The world of design is consistently inspired by chairs. Whether the design takes shape with ergonomics or craftsmanship in mind, the quantity of chair designs in circulation is definitely not lacking. But what if the chair never existed? What if designers had no preexisting prototype or blueprint for chairs before creating their own? Martin Luu asked himself those same questions before conceptualizing his own unconventional chair called Sado. Sourcing a type of non-existence as his main inspiration, Luu designed Sado as an experiment in unconventional design and the result proves the singularity that can be achieved without blueprints guiding the way.
Before designing Sado, Luu wondered, “What if the chair as we knew it never existed?” Eliminating all preconceptions regarding chair designs and all their variations, Luu began at ground zero. Speaking to this, Luu says, “As the archetype of the chair had been left unchanged for the past 6,500 years, an exploration was made to find a unique sitting form.” Settling on both a comfortable and distinct sitting form required a complete restructuring of the traditional upright chair and backrest.
Sado’s ultimate form resembles either a horizontal tree log or horseback, suited for a straddled seated position that encourages a healthy posture. Of course, just like more traditional chairs, the final seated position is ultimately decided by the user, or in this case, the sitter. When positioned atop Sado, the chair’s seat rotates freely to enable 360-degree accessibility to nearby objects within arm’s reach. Adjustable leg supports also provide a place for your legs to rest while helping to sustain a leveled spinal position. Constructed from bent steel and maple wood, Sado’s ergonomic structure is rooted in its simple construction and intuitive sitting method.
While I’ve never ridden a bull before, I can imagine if you’re any good at staying on, that core strength and a stable posture are key. While sitting on Sado hopefully won’t result in any jolting or cases of whiplash, it was designed to help strengthen the core muscles and align the spine so that if at any point you were to mount an electric bull, then you’d be duly prepared with a healthy mounting position. Kidding aside, Sado’s ergonomic nature is also reminiscent of sitting on the top backs of working animals like horses and donkeys, reinforcing both the functionality and inventiveness behind Luu’s design.
We spend a lot of our time either working on chairs or lazing out on them, so it helps when things are within reach wherever we find ourselves perked up or lounging. I know sometimes when I get in the zone with work, I’ll go to reach for my pen without taking my eyes from the screen only for my fingers to grab air since I couldn’t keep track of where I placed it last. No matter what you do – creative writing, graphic design, coding – if you find yourself sitting for several hours within a day, R2Space created the Tool Belt Chair in order to keep important items within reach at all times so you’ll never lose sight of your ongoing progress.
Inspired by the handyman’s tool belt, R2Space designed the Tool Belt Chair in order to give users an extra boost of storage for long workdays or to help declutter familiar work settings so looking for a lost pen won’t keep you from getting the job done. A semi-transparent, frosted plastic raceway tube frames the back and sides of the chair’s seat. This plastic tubing provides the user with extra space to keep stationary, smartphones, electrical cables, or even actual tools – you name it. The Tool Belt Chair’s design itself is simplistic and clean, offering a natural wood or white oak finish with a neutral-toned, grey cushioned seat so that the chair can be situated in most rooms. The chair only has a top rail, which opens up the entire backside of the Tool Belt Chair in order to give more access to the storage tube that traces the backside of the chair’s seat. Additionally, just behind the cushioned seat, an impression in the chair’s wooden structure provides more storage space for smaller items such as business cards, pens or pencils, and other small stationery items.
The tool belt is known for how much it can carry and how handy it ultimately is for the handyman. While we’re not all capable of fixing broken toilets or dodgy sink pipes, we can all pretend we have the tools for it. Fake it ‘til you make it, right? This sweet, nifty chair design is sure to make the worker bee in all of us feel inspired to keep on working until the job gets finished.
Storks are birds we mostly read about in childhood books, but designer Krishna Rammohan turned it into a minimal chair that is loved by children and adults alike! Accurately named Stork, this birdlike seat fits in any setting be it work or play. The idea for the chair was born alongside Rammohan’s newborn nephew and she wanted to create a space where he could play, study, and grow with the furniture that surrounded him.
While the design originally began as a chair meant to transform elementary school classrooms into more free-flowing and collaborative spaces, Stork chairs can flock together in any space – common rooms in offices, coffee shops, and homes. Stork reimagines current day seating options and addresses the pain points associated with fixed table seating typically found in classrooms. “Students should experience the 6Cs, critical thinking, collaboration, creativity, communication, connectivity, and culture. The future classroom is about collaboration, flexibility, and sharing experiences with one another. The birdlike stool, therefore, provides kids and teachers with a moveable, highly adjustable seat to freely move and study on. I believe kids should have objects around them that seem whimsical, almost coming out of a storybook, to inspire them to dream bigger,” says Rammohan.
Stork is the result of the harmonization of two forms – the pouf is a comfortable plush seat that provides the user with 4 directions of sitting which encourages collaboration and community-building through the ease of interaction. The beak is a smooth, robust form that functions as a small desk that can conform to the user’s ever-changing seating position. “I began with two volumetric cardboard mockups. One is a modular seat that featured a side slit that could afford adaptors like backrests, personal tables, and pockets. The other mockup was an early version of Stork with a small personal table and a cylinder seat,” explains the designer. She made 3 more cardboard full-scale mockups pushing the ergonomics and human factors of the Stork seat before landing on the final design that would use ribbed plywood and woolen upholstery.
The simple chair forms an instant emotional and joyful connection with its user – you are no longer sitting in a grid of boring chairs but a flock of colorful birds!
When Dieter Rams said “Good design is as little design as possible” – these words became the holy grail that every industrial designer would swear by. While the Braun legacy covers electrical appliances with its distinctive design language, designer Nikhil Kapoor wanted to bring that language to the world of furniture design – giving birth to the Braun Chair!
The first thing that catches my attention while looking at the chair is the simplistic nature of the design – reducing the essence of a chair to an almost z-shaped curve! The backrest of the chair uses a grill-based pattern to allow for ventilation while paying homage to the speaker grill’s widely used in Rams’ designs for radios, clocks, and kitchen appliances making them quietly understandable and agreeable. Keeping in tune with the philosophy, there are seemingly modest elements that uplift the chair – one such is the use of a shiny metallic strip running across the edges of the chair, making it a visual focal point. The bottom of the chair protrudes to balance the weight of a person sitting on the chair. Given the unibody and sturdy look of the chair, it seems more fit for use in a public space – such as parks, bus stops, or even on a sidewalk.
The Braun design philosophy remains evergreen, and this chair is the perfect example of it. Modern, minimal, and elegant, this is a chair that can blend in with the present and will stay with you in the future!
I always sit with one leg tucked or my legs crossed when I am working because I find it comfortable. I thought I was the only one till I did a quick online search for chairs that support sitting in “goofy” positions and that’s when I found that I wasn’t alone and there many innovative chairs that support people like us! The one that caught my eye amongst the top results was Soul Seat, firstly for its shape, and secondly, because it was literally the duplex of chairs! It is extremely common to sit cross-legged in Asian countries, the concept is old but bringing it to your workplace in the form of a chair so you can utilize your desk is what’s new.
The Soul Seat helps you sit in a neutral posture which is effortless and comfortable. The springs on the elevated perch tilt the pelvis forward, open the hips and help align the spine. You can sit in several positions if crossing legs isn’t comfortable for you, the chair enables you to switch between multiple positions frequently keeping your body engaged and blood flowing. For some, this may also alleviate neck and back pain! The height of both levels can be adjusted to suit your workspace setup. I know there were many comments from our Instagram audience about it missing a backrest and while I don’t think it causes harm if you sit without one (people meditate and work in this very posture for hours in Asian countries), I do think having an option of a detachable backrest can help those who are just starting to work on their posture ease into it. It is about having that choice which opens up many more people to use the Soul Seat, however, there are countless reviews that mention it being comfortable as it is so it is a great design but it does come down to personal preference.
“It swivels just as a conventional office chair does, but that is where the parallels stop. Everything else about the Soul Seat represents a paradigm shift in ergonomic thinking, bringing together self-care and sustainably-minded design,” says the team. Sitting cross-legged has many benefits like improving digestion, state of mind, aiding in weight loss, and more apart from better posture. Many yoga teachers recommend this position but also advise to keep switching every 30 mins. This is not a one chair fits all and while we this may be an ergonomic option for me, it is always better that you consult your health practitioners before investing in one for yourself. Level up – literally!
Take a seat, I am about to show you one of the best outdoor camping chairs. Meet Campster – the most compact, lightweight. durable and portable chair! After selling over 100,000 pieces, intense market analysis, and tonnes of feedback, Copenhagen-based Sitpack refined the camping chair to make one that is truly the king of camping thrones!
The idea behind this chair is simple – you can take it anywhere and you can sit anywhere. The company’s goal is to always create products with multiple usages and timeless design. Constructed from high-end materials, this three-legged chair will let you take a seat wherever you are while ensuring comfort, maneuverability, and stability. Campster’s one-piece telescoping design uses gravity to unfold and Sitpack’s trademark “one-pull” locking system to keep it sturdily in place!
“By using beautifully anodized aluminum we obtain a very exclusive look and feel. Another feature that sets our product apart from most other competitors, is our seat which is readily attached to the seat poles making it a multi-functional seat and protection sleeve – for safe carrying if you forget the carry bag,” explains the team on why they decided to enter the saturated market of chairs and disrupt it. Campster’s height is 43cm/17″ which is not something I’ve seen in any portable chair. The value it gives to the users is sitting high but packing small – the all-in-one frame is complete with a ripstop nylon breathable mesh seat to get the seat weight down to 2 lbs & carry capacity up to 300 lbs. “The simple pivoting arms make for a backrest that will follow you every move, whether you move forward, backward or to the side – as long as you keep your legs on the ground for support, you can move around freely,” adds the team.
It is engineered to be the smallest, lightest, and least restrictive portable chair ever and shows that you don’t need a bulky chair for it to be comfortable. Campster comes with free accessories like the nylon multi-use carry bag, anti-slip elastopolymer addon feet, and an aluminum carabiner. It is truly a chair for all outdoor adventures right from trekking to tailgating, it works for the practical packer and the lazy hiker!
Designer: Sitpack
Click Here to Buy Now: $79$129 (38% off). Hurry, only 5 left, under 46 hours to go! Raised over $601,757!
The go-anywhere – use anywhere chair. At Sitpack we are all about creating products with multiple usages that are timeless in design and constructed from high-end materials. Scroll and be amazed about the features and experience of how THREE legs will provide better seating comfort, maneuverability as well as giving stability – and sitting freedom.
One-Piece Telescoping Design = Super Easy Set-Up & Take-Down
We built a simplistic and minimalistic solution using gravity to unfold, and our own “one-pull” locking system, a system only seen on Sitpack products. With a few tries, you’ll be a Campster NINJA.
The seating height (43cm 17″) is a feature not found in ANY other super portable chairs. We researched all portable chairs in the same compact category, and after testing we found huge value in sitting high and packing small.
Compact and Easy to use chair
What to have the best and easiest portable seat on the market, look no further. Campster is here and will never leave your side. Unless you forget it somewhere. Anyway – we built the chair so it’s both compact and easy (even fun) to use.
Carry Easily – No Parts to Assemble
All-in-one frame, complete with a ripstop nylon seat to get the seat weight down to 2 lbs & carry capacity up to 300 lbs.
Comfortable Tripod Seat
Our UniqueThree-legged design allows you to shift and move around easily & stay comfortable.
Sitpack Features
Sitpack has been working with disrupting and innovating compact seating products for more than 5 years. We are constrained on size, so material choices and brainpower are needed to reach otherworldly features in a fraction of the space and weight showcased by established brands. Features and designs speak for themselves and as we set-us apart from all other brands. Perfect for every occasion. Why sacrifice comfort for portability?
Sitpack Campster is much more than a Camping chair. Campster is a social chair, a chair that can be brought anywhere, even used at home as a guest chair. You can easily hook up 2-3-4 or even 8 Campsters together using the free carabiner, to connect the carry bag that is included.
One chair/ versatile use
Use in your parks, backyards along with your tailgating and outdoor events: One of the most amazing things about Sitpack Campster is its ability to be several products in one. The seat poles are attached so that they are very flexible to fit all seating needs. You can lean back as on a recliner and soak up the sun, sit-up straight and follow soccer practice, or you can cut your grass with nail clippers, bent forward, still comfortable. As long as both legs are grounded your can tilt, twist, and tip as much as you like.
Sand, sun, and fun are more accessible than ever with a beach chair or several beach chairs that take up only little room in your car.
Uniquely engineered Solution
Engineered to be the smallest, lightest, and least restrictive portable chair ever, Campster flips the concept of the need for a huge and bulky camping chair to be comfortable. Rocking a seating height that beats that of ALL other portable “Micro” chairs – get ready to be amazed. The simple pivoting arms make for a backrest that will follow you every move, whether you move forward, backward or to the side – as long as you keep your legs on the ground for support, you can move around freely.
About the SitPack Design
We’re doing this to make everyone change their idea of what a portable chair actually could look like. By using beautifully anodized aluminum we obtain a very exclusive look and feel. Another feature that sets our product apart from most other competitors, is our seat which is readily attached to the seat poles making it a multi-functional seat and protection sleeve – for safe carrying if you forget the FREE carry bag.
Click Here to Buy Now: $79$129 (38% off). Hurry, only 5 left, under 46 hours to go! Raised over $601,757!
Do you remember when park benches were actually just stubs of chopped trees or creatively placed wooden logs? I remember my mom could tell I had been to the park because my clothes smelled like wood and grass, and that is exactly what this beautiful stubby chair reminds me of! This chair is an amazing display of nostalgia and minimalism through furniture design.
The designer wanted to incorporate our inherent ways of interacting with nature into a chair. Stubby chair was inspired by these environmental settings that combined the love for interiors with an element from the exterior world. Nature is the best designer (for the most part!) so observing nature gives the designer a lot of clues and points of directions where they should pay attention so it fits seamlessly into our lives. “Over time, you settle down with some household items, borrowed from nature. At the same time, you understand that the world is changing and you are changing with it,” she says describing the simplistic design which can age with time.
It is about looking at a familiar object through a different lens. Stubby chair brings back that attention to the details and functions of a sturdy chair. What would be a wooden chair would now be considered outdated so the incorporation of the metal pipes shows the same wooden chair in a modern light. “Do not be attached to the place and time. Do not endow the item with any particular style because of its deposit and burden it with the historical era in which the item was created,” says the designer on the product’s evergreen design along with the philosophy behind it.
First impressions really quickly – did you think this was a whisk or folded spaghetti? I thought spaghetti but maybe I am just hungry. This rattan stool is stood out to me because of its visually curiosity-evoking design. Is it comfortable? Probably. Is it cool? Absolutely.
Rattan is an eco-friendly natural material that is usually used in the creation of baskets or furniture, especially chairs. It is sustainable and resilient which makes it an exceptional wood that renews in just 5-7 years. Designers love rattan for creating furniture because the manufacturing is low-tech and production process usually involves crafting by hand or using facilities that do not negatively impact the environment. Rattan is also an easy material to mold physically and creatively to fit your idea, it accepts paints and it can be worked into many styles. Moreover, the inner core can be separated and worked into wicker – talk about reducing waste!
This stool explores the malleability of rattan as a material in furniture design, we are so used to seeing it in a checkered woven form that the noodle-like seating of this piece becomes a testament to how we can use often overlooked materials unconventionally to push boundaries. As the world moves towards a sustainable future, so must design.
I am a huge foodie, and I have noticed this in both cuisine and design that the French love taking what you know, flipping it on its head, and giving you a crazier yet better version while you just sit there wondering “How do they do this every time?!”. The latest product to fall in this category is the ‘Chaise Renversée’ – a desk that can also transform into a long chair by the famous French architect Pierre-Louis Gerlier. The literal translation of Chaise Renversée is ‘chair overturned’, I love how simply the French put everything.
Since we are all cooped up in our homes, we are constantly finding ways to optimize space. Especially if you live in a city, you are likely to have everyday objects that are modular so that you have a functional space. Our current situation and the need to be flexible within a small space is exactly what inspired Gerlier to design the Chaise Renversée. It is the perfect blend of work from home and Netflix from home into one piece of modern furniture, it provides a stable table area to work and can then transform into the ‘Chaise Lounge’ when you want to relax.
“Chaise renversée is a desk for those who do not wish to have a desk,” says the architect, and I think that makes sense! If you only use your desk to reply to emails or pay the bills then it is inefficient to have a rigid, barely-used piece of furniture occupying space in your home. What we need is for our flexible lifestyle is what Gerlier gives us, a lounge chair that also works for work – if our 2020 mood could be translated into furniture, this is it. Sleeping on your desk has a whole new meaning.
The weekend is here and that means surfing on the web and finding ways to upgrade your Netflix and chill set-up. I have become an online furniture critic after spending all this time at home and thinking about how could each piece of furniture be upgraded to something cooler. If you are working from home then desks and chairs are your jam, and if you find a perfect chair then it is a win-win because it works for work and works for bing-watching! That is exactly the justification I am giving myself as I dream of getting this Zero Gravity chair by renowned designer Peter Opsvik. It literally and single-handedly will bring work-life balance!
The Zero Gravity Balans chair was designed to be a blend of relaxation and productivity. It is the vision of what a modern chair should be – multifunctional and aesthetically pleasing. What sets this chair apart is that it has no mechanical adjustment parts, it is made to be so ergonomic that your body movements dictate its positions. You can choose to adjust it at four different angles which gives you room to be flexible with your posture and the chair to mold itself according to the space it is set in. You can sit in whatever position that is comfortable to you from kneeling to the fully reclined – one works for Netflix party and one for working from home. The Zero Gravity Balans chair’s unique form makes sure that no matter how you are seated, your body is constantly close to its balancing point, allowing the slightest shift of weight to bring you from one position to the next. Now only if the gym equipment worked like that too!
You may have heard that recliners are bad for your back, but this chair actually provides increased lumbar support when fully reclined. I am a relatively short person so I appreciate the fact that the headrest is also adjustable, besides you would want it at different levels when you’re working vs when you’re watching TV. This chair encourages better natural posture and mobility through its design. It is smooth, adaptive, and unique – all the qualities I strive for as a person are now in a piece of furniture.
