Shell Chair by Hans J. Wegner, 1948

• Designed By - Hans J. Wegner
• When - 1948
• Made From - Bent teak plywood seat and back and a beach frame
• Manufactured By - Fritz Hansen
• More Info - This was the first chair Wegner made using bent plywood and after it he went on to design different versions of the shell chair. This is the most traditional looking version. It is a very simple design that is functional and aesthetically pleasing which is what Wegner tried to achieve in his designs.

CH24 Wishbone Chair by Hans J. Wegner, 1949

• Designed By - Hans J. Wegner
• When -  1949
• Made From - Solid oak and woven paper cord
• Manufactured by - Carl Hansen and Son
• More Info - Also known as the Y Chair, this chair is light, simple, elegant and comfortable. This chair is an icon of Danish design. It was inspired by Chinese Ming Chairs. It is a very well crafted chair and it takes over 100 steps to make. The seat is hand woven from 120 metres of paper cord. It has been in continuous production ever since it was first made. It is available made from maple, ash, beech, cherry, walnut, oak wood and painted in a variety of colours. The woven seat comes in natural or black and there is also a black leather seat cushion available.

LCW by Charles and Ray Eames, 1945

• Designed By - Charles and Ray Eames
• When - 1945
• Made From - Bent plywood
• Manufactured By - Vitra
• More Info - LCW stands for Lounge Chair Wood. The Eames’ wanted to create a chair that would fit the natural contours of the body, could be mass produced and would be comfortable without using any fabric or upholstery. They also wanted it to be reasonably affordable as Charles Eames said he wanted to “bring the most of the best to the greatest number of people for the least”. What they came up with was the LCW. The chair began as an experiment in the Eames’ apartment, where they were moulding plywood in what they called the ‘Kazam! Machine’. The machine pressed thin sheets of wood veneer against a heated membrane that was inflated by a bicycle pump. Time magazine called it "the best design of the 20th century“. It is a design classic and is still very sought-after today. It is also available with many wood and coloured finishes as well as covered in calf skin.

La Chaise by Charles and Ray Eames, 1948

• Designed By - Charles and Ray Eames
• When - 1948
• Made From - Fiberglass, steel supports, oak base
• Manufactured By - Vitra
• More Info - This elegant, graceful chair was inspired by the sculpture ‘Floating Furniture’ by Gaston Lachaise and it is named after the sculptor, rather than because it is a chaise which is what most people would think. It was designed for a competition at the Museum of Modern Art in New York. It is a very ergonomic designed and it can be sat in in many ways. The original design was white, with a matt or glossy finish, and a natural oak base but now versions with a pink, orange or red seat and pink or black bases are available.

Womb Chair by Eero Saarinen, 1948

• Designed By - Eero Saarinen
• When - 1948
• Made From - Upholstery, fiberglass and steel rods
• Manufactured By - Knoll
• More Info - This chair is designed to make whoever is sitting in it feel relaxed and secure and it is a good chair to curl up in, which is why it was named the Womb chair. It is available with wool, fabric or leather upholstery in many different colours. There are three adult sizes and there is a child’s version. There is a matching ottoman.

Peacock Chair by Hans J Wegner, 1947

• Designed By - Hans J Wegner
• When - 1947
• Made From - Ash and cord
• Manufactured By - Johannes Hansen
• More Info - This wonderful chair gets its name from it’s fan-like back which resembles a peacocks tail feathers. It was inspired by a traditional Windsor chair. The spindles are flattened in the area a person’s shoulders would rest for comfort. It is available made from walnut, maple, ash and oak and with either a natural or black woven cord seat.

DCM by Charles and Ray Eames, 1946

• Designed By - Charles and Ray Eames
• When - 1946
• Made From - Moulded plywood and chrome plated steel with rubber shock mounts
• Manufactured By - Herman Miller, then Vitra
• More Info - DCM stands for Dining Chair Metal. The moulded plywood seat and back are shaped to fit the human body, making it very comfortable. It is one of a series of plywood chairs designed by the Eames’. It was exhibited at MoMA in 1946 and became in instant success. It was named Best Design Of The 20th Century by Time Magazine. Versions of the chair that have three legs were produced but were too unstable so weren’t put into production. It is available in many different woods, colours and pony hides.

BA3 Dining Chair by Ernst Race, 1945

• Designed By - Ernst Race
• When - 1945
• Made From - Cast aluminium alloy, upholstered plywood seat and back
• Manufactured By - Race Furniture Ltd.
• More Info - This chair was originally made from re-cast scrap aluminium that was left over from the aircraft industry as there was a shortage of wood in Britain at the time. It was shown at the ‘Britain Can Make It’ exhibition in 1946 and it won a Gold Medal  at the Milan Triennale of 1951 and became Race’s first major success. It was one of the first mass produced pieces of furniture made in Britain and 250,000 were sold between 1945 and 1969. It is in the collection of the Museum of Modern Art, New York, the V&A Museum, London and the Brighton Pavilion Museum, Brighton. The chair is available in many different fabrics. There is also a version with arms.

DAR Chair by Charles and Ray Eames, 1948

• Designed By - Charles and Ray Eames
• When - 1948
• Made From - Fibreglass reinforced plastic, chrome steel base
• Manufactured By - Vitra
• More Info - DAR stands for Dining Armchair Rod. It is sometimes called the Eiffel Chair because the base resembles the Eiffel Tower. The design of this armchair was first presented in 1948 at the Museum of Modern Art's 'Low cost furniture design' competition. It was the first mass-produced chair made of fibreglass reinforced plastic. The seat is available in a loads of solid colours. It is an iconic chair that still looks stylish today and is still very popular.

Grasshopper Chair by Eero Saarinen, 1946

• Designed By - Eero Saarinen
• When - 1946
• Made From - Bent plywood and fabric
• Manufactured By - Knoll
• More Info - This was Saarinen’s first piece he designed for Knoll. Production stopped in 1965 but copies are still being made. There is also a matching ottoman. It is available in 3 different woods and over 50 fabric and leather options.

Organic Highback Chair by Charles Eames and Eero Saarinen, 1940

• Designed By - Charles Eames and Eero Saarinen
• When - 1940
• Made From - Laminated seat shell, polyurethane upholstery, stained black beech legs
• Manufactured By - Vitra
• More Info - This chair, and a lower-backed version (the Organic Chair), were designed for the ‘Organic Design in Home Furnishings’ competition held by the Museum of Modern Art. It was designed as a reading chair and has a long backrest which is slightly tilted backwards and shaped for comfort and relaxing. The upholstery is available in 8 different colours.

DSR by Charles and Ray Eames, 1948

• Designed By - Charles and Ray Eames
• When - 1948
• Made From - Fibreglass, chrome legs
• Manufactured By - Vitra
• More Info - The initials stand for Dining Side Rod. It has ‘Eiffel Tower’ style legs which meant it was given the nickname ‘the Eiffel Chair’. It is available in many colours. It was reissued by Vitra in 1993 and the new version is made from polypropylene because it is easier to recycle . It one MoMA’s ‘Low Cost Design’ competition.