Sir Paul Smith Broadway cinema 'love seats' fetch £4,200

The seats were put in place as part of a refurbishment in 2006

Two pairs of cinema "love seats" created by fashion designer Sir Paul Smith have made £4,200 at auction

The chairs from Nottingham's Broadway Cinema were sold following a refurbishment ahead of its reopening.

Sir Paul, who is from the city, designed one of the screen's interiors in 2006, earning it the accolade of "the smartest cinema in the world".

Keith Butler, from Arthur Johnson auctioneers, said they and the cinema were "chuffed to bits" by the sale.

The £4,200 price tag was more than double the pre-sale estimate.

Mr Butler said: "It's not a surprise there was a lot of interest, as its such a rare opportunity - imagine having those in front of your home cinema."

Sir Paul is best known for designing men's wear, particularly suits, often with his trademark decoration of multiple vertical lines of colour.

He opened his first shop in 1970 in Nottingham and currently has 166 stores worldwide.

The Broadway Cinema has not been open since March

Fourteen years ago, Total Film magazine praised the screen's "deliciously dapper chocolate, multi-colour striped love seats" and ranked Broadway alongside La Pagode, in Paris and Mann's Chinese Theatre in Los Angeles.

The cinema, which is 30 years old, was forced to close due to Covid-19 on 17 March but will reopen on 25 September.

It was awarded £500,000 by Arts Council England in early 2020 to improve its seating, add 4K projection and 7.1 surround sound equipment for its four screens.

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