If there is a piece of furniture more often-designed than the chair, then we can’t think of it. Yet, as the Milan Furniture Fair kicks off this week, you can guarantee that there’ll be even more new, eye-catching forms unveiled!
Never fear, our interiors columnist Lauren Li is here to share her edit of covetable dining chairs, and a guide for choosing the perfect one for your place.
SIA by Tom Fereday for Nau. Photo – courtesy of Cult.
Just when you think that there could be simply no improvement on the design of a thing to plant your bottom on… the virtually endless new releases prove us wrong!
Maybe there really is no such thing as the ‘perfect’ chair for everyone in every situation… Perhaps this is where the need for so many different designs stems – and so our challenge deepens!
I’ll admit it can be utterly overwhelming to choose the right dining chair for you. so, here are some of my favourites…
Fun Chair by Dowel Jones. Photo – courtesy of Dowel Jones.
Kaki Chair by Jamie McLellan.Photo – courtesy of Interior Base.
Halo Chair by SBW. Photo – courtesy of SBW.
The Standard Chair by Jean Prouve for Vitra, available from Space.
No. 18 Thonet. Photo – courtesy of Thonet.
Firstly, we need to consider if the chair we need is for everyday use like breakfasts, lunches and dinners with family. We ask a lot of this piece of furniture, it needs to be sturdy, easy to clean, very comfortable and look good. If we consider the amount of hours spent sitting in this chair, it’s a piece worth investing in.
On the other hand, we never just need one chair, so once we buy six or more, they can add up to cost more than the table. I know that my clients struggle with this, as the table just seems so much bigger. I get it. However consider all of the parts that make up the chair, and the time and labour to fabricate a single chair. This piece of furniture is something we directly interact with and just a few millimetres can make all the difference.
Here are a few fabulous options for the casual dining chair…
The backrest pivots make this Nau by Cult design deceptively comfortable. Designed by Tom Fereday and assembled in Sydney, it won the Mercedes-Benz Design Award in 2017. Bravo!
The name (almost) says it all. Not only are these super cute, but they are also made in Melbourne and are cost effective. We’re ticking lots of boxes with this one. No need to go replica shopping here folks!
Kaki Chair by Jamie McLellan for Interior Base
The perfect chair for everyday or for the beach house (if you’re lucky). This cute rattan chair and its cousins are so on trend and are made by Feelgood Designs. Loads of personality and pretty well-priced too.
I absolutely fell in love with this graphic chair when I first saw it, but was sceptical about the comfort. Well, I’m here to say that yes, it is actually comfortable. I have tried it and the arch supports your back nicely. Perfect for compact spaces too.
Standard Chair by Jean Prouve for Vitra
This playful, robust chair by French designer Jean Prouve for Vitra is a bold design piece that has stood the test of time. Constructed in steel and bent plywood, this is a hard-wearing classic that will last a lifetime. Available in Australia from Space.
The term ‘timeless’ gets thrown around a bit, however, I think it’s safe to say that Thonet chairs are absolutely timeless. In the 1840s the bentwood designs were entirely novel, elegant, lightweight, durable and comfortable – a complete departure from the heavy, carved designs of the past. It’s quite unbelievable that the aesthetic and functional appeal remains to this day.
HK Living Dining Chair. Photo – courtesy of HK Living.
Bloomy Dining Chair by Patricia Urquiola for Moroso. Photo – courtesy of Hub Furniture.
Diiva Dining Chair. Photo – courtesy of Grazia & Co.
Kelly Chair by Tacchini. Photo – courtesy of Stylecraft.
You know the formal dining room, where everyone gathers for special birthday celebrations or maybe just to enjoy a fancy afternoon tea with friends?
Here, we want the chairs to look a little more luxurious, and since we don’t use them every day, an upholstered chair is perfect…
Although we want our formal dining area to look swish-o, sometimes we don’t use these spaces so often, so chairs like these ones are the perfect affordable option. Available in some cool velvet fabrics from House of Orange.
Bloomy Dining Chair by Patricia Urquiola
This chair is the ultimate in chic luxury. Imagined by design hero Patricia Urquiola for Italian brand Moroso, it’s a modern classic in my book. From Hub Furniture.
Diiva Dining Chair by Grazia & co
When you want the comfort of an upholstered dining chair but without the bulkiness, then the Diiva from Grazia & Co is your chair.
The frame can be powder-coated in various colours and upholstered in some cool fabrics and even better, it’s made in Melbourne.
Let’s get weird. The soft shape of the seat and back make this whimsical chair unique, especially in a coloured powder-coat frame and cool fabric. Made in Italy and available locally from Stylecraft.
Left – GOMA Chair, in its two variants. Photo – courtesy of Luxxbox. Right – The 412 Cab Chair by Mario Bellini for Cassina, available at Space (this is an investment piece, but it’s actually on sale at the moment!
Uccio Chair by Barbera. Photo – courtesy of Barbera.
The Yksi Chair by Fredericia. Photo – courtesy of Great Dane.
C-Chair by Gubi. Photo – courtesy of Gubi.
Chair 300 by Joe Colombo. Photo – courtesy of Cult.
You’ve done it; you’re at that stage in life when you don’t want to live with ‘share house’ furniture any more.
You’re officially a grown-up… and heck, you deserve some nice stuff…
A gorgeous chair that hugs you as you sit is the epitome of luxury in my book. Made locally by the Brisbane-based design studio, it is available in a range of timbers, including sustainable Hoop Pine grown in Queensland. I’ve found that my clients love pieces with a story and this chair has many! It was actually designed for the Queensland Art Gallery and Gallery of Modern Art, with a limited edition of pieces in blue to celebrate of the 9th Asia Pacific Triennial of Contemporary Art.
412 Cab Chair by Mario Bellini for Cassina
A firm favourite of designers and architects is the Cab Chair designed by Mario Bellini in 1977. Although beautiful simple in shape, it’s immaculately detailed with an expressed stitching detail into the saddle leather. The leather comes in beautiful colors and only gets better with age. Available in Australia from Space Furniture, this is an investment piece, for sure…. (but we’ve just noticed it’s actually on sale right now!).
I hate it when people describe furniture as ‘sexy’ however I’m inclined to agree that yes, this chair is sexy. The Uccio is made from solid steel rod with Italian saddlery leather. Plus it’s designed and manufactured in Australia by the talented team at Barbera.
Recently launched, I can see this elegant chair becoming quite the classic piece. The Yksi Chair is minimal yet sturdy and like most Scandinavian pieces it will stay beautiful for generations to come. Crafted in Denmark it is available in Australia from Great Dane.
An elegant chair that was originally designed in 1947 has been re-released by Gubi and it looks so 2019. Personally, I love the texture from the French cane seat and back however it also is available in an upholstered version too.
This perfectly simple and functional chair is all about comfort. This chair is a relaunched design by Joe Colombo originally designed in the 1960s. Available locally from Cult.
