The Hula Dining Chair – a seat with a high-frequency mix of past and present

Do you recall the wrought-iron John Salterini Hoop chairs of the 1950s? Wire iterations of them lasted well into my youth in the 80s and still feature in many an auntie or granny’s garden set. These nostalgic circular garden chairs were the inspiration for designer Haldane Martin’s latest collection, aptly named Hula.

While Martin’s extensive collection of chairs has made him famous, the designer has branched out into other furniture items, as well as into interiors, since then.

With its reminiscent circular frame and spindly legs, Martin’s modern interpretation features bold parallel lines set within the round. All versions, including the dining and lounge chairs; love seats; kitchen; stacking and bar stools, come in a host of juicy shades from their Hot South palette.

While it’s hard to choose, our favourite has to be the Dining Chair since this one, more than the others, pays homage to the original 1950s version but brings it into the 21st century with cleaner lines and colours that tease. The seat is ergonomically formed (one up on their predecessors) and stacks effortlessly … frankly, we wouldn’t expect less from this chair’s designer.