Here’s why your home needs a mid-century armchair
From an armchair inspired by a boxing bag to a minimalist classic from Mies van der Rohe, here's why you should be taking a mid-century seat
Words: Jonathan Wells
Are you sitting comfortably? Probably not. But that’s only to be expected. After all, it’s been over half a year since most of us even saw an office chair, let alone sat in one. Instead, relegated to sunken sofas and creaky old dining room furniture, we’ve started to dream of ergonomic armrests and lumbar support.
But it doesn’t have to be this way. Working from home is an opportunity to change up your chairs and get around to some well-overdue interior decoration. And, with the mid-century design movement having something of a moment, now is the ideal time to pick up a striking, statement chair.
So, with cool colour palettes, tapered legs and clean curved lines, we’ve pulled up ten pieces of choice furniture to transform your home. They may not come cheap — but invest in the best and you’ll be sitting pretty for years to come…
Eames Lounge Chair
Very few chairs have their own Wikipedia page. But the Eames Chair is not so much a seat as a turning point in design history. Brothers Charles and Ray Eames wanted to create something that evoked English clubland, but with the “receptive look of a well-used first baseman’s mitt.” The result is a true icon of mid century design — and it’s comfortable, too.
Timothy Oulton Cub Chair
Inspired by 1970s design, the Cub chair takes its name from the curve of a young lion’s ear — and has the playfulness and striking looks to match. Smart, elegant and finished in gorgeously soft leather.
Magnus Long Cross Leg Lounge Chair
Designed in 2015, this pleasingly laid back lounge seat already has the air of a classic. The idiosyncratic X-shaped legs at the back of the chair are reflected in the Italian criss-cross stitching accents across the supple leather of the seat. Playful touches for a future icon.
Knoll Barcelona Relax Chair
Mies van der Rohe was one of the pioneers of modernist architecture — an avant garde visionary whose striking, minimalist buildings became the defining look of the twentieth century. You can’t afford a Mies van der Rohe house. But you might juts scrape to an armchair. And the Barcelona, happily, is a quintessential example of the designer’s pragmatism and flair.
Capitol Complex Lounge Chair
The Capitol Complex in the city of Chandigarh, India, was first designed by Le Corbusier in 1951 — a striking emblem of an emerging East-meets-West mentality in both design and politics. Many of its fixtures have gone on to be icons of modernist design in their own right — including this lounge chair, with its familiar ‘V’ support structure, enveloping cushions and confident lines.
Andoo Low Back Lounge Chair
Relaxed and handsome; understated but inviting, this soft-leather upholstered chair has delicately shaped wood and chunky, familiar details. The low-slung back is particularly pleasing.
Perch & Parrow Scott Armchair
The curved wood frame of this excellent living room chair gives way to a buttery soft, pleasingly rippled cushion and backrest. Inviting but stately.
Lucy Kurrein for Molinari Rondo Small Armchair
Inspired by boxers’ punching bags, the Rondo Armchair is a soft and engulfing creation in fine Nobilis Tegola leather, whose inviting chubbiness is accentuated by a strong black metal frame. Plus, there’s a nifty little side table — perfectly placed for an evening Manhattan.
Want more interior design tips? Here’s how to create the ultimate man cave…
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