A chair is an important part of the furniture in your house. But more than its functionality, its design could make it iconic.
Here are some of the most iconic chairs of the 20th century:
- Paimio Chair. This chair was designed by architect Alvar Aalto in southern Finland back in the 1930s. The laid back angle of the chair makes it easier for patients to breath. It was used during the 1920s until the 1930s during the TB epidemic. Its firmness and springiness makes it very comfortable.
- Round Chair. Designed by Hans Wegner in 1949, Interiors magazine labelled this chair “The most beautiful chair in the world.” CBS bought the chair for the live broadcast of the US presidential debate between Richard Nixon and John F Kennedy in September 1960. It has a modern Danish design with perfectly curved timber.
- Lobby Chair. Husband and wife design team Charles and Ray Eames designed this chair in 1959. Their designs were featured in the American National Exhibition in Moscow where Senator Richard Nixon and Soviet Leader Nikita Khrushchev conducted the Kitchen Debate about US consumerism. After that, they went on to deign the Lobby chair for the new Time & Life Building. The chair has buttoned, leather upholstery that mixes comfort with an executive look.
- Spine Chair. This chair was designed by former antiques dealer and painter Andre Dubreuil in a west London flat back in 1985. He was inspired by 18th Century French furniture designs. The chair has a minimalist but operatic and theatrical design.
- Barcelona Chair. Ludwig Mies van der Rohe and Lily Reich designed this chair in 1929. Their design moves away from the minimalist and affordable chair for low-ceilinged houses for the working class to the luxurious monarch designs. This chair is hand crafter and it is bolted together. Its cushions are padded pigskin.
