19 Gorgeous Chairs Every Modern Design Fan Should Know

By

Allegra Muzzillo

Updated on Apr 30, 2021

Stephanie DeAngelis

If lighting is the jewelry of a room, a statement chair is the designer handbag. Well designed and expertly crafted, chairs add polish to any room—just like a Chanel 2.55 would an outfit. Made of supple leather, chromium steel, or luxe velvet, these 19 iconic chairs have curves in all the right places and illustrate that when form meets function, beautiful things happen. A good statement chair is not a steal, but rather it is an investment that will last a lifetime and will never go out of style.

We picked out chairs for our dream ski chalets, our grand dining rooms, and our cozy family rooms, considering iconic designers such as Pierre Jeanneret and Hans J. Wegner. Some are still in production, while others have to be hunted down at auctions and antique stores. Ready to invest in your own famous chair? Here are 19 of the most iconic chairs of the 20th century, all making huge waves in today's furniture market.

chairs — Original Illustration by Stephanie DeAngelis

01 of 19

Flag Halyard Chair

chair — Original Illustration by Stephanie DeAngelis

The chair of choice for chic girls everywhere, the Flag Halyard chair put Hans Wegner on the map, alongside Le Corbusier and Mies van der Rohe, for his mastery of chromium, an elemental metal used to harden steel. Fashion designer Jenni Kayne is a proud owner.

Hans J. Wegner Flag Halyard Chair

Hans J. Wegner Flag Halyard Chair Price upon request

02 of 19

Ro Chair

chair — Original Illustration by Stephanie DeAngelis

The perfect wingback chair for Modern design lovers, the Ro Chair, or "tranquillity" chair in Danish, was created by Spanish designer Jaime Hayón in 2013 for the Danish furniture company, Republic of Fritz Hansen. It's an extra-wide 1.5-seater version that was made to follow the natural curvature of the human body.

Fritz Hansen Ro Chair

Fritz Hansen Ro Chair $4,011.00

03 of 19

Clam Chair

chair — Original Illustration by Stephanie DeAngelis

With the growing popularity of shearling, Clam chairs are always popping up in home décor, but this iconic chair design dates back to 1940s Denmark. A lot of mystery surrounds this chair, as it was initially attributed to two other designers—Viggo Boesen and Martin Olsen—but it was later discovered to be the work of Philip Arctander.

Philip Arctander Clam Chair

Philip Arctander Clam Chair $16,119.00

04 of 19

Les Arcs Chair

chair — Original Illustration by Stephanie DeAngelis

Originally designed for the French ski resort of Les Arcs in 1967, this aptly-named chair—with its tubular chrome frame covered in cognac leather—is quite rare today. Its creator, architect/designer Charlotte Perriand, is one of the few women to have made an indelible mark on Midcentury design.

Charlotte Perriand Pair of Vintage Les Arcs Chairs

Charlotte Perriand Pair of Vintage Les Arcs Chairs $3,300.00

05 of 19

Butterfly Chair

chair — Original Illustration by Stephanie DeAngelis

Designed in 1938 in Buenos Aires by architects Antonio Bonet, Juan Kurchan, and Jorge Ferrari Hardoy, the Butterfly Chair is the ultimate icon for boho design lovers due to its sumptuous leather-and-iron simplicity. The three Le Corbusier studio alums created a design so pervasive that today, many are hard-pressed to cite its South American origins. It's now widely reproduced by Knoll and used both indoors and out.

OX Denmarq Trifolium Chair

OX Denmarq Trifolium Chair $1,292.00

06 of 19

Circle Chair

chair — Original Illustration by Stephanie DeAngelis

Designed by Hans J. Wegner, the Circle Chair is a testament to expert craftsmanship. The Danish joinery workshop PP Møbler initiated the production of this now-famous chair in 1986, and the design is still made-to-order today due to its extremely intricate production process. It's also the perfect addition to Tish and Billy Ray Cyrus' L.A. home.

Hans Wegner PP130 Circle Chair

Hans Wegner PP130 Circle Chair Price upon request

07 of 19

Womb Chair

chair — Original Illustration by Stephanie DeAngelis

One of the most iconic chairs in Midcentury design, the Womb Chair was born in 1948, when American designer Florence Knoll challenged her good friend Eero Saarinen to design "a chair that was like a basket full of pillows—something she could really curl up in." Mission accomplished.

Eero Saarinen Womb Chair

Eero Saarinen Womb Chair $4,620.00

08 of 19

Lady Chair

chair — Original Illustration by Stephanie DeAngelis

In the late-1940s, Italian rubber manufacturer Pirelli tapped designer Marco Zanuso to brainstorm ways to showcase its new foam-rubber product. The result: Zanuso's Lady Chair. Comprised of a comfy foam-rubber seat and short metal legs—and first manufactured in 1951 by Arflex, Pirelli's furniture division—this effeminate chair is sometimes upholstered in luxury jewel-toned fabric.

Marco Zanuso Lady Chair

Marco Zanuso Lady Chair $6,498.00

09 of 19

Pelican Chair

chair — Original Illustration by Stephanie DeAngelis

Designed by Danish architect, Finn Juhl, in 1940, the Pelican Chair was one of the most avant-garde furniture examples of its time. The Pelican's curvy, organic lines demonstrate Juhl's philosophy that "A chair is not just a product of decorative art in a space; it is a form and a space in itself."

Finn Juhl Pelican Chair

Finn Juhl Pelican Chair $6,463.00

10 of 19

Paulistano Arm Chair

chair — Original Illustration by Stephanie DeAngelis

In 1957, Brazilian architect Paulo Mendes da Rocha developed his iconic Paulistano Armchair to help furnish his design opus, the Paulistano Athletic Club in São Paulo. Its frame is composed of 17 feet of continuous solid steel—welded in only one spot—and wrapped in a supple sling of leather hide.

Paulo Mendes da Rocha Paulistano Arm Chair

Paulo Mendes da Rocha Paulistano Arm Chair $2,280.00

11 of 19

Eames Lounge Chair and Ottoman

chair — Original Illustration by Stephanie DeAngelis

The 1956 Eames Lounge Chair and Ottoman need no introduction. Perhaps the most iconic furniture design of the 20th Century—and representing the ultimate in masculine comfort—the set was developed using a proprietary molded-plywood technology developed in the 1940s by the American-designer sweethearts, Charles and Ray Eames.

Herman Miller Eames Lounge Chair and Ottoman

Herman Miller Eames Lounge Chair and Ottoman $6,371.00

12 of 19

Office Chair

chair — Original Illustration by Stephanie DeAngelis

Although the teak-and-cane Office Chair (often called the Chandigarh Chair) was meant to be reproduced in a series of thousands to seat civil servants in 1950s India, Pierre Jeanneret's famous chair design is anything but austere. Today, its sturdy frame and forgiving cane seat and chair back are so sought after that the chair routinely sees upwards of $15,000 at auction.

Pierre Jeanneret Office Chair

Pierre Jeanneret Office Chair $11,949.00

13 of 19

Eames Lounge Chair Wood (LCW)

chair — Original Illustration by Stephanie DeAngelis

The Eames Lounge Chair Wood, or the LCW as it's commonly known today, signaled the humble beginning of an entire molded-plywood movement developed by the American husband-and-wife team, Charles and Ray Eames. The dynamic duo's LCW Chair was born in 1946—a result of experimentation in molding plywood (in their own apartment!) with what they affectionately dubbed the “Kazam! Machine.”

Eames Molded Plywood Lounge Chair

Eames Molded Plywood Lounge Chair $1,441.00

14 of 19

PK20 Easy Chair

chair — Original Illustration by Stephanie DeAngelis

If the PK20 Easy Chair's cantilevered steel frame and continuous wicker seat—a lower-slung version of Mies van der Rohe's 1927 MR Chair, and arguably more comfortable—was created by Danish cabinetmaker, Poul Kjærholm, and produced by Fritz Hansen in 1967.

Fritz Hansen PK20 Chair

Fritz Hansen PK20 Chair $10,051.00

15 of 19

Chieftain Chair

chair — Original Illustration by Stephanie DeAngelis

Designed in 1949, Finn Juhl's Chieftain Chair is considered one of the most important pieces to grace the Danish Modern movement of 1950s America. Organic and opulent in style, the Chieftain expresses Juhl's motivation to buck tradition and create a chair that transcended Denmark's penchant for producing purely functional furniture at that time.

Finn Juhl Chieftain Chair

Finn Juhl Chieftain Chair $16,108.00

16 of 19

Wegner CH07 Shell Chair

chair — Original Illustration by Stephanie DeAngelis

Designed in 1963 by Hans J. Wegner, this three-legged bent plywood chair had a short-lived existence until its 1990s revival and subsequent relaunch by Carl Hansen & Søn.

Carl Hansen & Søn Wegner CH07 Shell Chair

Carl Hansen & Søn Wegner CH07 Shell Chair $3,280.00

17 of 19

Hunting Chair

chair — Original Illustration by Stephanie DeAngelis

In 1950—to jibe with the Copenhagen Cabinetmakers Guild's autumn exhibition theme of "hunting lodge"—Børge Mogensen created the Hunting Chair, composed of solid wood and saddle leather and inspired by medieval Spanish furniture. After its success, Mogensen used adjustable leather straps on other designs, namely, the equally-iconic (albeit similar) Spanish chair he designed in 1958.

Børge Mogensen Hunting Chair

Børge Mogensen Hunting Chair $6,820.00

18 of 19

Beetle Lounge Chair

chair — Original illustration by Stephanie DeAngelis

GamFratesi Studio—a cooperative established in 2006 by Danish architect Stine Gam and Italian architect Enrico Fratesi— created the Beetle Lounge Chair for husband-and-wife duo Gubi and Lisbeth Larson. It's an upholstered, contemporary chair reminiscent of a sleek beetle, and is based on GamFratesi's "fascination [with] how the external shell supports and protects the creature's body."

Gubi Beetle Lounge Chair

Gubi Beetle Lounge Chair $1,875.00

19 of 19

Egg Chair

chair — Original illustration by Stephanie DeAngelis

Initially commissioned for the lobby and reception areas inside Copenhagen's Royal Hotel in 1958, Arne Jacobsen's iconic Egg Chair has remained a steadfast classic and continues to be a must-have for design mavens. Jacobsen's innovative, never-before-seen foam inner shell was revolutionary for its time.

Fritz Hansen Egg Chair

Fritz Hansen Egg Chair $9,172.00

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