In the industrious England of High Wycombe, cradle of furniture making, Geoffrey D. Harcourt was born in 1935, his curiosity and hand already drawn in youth to wood and emerging forms. After distinguished studies at the Royal College of Art—where he earned a silver medal and a travel scholarship to the United States—he went on to design in Chicago and later in Copenhagen, absorbing the elegance of Scandinavian design under Jacob Jensen. When he returned to Europe, he encountered Artifort, the Dutch manufacturer that offered him something rare: the absolute freedom to create. From this partnership came a series of seats that would mark the history of design— the fluid Model 042, the lounge chairs of the 500 series, the swiveling F140, and above all the sumptuous “Cleopatra” chaise longue: luxurious, modern, timeless.

These hybrid forms, at once organic and technical, embodied the essence of the Space Age. They even appeared in 2001: A Space Odyssey, Kubrick’s cinematic ode to the future, becoming icons of modern furniture. Harcourt never forgot his guiding principle that “the person comes before the chair,” and his work unites ergonomics with poetry, visual daring with comfort. Named Royal Designer for Industry in 1978, he left behind creations that continue to be produced and celebrated in museums and exhibitions worldwide. Today, he paints for pleasure, yet every seat he designed remains alive—vibrant with spirit and line—an enduring echo of a vision where design is, above all, an act of grace.