Croatian brand Prostoria has unveiled a furniture collection based on prototypes by the late architect Vjenceslav Richter at Salone del Mobile.
Revisiting Richter brings together 20 pieces categorised into five sub-collections, defined by the functionalism and sleek lines typically associated with mid-century-modern furniture.
The pieces were developed using prototypes, photographs and sketches preserved from the life's work of Richter, whose distinctive pavilions built for international expositions helped to shape a progressive image of former Yugoslavia after the second world war.
Prostoria sought to spotlight the legacy of Richter, described by the company as an "under-recognised figure within modernist design" outside of Croatia, despite leaving his indelible mark on the country's urban landscape.
"Since Richter's design pieces were never industrially produced in his lifetime, this is the first time we are translating his ideas into furniture," said architect and Prostoria art director Iva Šilović.
Among the pieces are the VR51 task chairs, which are Prostoria's updated versions of the earliest recorded chair that Richter designed to help transform a Zagreb art gallery into the city's Museum of the Revolution in 1948.
Prostoria's chairs feature a curved timber seat and an ultralight metal frame selected for ease in modern workspaces.
The chairs accompany the low-slung VR51 desk, finished in the same materials. While plenty of pieces in the collection are contemporary replicas of the architect's existing prototypes, the desk is one of a number of new pieces that Prostoria conceived to mimic Richter's design language.
"We tried to embody Richter's way of thinking," Šilović told Dezeen. "We considered how he would approach a table to accompany a chair, or how he might design that same chair if he were working today."
VR53 is a duo of generous armchairs based on 1960s seating that Richter designed for the Hotel Adriatic in Umag, Istria, which featured a T-shaped wooden base and a seamless form.
No original chairs are thought to have survived the subsequent demolition of the restaurant they kitted out. As a result, Prostoria conceived its contemporary versions of the chair using a series of photographs, selecting upholstered armrests for one of the models.
Two chairs and a table make up the sub-collection VR58.
The seating was designed as reconstructions of the X-base chairs Richter created for his most famous project, the split-level Yugoslav pavilion he conceived for the Brussels World's Fair in 1958.
Using archival images, Prostoria's designers recreated two steel-framed chairs with wooden seats and backs, opting for softer edges than the originals for improved comfort.
The table follows a similar style, characterised by four interlocking legs and a translucent glass top.
"Some pieces were preserved, allowing us to produce direct replicas, which were then refined and adapted to today's technology and ergonomics," explained Šilović.
"For others, no physical objects existed, so we reconstructed them from photographs," she continued.
"It was real forensic work, analysing proportions and perspectives in relation to other elements in the image. From this, we established dimensions, developed models, and then refined them through prototyping."
The final two sub-collections are VR52 and VR61, which include chairs and a table created in a similar way to the rest of the furniture.
Šilović considered the importance of preserving Richter's modernist ideas, cultivated during something of a "golden age for Croatian architecture, art and design".
"Richter's optimism and idealism was embodied in his work through a conceptual synthesis of architecture, visual art, design, urbanism and socio-cultural projections," she said.
"It was a time of strong cultural optimism," agreed Prostoria founder Tomislav Knezović. "It's something we need again today, where creativity, industry and society are closely connected."
Revisiting Richter will be unveiled at the Salone del Mobile furniture fair, which anchors Italy's annual Milan design week.
As the city-wide event kicks off, explore our curated guide of unmissable exhibitions and installations to help you navigate the myriad events taking place across Milan. You can also hear our take on what to expect from the design week in the most recent episode of the Dezeen Weekly podcast.
The photography is courtesy of Prostoria.
Revisiting Richter is on display from 21 to 26 April 2026 at Pavilion 24/Stand C25, Salone del Mobile, Fiera Milano, 20017 Rho, Italy. See Dezeen Events Guide for more architecture and design events around the world.
The post Prostoria furniture collection picks up where modernist architect Vjenceslav Richter left off appeared first on Dezeen.
