Saari armchair by Arper in the larger size, leather upholstery

Two sizes of armchair: Saari is scaled to the room

Arper

Lievore Altherr Molina

Visitor chair
Saari Visitor chair
£ 2,446

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Trade terms for professionals and design studios

Lounge furniture has a quiet assumption built in: one armchair fits every room. Saari by Arper, designed by Lievore Altherr Molina in 2009, drops the assumption and offers the armchair in two sizes. The reasoning is architectural rather than anatomical: a compact reception and a generous lounge are different rooms, and the same seat cannot hold its proportions in both. You choose the size the way you choose a rug — by the space around it, not by the person on it.

Whichever size wins, the language stays constant: a sculptural, fully upholstered shell on a four-leg base, with castors available on request. Around the armchairs the collection completes the room — chairs, two- and three-seat sofas, benches and ottomans — upholstered in fabric, leather or coated fabric from a wide palette of colours. Declared at home in restaurants, bars, hotels and lobbies as much as in offices, Saari also earned the People's Choice at the AZ Awards in 2022.

La Mercanti helps UK and international projects settle sizes, typologies and upholstery zone by zone, with a checked quotation on the floor plan before any order is confirmed.

Technical information based on data declared by the manufacturer.

Collection: Saari, seating system — chair, armchair in two sizes, two- and three-seat sofas, bench, ottoman
Manufacturer: Arper
Design: Lievore Altherr Molina, 2009
Declared character: a synthesis of classic and contemporary; sculptural shapes, elegant and minimalist, comfortable and enveloping
Construction: fully upholstered shell on every piece
Base: four-leg base, with or without castors
Upholstery: fabric · leather · coated fabric — wide range of colours and materials from the swatchbook
Declared settings: restaurants, bars, hotels and lobbies; waiting areas, lounges, common areas and offices — contract and residential, including meeting-room armchairs and reception seating
Recognitions: People's Choice, AZ Awards 2022
Dimensions: per-typology dimensions are confirmed on the manufacturer's data sheet at quotation stage

La Mercanti Srl — trusted supplier for design and contract projects since 1997.
San Benedetto del Tronto (AP), Italy · +39 0735 753833 · info@lamercanti.com
Supply, quotations, specifications and project support across the UK and worldwide.

Documents and Catalogues

Arper Catalogue Arper News Catalogue Arper Office Catalogue Arper Home Catalogue Arper Outdoor Catalogue Arper Arper for Hospitality Arper Arper for Education Arper Arper for Healthcare Arper Arper for Transportation FSC Certifications Arper Case Studies

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FAQ

Which pieces make up the collection?
Chairs, easy chairs in two sizes, two- and three-seat sofas, benches and ottomans — one sculptural language across every typology, all fully upholstered.
Can the seats be ordered on castors?
Yes: the four-leg base is available with or without castors, chosen at order stage — the same base either holds its position or moves with the layout.
What upholstery families are available?
Three: fabric, leather and coated fabric, each across a wide colour range from the Arper swatchbook — the same families on every piece of the collection.
Who signs the design, and when was it born?
Lievore Altherr Molina, in 2009 — the same studio behind several Arper collections; their story lives on the designer page, while Saari speaks for itself here.
Is there a version suited to meeting areas and reception?
Yes — the declared uses include offices alongside hospitality: the compact size and the chair serve meeting areas, while the sofas and benches cover reception and lounge zones.

How to plan a Saari lounge corner

Five steps that turn an empty corner into a working soft area, before the order is placed.

Read the space first
Note entrances, walking lines and windows: the Saari pieces will define the corner, so the corner's geometry comes first.
Anchor with the sofa
Choose the two- or three-seat sofa as the anchor of the area, placed where it faces the space rather than a wall.
Add seats by size
Pair the sofa with the two Saari sizes — the larger where conversation needs space, the compact where circulation is tight.
Complete with bench or ottoman
A bench or an ottoman closes the composition and adds seats without visual weight.
Fix upholstery and confirm
Settle one upholstery family for the area, compare swatches in the corner's light, and have La Mercanti check the list against the plan.

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