The design of a chair has always been considered the most demanding and interesting of challenges for a designer. The chair is the object which best represents Western civilisation (as on reflection, not all the peoples of the world use chairs in order to sit!) The chair is in reality a system, and is usually referred to in the plural, “chairs”, immediately expressing the importance of optimising design and manufacturing quality for an item which is not purchased singularly, but in groups, usually of 4-6-8-12 (and which, furthermore, are usually bought in order to be placed around a table). As well as this factor, the complexity of chair design lies in the function that it has to carry out, destined to support the body of an individual who may weigh up to 120 kg and who, in any case, “is never still”, stretching, leaning back, getting up, rocking. Consequently, the structure of a chair is subjected to incredible forces which a “non-designer” would find hard to imagine.
The essentials: 20 of the best chairs
From traditional wooden chairs to futuristic carbon fiber models: 20 iconic projects selected by Domusweb.
The “chiavarine” are still produced, just as they used to be, in the Ligurian city of Chiavari. There are various models, ranging from the Campanino classica”, to the “900”, to the “Tre archi”. The structure is in beech, cherry or maple, or finished with a gloss paint. The chairs are usually produced with a seat in willow, or lightly stuffed and upholstered. dimensions: w. 41 x d. 45 x h. 86 cm
Structure in bent beech, seat and backrest in woven canna indica, or lightly stuffed and upholstered in leather or fabric. dimensions: w. 43 x d. 52 x h. 84 cm
Cantilever chair with structure in tubular steel, and seat and backrest in woven cane on a bent wood frame.
dimensions: w. 46, d. 60, h. 82
Legs in maple wood with cross struts in black steel. Shell in mass-dyed polypropylene, which can be fitted with a cushion or lightly stuffed and upholstered on the front. Alternative versions of the legs are available, with an all-wire base or a base in tubular steel.
dimensions: w. 46.5 x d. 55 x h. 83 cm
Seat in solid oak, beech or ash. Seat in paper cord.
dimensions: w. 55 x d. 51 x h. 75 cm
Structure in American walnut, natural ashwood or ashwood stained black. The seat and backrest are in plywood, stuffed and upholstered in leather or fabric.
dimensions: w. 54 x d. 56 x h. 76 cm
Base in tubular steel, structure in welded steel rods with shiny or brushed chrome finish. Removable cushion upholstered in fabric or leather.
dimensions: w. 58 x d. 54 x h. 73 cm
Shell in natural or varnished pressure-moulded sliced veneer. Legs in tubular steel. Stackable.
dimensions: w. 50 x d. 52 x h. 78 cm
Frame in natural ashwood or white or black stained open pore ashwood. Seat in woven India Cane or lightly padded and upholstered. A version is also available with a bi-colour black/white stained frame.
dimensions: w. 41 x d. 47 x h. 83 cm; weight kg 1.7
The base, which is either fixed or swivel, is in moulded cast aluminium with a white Rilsan coating. The seat shell is in moulded reinforced fibreglass with a white plastic coating. The cushion is in pressed polyester with fabric upholstery. A version completely upholstered on the front is also available.
dimensions: w. 49 x d. 53 x h. 81 cm
Frame in forged grey steel, seat in lacquered MDF wood fibre topped with a cushion in shaped polyurethane upholstered in leather or fabric.
dimensions: w. 56 x d. 46 x h. 70 cm
Chair produced in either glossy lacquered rigid polyurethane foam (“Panton Classic Chair”) or in coloured polypropylene
dimensions: w. 180 x d. 70 x h. 71 cm
Chair made entirely in injection moulded plastic (polyamide and polypropylene). Stackable
dimensions: w. 42 x d. 50 x h. 71 cm
Chair in fibreglass-reinforced plastic (Regular). Compression moulded in one step from a sheet of prepreg.
dimensions: w. 47 x d. 50 x h. 75 cm
A tubular steel frame upholstered in stitched leather held in place with zips.
dimensions: w. 52 x d. 47 x h. 82
Structure in tubular aluminium, seat frame in die-cast polished and painted aluminium.
Seat and backrest in polypropylene or in polished anodized aluminium.
dimensions: w. 61 x d. 51 x h. 80 cm
Stackable chair with or without arms. Structure composed of extruded aluminium profile and die-cast aluminium elements, seat and back in PVC-covered polyester mesh or fabric
dimensions: w. 56.5 x d. 66.5 x h. 83 cm
Chair with tubular steel frame and special one-piece seat and backrest in integral skin polyurethane foam.
dimensions: w. 38 x d. 45 x h. 79 cm
Stacking chair, legs in anodised or painted aluminium. Seat in die-cast aluminium painted in polyester powder. It is also suitable for outside use. It can be fitted with a special cushion.
dimensions: w. 55 x d. 59 x h. 82 cm
Folding chair in polypropylene with glass fibre added. Also suitable for outside use.
dimensions: w. 46.5 x d. 49 x h. 77 cm
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- Curated by Marco Romanelli, with the collaboration of Luca Ladiana
- 17 October 2022
Furthermore, the chair is a complex category which contains numerous sub-categories: stackable chairs, folding chairs, cushioned chairs, armchairs, as well as office chairs.
The chair is therefore an object that “summarises”, a perfect story-teller. Between the tradition wooden chair which can still be found in little trattorie off the beaten track and avant-garde models in carbon fibre, lies the entire history of humankind. This is why, if we have to choose a single object with which to tell that story, that object would, without a doubt, be the chair!
The story goes that “in 1807, the Marquis Rivarola... brought from Paris a light chair with a wicker seat... which was a success... at the time of the French Directorate” (E. Bacceschi, 1986). That model led to the creation of the “chiavarina classica” which, after having furnished noble residences for 150 years, was a key element in the florid season of Milanese architecture in the 1950s, used by Gardella, by Caccia Dominioni, by Albini and studied by Ponti.
Probably the most famous chair in the world. In 1930, 50 million had already been produced, and as a matter of fact two greats of architecture, Adolf Loos and Le Corbusier, used them regularly. Due to its innovative production methods, the “14” model was considered the first ever object of modern design and marked the beginning of the democratisation process for furniture.
This chair is considered an icon of modernity for the invention of the “cantilever” which allowed for the rear legs to be eliminated and which provided the chair with significant elasticity. There is still some discussion as to the origins of the design, as it was elaborated almost simultaneously by both Stam and Marcel Breuer.
The organic shape of the shell, counterbalanced by the wooden base, forms one of the most recognised and copied chairs in the world. The extraordinary quality of the design made this chair, from the very beginning, suitable for both informal and very rigorous environments.
It is hard to believe, but in reality, Wegner was simply a carpenter, not an architect-designer. It was his extensive knowledge of wood that allowed him to design a chair in which each element is worked with great knowledge and passion. The initial inspiration for the “Y” chair evidently came from 17th century Chinese chairs.
As was the case with the “Superleggera” chair by Ponti, the “Luisa” armchair took a very long time to develop (a process which began more or less in 1939). Albini continued to refine the shape, reaching a level of essentiality from which nothing else could be removed. A particularly important detail is the finger-jointing on the arms.
The story of this chair in reality developed in parallel with that of an armchair, the “Diamond”, with which Bertiola experimented the use of curved steel rods for the seat. “Space passes through them, when you observe carefully, you can see that they are made up mainly of air...”.
Preceded, in 1952, by the so-called “Ant”, with its three legs and moulded seat, the “Series 7” marked the world-wide success of Danish design. The secret of this masterpiece lies in the single continuous form creating both seat and backrest.
One of Gio Ponti’s great masterpieces, the “Superleggera” [Superlight] is in reality the result of a long and complex design process which began in 1949, continued in 1952 with the so-called “Leggera”, and finally culminated in the slender triangular-section structure of the “Superleggera”, which is still considered to be one of the lightest (and most beautiful) chairs in the world.
A “phytomorphic”chairwith a chalice-shaped shell, enhanced by the presence of a single central support which resembles the stem of a flower. Created to be matched with the famous “Pedestal” table, the “Tulip” chair in the version with or without arms quickly became an icon of modern design.
A chair which is almost a small throne, with the perfect elegance of the frame in flattened burnished shaped steel (which, in the period when polished brass or chrome ruled, tended to surprise buyers). The chair can be used around a dining table, at a desk or set alone in a lounge.
Despite being designed at the beginning of the 1960s, the “Paton chair” is considered one of the most powerful symbols of that aesthetic revolution, around 1968, which sought to render design dominant. It was the first chair in the world to be made out of one single piece.
This was the first chair for adults in the world to be made in injection moulded plastic and was a true revolution. As clearly stated by the name, it was designed as a highly democratic product, destined to be produced on a very large scale. It is an excellent representation of the late 1960s design utopia.
It is said that Magistretti made the first models of this chair out of paper, and this was the origin of the idea of “stiffening” the leg with a pronounced fold along its length. The leg in fact is the most recognisable element in the design, with a style that has even been described as art nouveau.
The metaphor which led to the design of this chair is that of a human skeleton on which the skin rests, thus the invention of an internal structure dressed in a leather covering. The image of the archetypical chair, with four legs and a backrest, thus finds a new and extraordinary form.
Deliberately designed to be an element suitable for both home and office, the “Silver” chair revisits and modernises a classic model by Marcel Breuer for Thonet. Magistretti recalled that the inspiration for the perforations in the polypropylene fabric used for the seat and backrest came from Japanese egg baskets.
“Frame” belongs to a wider range of chairs and chaise longuesaimed at a re-reading of the work of Charles and Ray Eames though the use of the most important technology for aluminium. “Frame” is extremely versatile to use, ranging from domestic to working environments, and is even suited to outdoor settings.
With the “03” chair the unforgettable master of minimalism, Maarten van Severen, created a union between a “statement piece” and one of the most comfortable chairs currently on the market. Sleek and slim, it is still capable of adapting in an elastic manner to the body.
A chair which marked a decisive turning point in the career of Grcic, currently one of the most important contemporary designers, and paved the way for a new, courageous and completely independent aesthetic. “Chair One” is a truly innovative chair, breaking away from the stereotypical image of comfort.
In his search for “everyday” beauty, free of all semantic excess and destined to last over time, Morrison reached new heights with the “Air Chair” collection. In particular, the folding version re-works the elegance of an archetypal object such as the classic wooden folding chair, typical of camping environments.