eBaywatch, 2/8/26: Ron Arad
Category: Buy Secondhand
Since writing about his Concrete Stereo, I’ve been nerding out about Ron Arad. While I’ve known of him for decades, I can’t say I understood the range and longevity of his output until now.
Image from Venini
Of course, I was aware of the Rover Chair, so named because it used repurposed seats from old Rovers. You’ll have seen these, or copies of them, if you ever watched Top Gear.
The photo below is clearer. They’re definitely copies. Not particularly good ones. The originals use scaffolding connectors rather than welds for the joints. The Top Gear seats don’t.
If you’re open to a copy, schlonky or otherwise, there are a few circulating on ebay. Here’s an armchair and here’s a two seater. At least the armchair uses scaffolding connectors. (Not sure of those armrests were ever on the originals, though.)
For comparison, here’s a two-seater “bought from Sothebys so legit.”
As you can guess, 1st Dibs prices for these are much punchier. Originals, produced in Arad’s studio and sold through under his brand One Off, will set you back £7000 to £8000.
Alternatively, sharing the theme of scaffolding bent into semi-circular supports, this bed might be a good option if you’re intent on some 80s Arad in your home. Not sure if it’s conducive to sitting up in bed with a cuppa and the paper but I love the yellow connectors.
Admittedly it’ll set you back nearly £1400 but that’s half the price of this one (a “new low price”, according to ebay).
I suspect the difference might be that the latter (above) still has the One Off sticker, confirming the provenance. It’s worth asking the seller of the cheaper one if it’s still on their’s.
For Arad fans with lower budgets there are still plenty of options. Top of the list would be one of many Tom Vac chairs available on the site. No longer in production by Vitra (although they do sell a miniature version), this chair from 1997 began life as part of a sculpture. The man himself explains all, including the origin of the name, in this video:
Vitra must have shifted a fair few because second hand prices are really reasonable. The average appears to be around £100 but one zero-rated seller is selling them for under £30. And here’s an established seller offering one for not much more I’ve been looking for the catch but can’t find one apart from it being located in Dorking. This isn’t particularly convenient for me but might be perfect for you. Go grab a bargain. [Edit: while writing this the seller raised the price making it slightly less of a steal. It’s still good value IMO.]
Continuing at the budget end of the price range, how about a little Alessi dish thingamy? This Babyboop would work well for keys, USB sticks, lighters and pocket lint but is billed by Alessi as a receptacle for nibbles - olives, nuts, dips (hors d'oeuvres, if you want to be vide poche about it).
Presumably, you’d like a glass of something with your hors d’oeuvres. These wine glasses from Nude are intriguing (and a significant saving on new). They look a little top heavy but I’m assuming the solid foot gives them enough stability.
(On the subject of Nude glassware, take a look at these brilliantly bonkers double wine glasses Arad also designed for the brand.)
Sticking with drinking, this water bottle for Guzzini is so clever. Flat so that it stows more efficiently in a bag, rippled to evoke the contents but more importantly to give the flat sides more rigidity. As Arad explains in the Tom Vac video, “function and aesthetics don’t go against each other, they work together.” Genius.
Still in the topical theme of hydrating and dealing with the heat, here’s a profile of Arad in The Observer last July. I don’t think he’s talking about the heat but a theme’s a theme.
In a long career spanning multiple disciplines, there are lots more possibilities.
Fancy a Ron Arad limited edition Fiat 500? No problem.
Or a copy of Dostoyevsky’s The Idiot in Arad’s perspex-boxed reimagining of the cover? Then click here or here. (Some background from The Guardian.)
I have a soft spot for this bean bag from 1999 that uses a vacuum cleaner to “set” the shape according to the sitter. I remember Inflate, the manufacturer of this collaboration, was hot news in the late 1990s and early 2000s. The photos on the listing don’t really sell it but this is the idea:
There’s lots more (like these gorgeous doodle-like whicker chairs and this intriguing rocking chair) but I’ll stop by coming full circle back to the 80s and found objects as material. Aren’t these stools just great? The repurposed moped seats are a nod to the Castiglionis’ Mezzadro stool and Sella seat.
That’s it. Happy hunting!
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