The fabulous life: Take a seat

I spend a lot of time scouring cyberspace for beautiful design, which means that I spend a lot of time sitting – at my desk, at a coffee shop, at home on our L-shaped faux suede sofa – and so, as a side effect of what I do for a living, I have become a bit of an expert on seating, based on both comfort and aesthetic merit. Basically, I don’t care how good the ‘must-have’ fair trade coffee is at the newest mid-morning hotspot, if the seating is just plain ugly then I’m not going to be sitting there long enough to order, let alone snack on a low-GI muffin. Being as fussy a ‘sitter’ as I am, I was pleasantly surprised by Grafton Everest’s Decorator Range which I came across while making my way to an image of the ‘Elvis’ chair for this post. The range is, for lack of a more original descriptor – FABULOUS! I would take a seat in one of the range’s chairs any day of the week.

Want to make a splash? Get your hands on the appropriately named Splash chair. Lucky enough to live in a NY-style loft? Add a little personality to your living room with this Penthouse chair or embrace a brighter colour palette with the Modena. More comfortable with creamy neutrals? Grafton’s Decorator Range has the perfect accent for those seeking simplicity and its Lindley chair is patterned perfection. Got a thing for velvet? The Metro feels as good as it looks in über chic silver upholstery, and (not to be outdone by the Metro) the Eaton proves that its not only silence that’s golden (it’s also perfect if you’re a follower of the greige trend).

When it comes to seating there is no excuse for settling for sub-standard design or an uncomfortable perch. Here are some examples of designers who aren’t just sitting around, they’re pushing the boundaries of chair design:

The new Jig chair by Massproductions in Stockholm is, in a word, beautiful. Absolutely poised in its form and slightly odd colorways, it’s the work of English designer Chris Martin (who founded Massproductions with his design partner Magnus Elebäck). “Where most designers would opt for accents and poppy colors on the upholstery itself (reserving subtle neutrals for the frame), Massproduction takes the opposite route here, giving the frame, seat and backrest splashes of contrasting colors to emphasize the shapes. Jig, which takes its name from contraptions used to hold tubes together prior to welding, is part of the company’s third collection and the first to use upholstery, following the gleaming acclaim the first two earned with their advanced attention to detail.” (via www.coolhunting.com)

The Soap Chair – Eero Aarnio launches an update to his renowned 1968 Pastil Chair on a new private-sale site. “Getting a “do-over” usually only happens in video games, and it’s even rarer still in the world of design. With Eero Aarnio’s molded fiberglass Soap Chair, he’s improved on his own classic design, creating a version of his revered 1968 Pastil Chair for today’s lifestyle.” (via www.coolhunting.com)

The ‘sleepy’ chair “Japanese Architect Daisuke Motogi recently presented his two new chairs at Design Tide in Tokyo. These quirky designs were definitely one of the highlights of Design Week for us. The Sleepy chair is said to ‘provide a space of warmth and happiness’ and it looks like a plush duvet stacked on four wooden legs.” (via www.apartmenttherapy.com)

The sausage dog chair Just for fun, check out this awesome daschund-inspired chair set via this hysterical blog.