CHAIRS
Tulip Chair
Finnish-American architect and designer Eero Saarinen famously hated the sight of many table and chair legs in a room, calling it an “ugly, confusing, unrestful world.” In an attempt to streamline these necessary supports, Saarinen developed the Tulip collection, which trades four legs for one central pedestal, supporting a sculptural seat reminiscent of its namesake flower. The chair has been produced by Knoll (the manufacturer founded by Saarinen’s friend Florence and her husband Hans Knoll) since 1957.Â
Wishbone Chair In the 1940s, Danish designer Hans Wegner saw a series of photographs of Chinese tradesmen—and became fascinated with the chairs on which they were sitting. He set about creating his own version of the Ming chair, incorporating a curved, bent-wood armrest and the namesake back, whose pronged wishbone shape allowed for a more graceful silhouette. He introduced the chair with Danish manufacturer Carl Hansen & Søn, whose craftsmen perfected the 100 steps it takes to make, including the weaving of 395 feet of paper cord for its seat.Â
Eames Lounge Chair While the Eameses are best-known for their efforts to create inexpensive furniture pieces that could be easily mass-produced, their now-ubiquitous lounge chair and ottoman was the couple’s take on luxury. The endeavored to create the most comfortable chair possible, one that had the warm, worn feel of a “well-used first baseman’s mitt.” Herman Miller released the seat in 1956 in wood and black leather; it’s now available in a slew of upholstery and finish options and continues to appear in interiors around the world.Â
Sacco Easy Chair The original bean bag chair, the Sacco was designed by Piero Gatti, Cesare Paolini and Franco Teodoro for Italian manufacturer Zanotta. The pellet-filled leather pouch provides for an amorphous shape that contours to the body for optimum comfort—anyone with a beanbag in their den growing up would agree.Â
Office Chair Designed by Pierre Jeanneret for a set of administrative buildings in Chandigarh, India, designed by his cousin, Le Corbusier, these cane-and-wood chairs are some of the most sought-after by vintage collectors today. Often called Jeanneret chairs, they were produced en masse in the 1950s but, by the end of the 20th century, were being sold for next to nothing in India. With the rise of interest in midcentury design came a renewed demand for them—and they now fetch thousands at auction (even Kourtney Kardashian has one in her home).
Aeron Chair This chair look familiar? There’s good reason. Herman Miller has sold over 7 million of its most popular office chair, designed by Don Chadwick and Bill Stumpf. The adjustable, three-size seat is designed with ergonomics in mind for maximum comfort.
Wishbone Chair In the 1940s, Danish designer Hans Wegner saw a series of photographs of Chinese tradesmen—and became fascinated with the chairs on which they were sitting. He set about creating his own version of the Ming chair, incorporating a curved, bent-wood armrest and the namesake back, whose pronged wishbone shape allowed for a more graceful silhouette. He introduced the chair with Danish manufacturer Carl Hansen & Søn, whose craftsmen perfected the 100 steps it takes to make, including the weaving of 395 feet of paper cord for its seat.Â
Eames Lounge Chair While the Eameses are best-known for their efforts to create inexpensive furniture pieces that could be easily mass-produced, their now-ubiquitous lounge chair and ottoman was the couple’s take on luxury. The endeavored to create the most comfortable chair possible, one that had the warm, worn feel of a “well-used first baseman’s mitt.” Herman Miller released the seat in 1956 in wood and black leather; it’s now available in a slew of upholstery and finish options and continues to appear in interiors around the world.Â
Sacco Easy Chair The original bean bag chair, the Sacco was designed by Piero Gatti, Cesare Paolini and Franco Teodoro for Italian manufacturer Zanotta. The pellet-filled leather pouch provides for an amorphous shape that contours to the body for optimum comfort—anyone with a beanbag in their den growing up would agree.Â
Office Chair Designed by Pierre Jeanneret for a set of administrative buildings in Chandigarh, India, designed by his cousin, Le Corbusier, these cane-and-wood chairs are some of the most sought-after by vintage collectors today. Often called Jeanneret chairs, they were produced en masse in the 1950s but, by the end of the 20th century, were being sold for next to nothing in India. With the rise of interest in midcentury design came a renewed demand for them—and they now fetch thousands at auction (even Kourtney Kardashian has one in her home).
Aeron Chair This chair look familiar? There’s good reason. Herman Miller has sold over 7 million of its most popular office chair, designed by Don Chadwick and Bill Stumpf. The adjustable, three-size seat is designed with ergonomics in mind for maximum comfort.