Barrel Chair by Frank Lloyd Wright, 1937

• Designed By - Frank Lloyd Wright
• When - 1937
• Made From - Cherry wood, plastic seat, polyurethane foam and fabric upholstery
• Manufactured By - Cassina
• More Info - This chair was designed for Herbert Johnson’s house and is actually a reworking of a previous heavier version that he designed in 1904. It is available upholstered in fabric or leather.

Spiral Chair by Poul Henningsen, 1932

• Designed By - Poul Henningsen
• When - 1932
• Made From - Chrome-plated metal and vinyl
• Manufactured By - Louis Poulsen
• More Info - Also known as the Slangestol this clever, minimal design is one of the few chairs designed by Poul Henningsen, who is predominately a lighting designer. It has a very attractive curvy form and a light look due to the one thin metal bar that holds up the seat. It is available with a black, red or white seat and back.

Utrecht Chair by Gerrit Rietveld, 1935

• Designed By - Gerrit Rietveld
• When - 1935
• Made From - Steel frame, Polyurethane foam and polyester padding and fabric upholstery
• Manufactured By - Cassina
• More Info - This low armchair is not one of Rietveld’s best known designs but is an interesting and quite modern looking chair. It was actually his first upholstered lounge chair design. It has lovely white stitching along the edges, which stands out especially well against black fabric. It is available upholstered in fabric or leather in many different colours and has been manufactured by Cassina since 1988 which marked 100 years since his birth. There are also two-seater and three-seater sofa versions of it.

Paimio Chair (model 41) by Alvar Aalto, 1932

• Designed By - Alvar Aalto
• When - 1932
• Made From - Laminated birch plywood and birch frame
• Manufactured By - Artek
• More Info - This chair was designed by Aalto for his Paimio Sanatorium which is a hospital in Finland. This is the most well known and popular of Aalto’s chairs. The seat and back of this cantilever chair are formed from a single piece of laminated birch ply in a beautiful scroll shape and fulfil Aalto’s desire to push shape and structure to the extremes but still using natural materials. The chair was designed to assist the posture and breathing of patients with TB, making then feel more comfortable. The chair caused a considerable stir when it was exhibited at Fortnum and Mason in London in 1933 as it was technologically groundbreaking and very different from anything else that had been seen before. It was inspired by Marcel Breuer’s Wassily Chair. It is the best known piece of furniture made by Artek and they are still made in the same factory, using some of the same tool and wood from the same forests as when they were first produced. It is in the permanent collection of many museums including MoMA. It is available with a white or black seat.

Model 406 Armchair by Alvar Aalto, 1939

• Designed By - Alvar Aalto
• When - 1939
• Made From - Birch and linen webbing
• Manufactured By - Artek
• More Info - This chair is a variation of the chaise lounge Aalto designed for the Finnish Pavilion at the Paris shows. It has a beautiful cantilevered, bent birch frame which really pushes what bent wood can do. The comfortable woven seat and back are made of linen webbing which is available in 6 colours.

Landi Chair by Hans Coray, 1938

• Designed By - Hans Coray
• When - 1938
• Made From - Aluminium with rubber feet
• Manufactured By - Zanotta
• More Info - This chair was designed for the Swiss National Exhibition ‘Landesausstellung’ which was nicknamed ‘Landi’ which was how the chair got it’s name. It is Coray’s best known piece. This is a very light, strong and durable chair. It only weighs 7 pounds (3kg) and is stackable, making it very practical. The back and seat are made from a single piece of aluminium and the legs are screwed on. The holes punched in the seat and back make the chair lighter and create graphic patterns and shadows. It is suitable for use inside and outside, but is mainly used outside. It is available in either plain aluminium or with a white or cream finish.

Long Chair by Marcel Breuer, 1936

• Designed By - Marcel Breuer
• When - 1936
• Made From - Laminated birch and moulded plywood
• Manufactured By - The Isokon Furniture Company
• More Info - This chaise , which is sometimes known as the Ikson Long Chair, was Breuer’s first moulded plywood chair. Breuer was invited to design a chair by Jack Pritchard, the owner of Ipson, after he moved to England. It was basically a wooden version of Breuer’s aluminium chair which was designed in 1932 and it has a very similar shape to Le Courbusier’s Chaise Lounge. This chair is shown in many museums across the world including the V&A in London. It is available covered in foam and leather or fabric upholstery. There is also a shorter version.

Desk Chair by Frank Lloyd Wright, 1938

• Designed By - Frank Lloyd Wright
• When - 1938
• Made From - Steel, wood, foam cushion and upholstery
• Manufactured By - Metal Office Furniture Co.
• More Info - This chair, along with matching desk, was designed for the employees of SC Johnson Administration Building in Racine, Wis. It was manufactured by Metal Office Furniture Co. in New York, who are now known as Steelcase Inc. Both a three-legged and four legged version where produced, both with or without arms.

Butterfly Chair by Antonio Bonet, Jorge Ferrari Hardoy and Juan Kurchan, 1938

• Designed By - Antonio Bonet, Jorge Ferrari Hardoy and Juan Kurchan
• When - 1938
• Made From - Painted tubular steel and canvas
• Manufactured By - Artek, then Knoll since 1947
• More Info - This chair is also known as the BFK Chair (after the designers last names), Sling Chair or Hardoy Chair. It is in the collection at MoMA. It is very lightweight and suitable for use inside and out. The seat is fitted onto the frame using pockets and can easily be taken off  to be washed or replaced. It is available with a canvas or leather seat. Canvas seats are available in 12 colours.

Zig Zag Chair by Gerrit Reitveld

• Designed By - Gerrit Rietveld
• When - 1934
• Made From - Elmwood
• Manufactured By - Utrecht, then Cassina from 1971
• More Info - Rietveld wanted to make a chair from one piece of material but this wasn’t possible at the time so the chair had to be made from four pieces. It is not particularly comfortable but it’s simplicity and beauty are what make it a great chair. Later examples were painted white with green or red edges. The back is joined to the seat with a dovetail joint. It is included in the permanent collection of the Museum of Modern Art. It is available in natural ash or cherry wood as well as stained in red, blue, yellow, white and black.

Model 60 Stool by Alvar Aalto, 1932

• Designed By - Alvar Aalto
• When - 1932
• Made From - Solid birch
• Manufactured By - Artek
• More Info - This 3-legged stacking stool was designed for the Viipuri Library it is now on permanent collection at The Museum of Modern Art in New York. When it is stacked the legs create  a nice pattern. It is often also used as a side table. It extremely simple and functional but still very ascetically pleasing. The seat is availed in lots of colours options and even upholstered. The legs come in natural and black and there is also a four legged version.