijk Museum in Amsterdam in 2004. Other contemporary designers include Wolfgang Deisig, Daniël Figuroa, Gerard Geytenbeek, and Erik Munnikhof.

In 2014, Amsterdam-based furniture label Lensvelt (est. 1962) acquired Kembo and included seven Gispen classics, including chairs 101, 103, 201, 202, 205, and the 301 Easy Chair (all 1950s), in the collection entitled WH Gispen from Kembo by Lensvelt ... with love.