Michel Arnoult “Ouro Preto” lounge chair in imbuia wood with ottoman from 1958. Michel Arnoult left his native France for Brazil in the 1950s and quickly befriended the famous architect Oscar Niemeyer and painter Cândido Portinari. He then set up the company Mobilia Cotemporânea in the city of Curitiba, which was fully dedicated to simple but high-quality designs. One of the designs is this beautiful lounge chair with ottoman.

This chair in massive imbuia wood "Ouro Preto", which translates to black gold received the Roberto Simonsen Prize for industrial design in 1964. Another concept initiated by Michel Arnoult is the "firm comfort": a well-studied design combined with a very great quality of manufacturing brings comfort to furniture only made of wood.

The "Ouro Preto" chair exudes a modest elegance due to its slender and light frame. Its seat and backrest are stretched with nylon threads, which make it seem as if the cushions are held in place by an invisible construction. The nylon threads run from the canopy rail all the way to the front rail of the seat and are completely original and the cushions are then held in place by four loops on the frame.

A signature of Imbuia's golden brown wood flirts with olive-brown and chocolate brown in a wild flame pattern with a fine grain. Always unpredictably beautiful with a luxurious look and that is also reflected in the chair. The cushions have been completely reupholstered and are finished with a one-centimeter border. The condition of this chair and ottoman is fully consistent with wear and age and the frame has some scuffs and marks.