Chair Designs

Chairs are a necessity in every home. It is rare that you will walk into a house that does not have a single one of these pieces of furniture. You also can find very few businesses that don’t have the classic seats peppered throughout the building. These fundamental seating instruments can even be found outdoors more often than not. With so many places to be, there is no wonder that chair designs are various and ever-changing.

... chair designs have evolved as much as culture has over the centuries ...

The basic function of the chair is simply to help people take a rest, in short, to sit. This takes little or no mental effort to understand. The purpose of the furniture has not changed at all over the course of history. However, the chair designs have evolved as much as culture has over the centuries.

Chair designs reflect the current developments in various societies over time. They are indirectly linked to the culture’s technological advances. Chair designs are directly associated with architectural and artistic achievement in any given era and some assert that the designs reflect the culture’s attitude by making a symbolic statement. They do this by making a presenting an attitude that subtly communicates ideas and viewpoints.

I’m not sure how all of this works. When I think of chair designs, I think of looks and comfort. Color is very important to many people. We have close associations to color and they do reflect our personalities. However, I’m not quite so sure that they reflect the attitude of my generation.

... designs look too much to the form rather than the function ...

Of course, form and function are two areas to consider. Some chair designs look too much to the form rather than the function. Simply put, I don’t like stiff, plastic chairs that are reminiscent of the 1950’s. I have no idea what societal message was being sent during that era but it wasn’t conducive to sitting in general.

I also wonder about the French provincial style that seems to pay more attention to the swirling details in the wood and the busy patterns on the seat covers rather than the seat itself. They may be interesting to look at but they are not quite so kind to your behind.

No matter what, form always follows function when it comes to chair designs because the object is inherently connected to the act of sitting. The form follows this simple but crucial function. Hopefully, chair designs created in our era will reflect an understanding of that basic concept.