Chairs with Artistic Designs, Is It a Chair or Is It Art?

Chairs have always been around humanity’s history. We see them in ancient Egyptian, Greek, Aztec, and Chinese cultures, yet even back then, chairs were pretty similar to today’s everyday options.

Designers are more and more interested in reinventing the chair, creating pieces that serve as both seating and works of art. Chairs are one of the most versatile furnishings you can own: since they are relatively compact, they can follow you from apartment to apartment or room to room.

Body Chair by Chris Wolston

New York-based artist Chris Wolston has a wide-ranging body of work, but he is becoming especially known for his outstanding seating. The Body Chair mixes clean edges with engravings that resemble hand drawings, and the polished aluminium catches whatever natural light you may have.

Dimora Chair by Serban Ionescu

Serban Ionescu’s chairs blend playful colours with psychedelic shapes, and the effect is mesmerizing. Using materials like steel coated in eye-popping hues, Serban’s chairs build on the concept that a chair is a character or a pet in a room.

Acetone Erosions Chair by Susan for Susan

If you lean toward organic shapes and abstract art, brothers Kevin and John Watts of Susan for Susan have designed the chair for you. Made by pouring acetone into polystyrene to create a unique pattern, their chair falls somewhere between a cloud and a coral formation.

XLC03 Chair by Reinaldo Sanguino

It is no secret that ceramists are having a moment in the design world. Venezuelan-born ceramist Reinaldo Sanguino uses clay as both structure and canvas in his furniture designs, which mix simple shapes with graffiti-like strokes of colour.

Clay Low Rocking Chair by Maarten Baas

A rocking chair is the last thing we would expect to put on a list like this, but Maarten Baas’s clay design is far from the traditional rocker. Modelled by hand with synthetic clay over a metal frame, each piece is unique and eye-catching.

Copula Seat by Ada Blecher

Inspired by the bond of womanhood, Ada Blecher’s Copula Seat is a perfect conversation piece—literally. The two geometric chairs are chained together, creating an ideal spot for long, deep discussions.

Giorgio Chair by Joogii

If you are prone to hosting late-night soirées, Joogii’s chair happens to double as a disco ball of sorts. Designed and made in L.A. by husband-and-wife team Diogo and Juliette Felippelli, the Giorgio chair—named after the “Father of Disco,” Giorgio Moroder—is crafted from acrylic coated with a dichroic film that casts a prismatic colour spectrum at every angle.

Love Seat Chair by Annebet Philips

The Love Seat chair, created by Amsterdam-based Annebet Philips, is inspired by the way people sit when they are in love. The design is part of a series available in chair, low chair, or chaise size, so there is something for every kind of lover.