5 famous designer chairs

Designers of the past century made great efforts to make chairs as comfortable as possible. Yet, some models are nothing like their peers.

1. Wiggle Chair

Let’s begin our review with the most unusual in shape. As known, designers began focusing on cardboard around the mid-1960s. However, processing techniques were so underdeveloped that cardboard yielded the top spot to another material — universal plastic.

Canadian designer Frank Gehry, one day, noticed a pile of discarded cardboard near his office and began experimenting with it, eventually leading to the creation of a curved chair resembling traditional African seats.

The chair named Wiggle was unveiled to the public in 1973 and instantly became a sensation. Thanks to its universal shape, it can be placed almost anywhere in the home — even in the bathroom.

The original, made by Vitrа, starts at 30,000 rubles. Replicas online range from 10,000 rubles.

2. Hill House Chair

At first glance, it’s clear: you won’t sit comfortably on this chair. And that’s not surprising — its Scottish designer Rennie Mackintosh originally designed it as a functional chair for a bedroom. Therefore, the Hill House, with its unusually long latticed back, is better suited as a coat rack or bedside table than as a seat.

What’s remarkable is that modernist Mackintosh moved away from his familiar rounded forms, opting instead for strict straight lines and an uncompromising shape. The chair was introduced to the public in 1902 and was created specifically for publisher W.V. Black.

The original is produced by Italian manufacturer Cassina. Price on request. Replicas are not sold.

3. Eames Wire Chair

The husband-and-wife team of Charles and Ray Eames are known not only for their bold experiments with plastic and plywood, but also for their successful work with metal. In 1951, the designers unveiled the Eames Wire chair, made from a metal mesh. Thanks to this, it was both strong and lightweight. Its base is made of chrome-plated steel, while the back and seat form a single wire frame made of nickel-plated steel rods.

The chair launched the entire Eames Wire collection and is now part of the Vitra collection and the Museum of Modern Art in New York.

Buying a replica of any Eames product today is as easy as purchasing a Chanel handbag. Whether such a purchase makes sense can be debated endlessly, but true design connoisseurs won’t hesitate over the label "Made in China" when they see a price under 10,000 rubles for a masterpiece.

4. ZigZag Chair

Dutch architect and designer Gerrit Thomas Rietveld invented the ZigZag chair in the 1930s. As one of the most prominent figures of the Bauhaus movement, Rietveld was fascinated by constructivist forms, which eventually led to his famous red-and-blue chair (1918), built from planks and battens so that the three-dimensional object rests on simpler, flat forms.

Then came the ZigZag (1932–1934), brilliant in its simplicity: this wooden chair consists of four non-intersecting planes. Since 1973, rights to produce Rietveld’s designs have belonged to the Italian furniture manufacturer Cassina. Original price on request. No replicas found online.

5. Ant Chair

Danish architect and designer Arne Jacobsen became famous for his furniture pieces that celebrate the natural contours of the human body: his comfortable chairs and sofas immediately signal that they are made for comfort.

The stackable Ant chair, introduced in 1952, became the first well-known piece of furniture in Jacobsen’s career. The wooden chair’s curves, with back and seat made from a single molded plywood sheet, truly resemble an ant — hence the name.

The Ant also features a metal frame with four chrome-plated legs. Despite its simple shape and minimalist design, the chair is extremely comfortable. It was originally created to decorate the dining room of the Danish pharmaceutical company Novo Nordisk.

Today, almost everyone makes replicas and various versions of this chair. For example, even the Russian manufacturer Kostorama-Mebel has made a very similar version. Such a chair costs no more than 3,000 rubles. The original is ten times more expensive.