The Fritz Hansen Series 7™ chair was designed by Arne Jacobsen in 1955 and is arguably one of the most recognised furniture pieces in the world. Among the many locations home to this iconic Danish design was Sydney’s Art Gallery of NSW. After 10 years of daily use in public gallery areas, conference rooms and exhibition halls, Cultivated acquired the worn Series 7™ chairs and worked with local craftspeople to restore them.

Our team of skilled carpenters began the restoration process by sanding back the worn lacquer to smooth out minor scratches and reveal the raw timber veneer. Bigger chips were then fillled by hand with a special wax that sets clear and rigid, before hand sanding to ensure a seamless blend with the original veneer. For particularly aged and worn Series 7 chairs with more significant damage to the veneered surface, new veneer was cut and inlaid by hand, before being pressed, hand sanded and lacquered to match the original surface. The Series 7’s were then ready to be lacquered or upholstered.

Throughout the Cultivated process, human hands are as essential as they were in creating the original design. Today, the Cultivated Series 7™ chairs reside in multiple locations across Australia including Grosvenor Place Foyer at 225 George Street in Sydney, 321 Exhibition Street in Melbourne and the soon to be opened Appellation Wine Bar in Armadale.