Living Features
10 Classic & Cheap Designer Chairs
Handsome furniture need not cost a fortune these days. What was once reserved for the uber rich is now available thanks for relaxed copy-write laws of design. I’ll admit not all of these are mothers most beautiful, but they are somewhat striking in an office or home space. So if you’re on a budget, then one of these 10 examples of affordable furniture might just be for you.
Classic Chair #1 – Wassily Chair by Marcel Breuer
The highly-structural aesthetic of the Wassily Chair by Marcel Breuer makes a strong, urban statement. Designed in 1925 while Breuer was the head of the cabinet-making workshop at the Bauhaus, the ahead-of-its-time chair became known for its innovative use of materials (bent steel tubes and canvas) and manufacturing methods. (Price: $599.00 BUY)
Classic Chair #2 – La Chaise Chair by Eames
There is no name more famous in furniture than Eames. The smooth, voluptuous form of the La Chaise Chair was originally designed in 1948 from two bonded fiberglass shells with a natural oak cruciform foot. The chair was entered into the Museum of Modern Art’s International Competition for Low-Cost Furniture Design, but lost to another Eames design. (Price: $1499.00 BUY)
Classic Chair #3 – Florence Chair by Florence Knoll
Florence Knoll may have claimed that she was not a furniture designer, but history begs to differ. Her Florence Chair – initially introduced in 1954 as part of a collection known as “fill-in pieces” – has become an icon of modern style thanks to its simple look and clean design. (Price: $699.00 BUY)
Classic Chair #4 – Tulip Chair by Saarinen
In 1956, Eero Saarinen told Time magazine he was designing a collection to “clear up the slum of legs in the U.S. home,” and the Tulip Chair was born. It is now considered a classic of industrial design, but its most impressive claim to fame is a starring stint on the original Star Trek television series. (Price: $229.00 BUY)
Classic Chair #5 – Ball Chair by Eero Aarnio
No list of classic chairs would be complete without the Ball Chair by Eero Aarnio, a design that still pops up in places that are going for a slightly-futuristic, but still effortlessly cool look. The chair, conceived in 1963, was originally created with industrial design in mind, but it’s now regularly used as home furniture. (Price: $1299.00 BUY)
Classic Chair #6 – Heart Chair by Vernon Panton
The Heart Chair by Vernon Panton looks as though it’s opening its arms to welcome you into a warm, comfortable embrace. Perhaps that’s why it’s been such a hit since it first entered the scene in 1957. Rumor has it that this design was removed by police from the window of a New York City shop after it disrupted passing traffic. (Price: $899.00 BUY)
Classic Chair #7 – LC2 Armchair by Le Corbusier
Le Corbusier is considered a pioneer of modern architecture and design, for reasons like the LC2 Armchair. Originally called the “Fauteuil grand confort, petit modèle” (“great comfort sofa, small model”), the LC2 chair was designed in 1928 and went on to be featured in Maxell advertisements and the Museum of Modern Art. (Price: $499.00 BUY)
Classic Chair #8 – Coconut Chair by George Nelson
The Coconut Chair by George Nelson is one of the most unique pieces of furniture to hit the world of interior design. Inspired by the triangle shape of Eero Saarinen’s design of the Kresge Auditorium at MIT, the Coconut Chair has caught eyes from its introduction in 1955 to its current place in modern museums across the world. (Price: $899.00 BUY)
Classic Chair #9 – Lounge Chair by Eames
The Eames Lounge Chair is the piece of mid-century modern furniture. Nothing is more iconic than this 1956 design, originally made with a plywood frame and black leather cushioning. Typically paired with a matching ottoman, the Lounge Chair is now offered in a range of color combinations. (Price: $1199.00 BUY)
Classic Chair #10 – Bibendum Chair by Eileen Gray
If you think this chair by Eileen Gray resembles the puffy white character from Michelin adverts, you’d be right. The Bibendum is named after the iconic Michelin Man and has become an icon itself. Plush and inviting, yet still clean and modern, the Bibendum Chair was proclaimed a “triumph of modern living” when it debuted. (Price: $899.00 BUY)
Please note: Most of these chairs are available in all markets. So don’t dispair. If you’re in Australia visit Matt Blatt.
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Remember, your opinion saves more lives than doctors.
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I am shocked and disappointed that you would be advertising matt blatt imitation designer furniture. This is not the original designer furniture that you describe – but the cheap chinese knockoff. HUGE, BIG SHAME D’Marge!!!!!
Yeah fair points from you both.
Furniture is a hard one people don’t seem to give a shit about it being replica unless you’re able to afford it. So we took a punt. Thanks for the honest feedback.
What JJS said. If you’re linking to replicas, you might as well link to knock-off designer clothes in your other articles.
Seriously terrible! This obsession with replica furniture is going to create a mass of landfill in the next few years, as the quality is generally terribly (i’ve seen a person fall of a fake Arne Jacobsen chair and it collapsed under the weight of a normal person!). Plus, the design is rarely true to the original, and it’s often made in unregulated sweatshops in China.
I’m no moneybags, but I’ve saved to buy my authentic pieces, and I’ve had many of them for years and they still look and work like new. Maybe look at vintage pieces… yes, sometimes still expensive, but not always, and you’ve recycled and got a piece that can be given to future generations, instead of adding to landfill. And you’ll probably support a local small business vintage dealer in the process.
Seriously, people need to think of the effects of buying this crap. There’s plenty of original design out there at reasonable prices… it’s not knock-off or nothing if you can’t afford authentic Eames.
nice i love it