LD Seating, the Czech family-owned seating manufacturer, has introduced Dafna, a new collection created with internationally recognised designer Lucie Koldova.
Two years in the making, Dafna marks a significant addition to the company’s soft seating portfolio, with upholstered lounge chairs, armchairs, chairs and coffee tables made for contemporary residential interiors, premium hospitality settings and workplaces.
Generous upholstered volumes, soft curves and an elegant silhouette introduce a residential approach to seating without compromising the durability and stability required for commercial use. Every model was designed to be appreciated from every angle, a principle reflected in its proportions and the complex upholstery of its rounded forms.
The design process
When LD Seating approached Lucie Koldova, the ambition was not simply to create another chair, but to introduce a softer and more expressive design language without compromising comfort or performance.
“What I enjoyed most was the harmony and alignment in the way Lucie and I worked together,” says Jitka Hurábová, founder of LD Seating, reflecting on the close collaboration between Koldova and LD Seating's development and production teams. “She was given a very open brief: to create a lounge chair that she herself would like to have at home and in her studio. When she presented the first design, it immediately caught our attention. We liked it so much that the original idea of a single lounge chair developed into a complete collection.”
Reflecting on her vision for the collaboration, Koldova explains, “I had a clear idea of the typology and the seemingly minimalist way in which the individual parts should connect from quite early on. I had a sense of what type of collection would bring something new to LD Seating's portfolio and what kind of expression I wanted to give it.”
Designed for every viewpoint
Koldova designed the collection to be appreciated from every angle. Created to look equally elegant from the side and back, it can be placed freely within an interior rather than simply against a wall or around a table. That thinking also shaped its silhouette.
“For me, the silhouette is strongest when combined with the fully upholstered base, which appears both in the smaller armchair and in the large swivel lounge version,” Koldova explains. “The softly remodelled forms flow into one another, creating a shape that feels comfortable and supportive for the whole body.”
Speaking about the signature opening between the seat and backrest, Koldova explains, “To me, it feels like a little smile. It was a positive detail I wanted to imprint on the design. From the back, it also visually lightens the overall volume and adds elegance to the armchair.”
Two years of engineering and craftsmanship
Behind Dafna’s soft appearance is an unusually demanding development and manufacturing process. The armchair shells are made entirely from polyurethane, combining a rigid structural core with a layer of soft polyurethane foam for exceptional comfort.
“Working with moulded polyurethane opened completely new possibilities for achieving smooth, precise and soft forms,” says Koldova. “We worked very carefully on how the individual forms connect and on upholstering the rounded parts, which was extremely complex and required months of work by LD Seating’s experts.”
Describing the role of craftsmanship in the collection, Koldova says, “I was able to rely on the know-how of experts in Italy and the upholsterers in Boskovice, who handled the demanding details and stretch fabrics with great skill. They essentially dressed the collection perfectly, and that is a big part of why the final design works so well.”
From a single chair to a complete collection
The collection extends beyond a single lounge chair into a complete family of seating and coffee tables. The largest Dafna chair is offered with either a monolithic upholstered base, optionally with 360° rotation, or a four-leg steel base. The medium-sized chair expands the collection with upholstered, steel and aluminium star base options, the latter available with or without castors. The smallest Dafna chair brings the same design language to a more compact chair suitable for meeting spaces, dining environments and contemporary workplaces.
Dafna Tables in three sizes complete the collection, each with a fully upholstered polyurethane base and a choice of metal or lacquered solid oak tabletop. Different sizes and heights allow the tables to be used individually or alongside one another.
Together, the range gives architects and designers the freedom to use the same visual approach across lounge areas, hotel interiors, restaurants, meeting spaces and private residences without relying on a single seating typology.
Designed for a longer life
Sustainability and longevity are key to Dafna’s development. The shells of the seating models and the upholstered bases of the tables are made entirely from polyurethane, simplifying material separation and recycling at the end of their service life. The armchairs, chairs and tables are also designed to be reupholstered, meaning a worn or outdated textile does not have to mark the end of the product’s use.
Production takes place in Boskovice, where LD Seating can oversee the development and manufacture of the collection in one location while drawing on its experience in polyurethane seating, ergonomics and upholstery.
Hurábová describes Dafna as both an important addition to the portfolio and something more personal: “A collection like this was missing from our portfolio, and I was very pleased that it was created for us by Lucie Koldova, an exceptional Czech designer, for a Czech company. The collection gives me a very pleasant feeling: something beautiful, balanced and timeless that I would love to have in my own space. I hope it evokes the same feeling in everyone who experiences it.”
