Armchairs are very common pieces in our homes and an excellent example of the range of concepts and trends applied to developing the furniture we use every day. We might think they’ve only become popular recently; in fact they appeared thousands of years ago. If at first they were a symbol of power and sovereignty, clad in gold and precious stones in the manner of thrones, today they’re extremely comfortable pieces within everyone’s reach. All furniture changes with the passing years and with society, but there are pieces that go beyond the barrier of time and remain benchmarks of beauty and function to this day. It’s a proven fact: good design spans generations. The examples we’ve brought you are models so innovative and forward-looking that they’ve become timeless, and objects of desire even now.
1. Lounge chair – Charles and Ray Eames
We’ve all fallen for one of these, haven’t we? It’s the perfect reading chair, able to make any corner of the house more sophisticated and elegant. Created in 1956 by the American couple Charley and Ray Eames, today it stands for executive style, masculinity and comfort. The couple’s vision was of an armchair that would be very comfortable and welcoming, reminiscent of a baseball glove; it was hugely successful for its comfort and for the sophistication of the combination of leather and plywood. It’s so notable that it’s held at the Museum of Modern Art in New York, prized as a genuine work of art.
2. Barcelona chair – Mies van der Rohe
Created in 1929 by the German architect Mies Van der Rohe, it was presented at the Barcelona International Fair that same year. Following the pattern of the time, it features chromed metal, leather and geometric forms, resulting in a modern, understated, minimalist design. Originally made from polished stainless steel and pigskin, it underwent adjustments in the 1950s to allow mass production. That was never the designer’s intention, but the originality, ergonomics and stability of the design were so successful that they even led to a complete collection, made up of ottoman, table, armchair and sofa.
3. Egg chair – Arne Jacobsen
The armchair, created in 1958 by the Danish architect Arne Jacobsen, was designed especially for the lobby of the SAS Royal Hotel in Copenhagen, which he also designed himself. It was made using a new technique consisting of a firm shell-shaped foam beneath the upholstery. Its unique egg shape creates a kind of welcoming cocoon, giving privacy to whoever sits in it even in public spaces. This flowing, curved form was quite unusual for the period and came about for an equally unusual reason: Jacobsen wanted the hotel’s interior to be a direct contrast to the modernist exterior. The Egg’s soft, organic lines were meant to provide a refuge from the coldness of glass and steel.
4. Wassily chair – Marcel Breuer
The Wassily chair is also known as the “B3” and was created by the Hungarian-born American architect and designer Marcel Breuer in 1925. Built from the same material as the designer’s bicycle, the Wassily is one of the first examples of tubular steel technology used in furniture design and, combined with the use of leather, broke with everything being created at that moment. It’s a light, sculptural, abstract armchair and one of the first creations of the Bauhaus school, which helped build its reputation as a major influence on functional design worldwide.
5. Grand Confort – Le Corbusier
Co-designed by Charlotte Perriand and Pierre Jeanneret, it’s simply a clever way of achieving a “basket of cushions”, as Corbusier himself put it. Launched in 1928, this cube-shaped piece with leather upholstery quickly stood out for the frame that held it. Instead of being “hidden” or embedded in the armchair itself, the tubular frame was moved to the “outside”, expressing a rationalist approach of simplicity and comfort and conveying the architectural relationship between the supporting structure and the walls. We hope you find it useful.
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