Revisiting
Richter
What is a chair when no one sits on it?
— Vjenceslav Richter
Richter
— Vjenceslav RichterWhat is a chair when no one sits on it?
Vjenceslav Richter's furniture designs were never produced. Until now.
Revisiting Richter brings the work of Croatian architect and artist Vjenceslav Richter into the present — through archival research and contemporary production that turn unrealised ideas into living design. Prototypes, sketches and concepts are translated into contemporary pieces.
The most important European Modernist you may not know
As Richter was ahead of his time, many of his projects remained unrealised.
Vjenceslav Richter worked across architecture, art and design — treating them as one continuous field. As part of EXAT 51 and New Tendencies, he helped shape a culture of experimentation that connected Zagreb to an international network of ideas. His work moved between disciplines, from spatial systems to early explorations of cybernetics, kinetic and optical art.
Why Richter Matters Now
Design as System
For Richter, design was not form, but structure — linking artistic research with everyday life. Objects were not ends, but beginnings: steps toward a world in which art becomes scientific and science becomes poetic.
Evolution of Variations, Evolution of Possiblities
Each project was a proposal for the future — grounded in logic, not utopia. Richter replaced monumentality with openness, dissolving boundaries between disciplines, ideologies and technologies, and positioning design as an active infrastructure of society.
Dialog Across Time
Richter’s thinking feels immediate. In a world shaped by systems, technology and constant change, his work offers open frameworks — designed not to fix outcomes, but to enable participation and transformation.
Prostoria — From Archive to Object
Building on Richter’s designs, Prostoria continues this logic into contemporary objects — evolutions refined through today’s technologies while preserving their clarity.
The Richter Collection
Five collections comprising 20 pieces translate archival designs into contemporary furniture, developed through research and engineering into new, living forms. Many of Richter’s concepts remained unrealised, and Prostoria brings them into production for the first time, continuing rather than returning to the past.
VR51 revisits a compact task chair originally conceived by Vjenceslav Richter as part of a rational workspace system. Defined by an ultra-light metal frame and a carefully balanced composition of supports, the chair reflects a clear logic of structural economy.
- VR51 Chair
Vjenceslav Richter, 1951
- VR51 Desk
Richter+, 2026
VR52 is defined by a minimal tubular steel frame and ergonomically shaped plywood surfaces, forming a clear and expressive composition. Supported at discrete points, the seat and backrest introduce a subtle elasticity, enhancing comfort while maintaining structural precision.
- VR52 Easychair
Vjenceslav Richter, 1952
VR53 is based on archival photographs of Vjenceslav Richter’s interiors from the early 1950s, where no physical prototype survives. Reconstructed through the analysis of proportion and posture, it is defined by a minimal wooden base with a rotated T-shaped geometry supporting soft upholstered volumes.
- VR53 Easychair
Vjenceslav Richter, 1953
- VR53 Easychair with armrests
Richter+, 2026
- VR53 Pouf
Richter+, 2026
VR58 revisits an easy chair originally designed by Vjenceslav Richter in the context of his work for Expo 58 in Bruxelles. Defined by a precise tubular frame and a characteristic X-shaped base, the chair expresses Richter’s fascination with structural clarity and geometric order.
- VR58 Chair
Richter+, 2026
- VR58 Table
Richter+, 2026
- VR58 Easychair
Vjenceslav Richter, 1958
VR61 revisits a vision first conceived by Vjenceslav Richter for Italia ’61 in Turin. Defined by mirrored symmetry and a lucid sculptural gesture, its plywood shell rises from a central base, rigorous in geometry yet unexpectedly light in presence.
- VR61 Chair
Vjenceslav Richter, 1961
- VR61 Table
Richter+, 2026
- VR61 Easy chair
Richter+, 2026
- VR61 Lounge chair
Richter+, 2026
- VR61 Pouf
Richter+, 2026
Designing Together
— Vjenceslav Richter“Industrial production is a cultural-artistic, economic and political category.”
Richter+ brought together Numen/ForUse, Neisako and Grupa studios who collaboratively translated Vjenceslav Richter’s archival designs into contemporary products. Through research and development with Prostoria’s in-house team, they turned unrealised concepts into functional pieces that retain Richter’s experimental spirit while meeting today’s standards of comfort and production.
- EUROPE — PREMIERESalone del Mobile 2026
Prostoria unveils Revisiting Richter at Salone del Mobile 2026 in Milan, presenting 5 collections and 20 products.
FIERA MILANO, RHO Pavilion 24, Stand C08 — April 21-26, 2026 - USA — PREMIERENeoCon 2026, Chicago
The Richter Collection will premiere in the USA in June during NeoCon, at The Mart and Prostoria’s flagship store in Chicago.
THE MART, Prostoria's flagship store — Chicago 2026
Understanding Richter
Discover the ideas behind Richter's work. Watch the short films.
Avant-Gardist
Video
Builder of Systems
Video
Visionary
Video
Avant-Gardist
Video
Builder of Systems
Video
Visionary
Video
Written in Richter
Richter is a type system designed by Nikola Đurek, inspired by Richter’s methodological approach. While not a type designer, his mathematical and system-based thinking closely parallels the logic of constructing letterforms, translated here into a contemporary typographic system.
