TAKE A SEAT: EXPLORING THE

CHAIR THROUGHOUT HISTORY

BY RICK HESS|OCTOBER 23, 2014

 INTERIOR DESIGN TRENDS

By: Rick Hess/Mae Case, DI

Everywhere you go, people are doing it. People do it at home and at the
workplace constantly. You’ll find people doing it while waiting for the bus or
at restaurants while eating. We see others do it so often, we don’t bat an
eyelash. It’s the one activity practically everyone participates in and we all
learn to do it before we walk: Sitting.

Taking a seat is such a mundane action, one that we seem to just do without
stopping to think of why. And while humans have sat on the ground since the
very beginning, we found evidence dating as far back as the Neolithic period
suggesting that human beings decided to start elevating themselves above the
ground. Because of this desire to park it on something other than the floor, the
evolution of the chair has been a remarkable journey showcasing human
creativity, ingenuity and adaptability, from the simple stone “seats”
discovered in Neolithic dwellings to the iconic Eames Lounge Chair still
popular today.

Exploring the Chair Throughout History

Some cite the Neolithic village of Skara Brae, Scotland, as the earliest known
seating, dated as far back 3,200 BC. Archeologists found homes there that
showed evidence of domestication including doors, beds, tables and seating.
These seats, composed of stone, show early signs of our human desire to
elevate ourselves above the ground.
Early use of stools – three-legged, four-legged, and even folding – in ancient
Egypt soon gave way to chairs with backs and arms. Ornate arm chairs made
of wood with overlaid gold and silver were found in the tombs of Queen
Hetepheres I and King Tutankhamen. These arm chairs features strong lines
and exquisite detail including carved lotus flowers and animal legs. The
discovery of King Tut’s tomb in 1922 took the world by storm, and echoes of
ancient Egyptian chairs and ornamental motifs can be seen in Art Deco
furniture and decorative arts.
The ancient Greeks perfected the form of the klismos chair with legs that
curve under the seat before flaring outward. The curved back indicates
attention to comfort and ergonomics. Although the chairs themselves didn’t
survive, they are frequently depicted in relief sculptures and vases. The simple
yet elegant curved lines of the klismos chair made the form popular among
Neoclassical designers in the late 18th and 19th centuries.
Although the ancient Egyptians and Greeks used stools with an X-frame of
diagonal cross braces, it was the ancient Romans who elevated it to the
decorative heights that made it popular all the way into the present day. For
centuries, the curule chair was reserved for use by royalty, dignitaries and
other important political and religious officials.
In medieval Europe, royal thrones and other ornately decorated seats were
symbols of power and authority. Religious officials commonly used X-frame
seats known as faldstools, derived from the Roman curule seats. This
elaborately detailed seat belonged to the Merovingian King Dagobert I. “Four
protomes of panthers form the feet and legs; the armrests consist of two
carved and perforated panels, decorated with rosettes (bottom) and plant
motifs (upper register)” (wdl.org). But unlike the Greek klismos chair,
medieval furniture reflected the prevailing Christian emphasis to asceticism
and the virtues of discomfort rather than ergonomics.
During the Renaissance, the ancient Roman curule form was again reinvented,
with different variations appearing in different regions. The dantesca chair
with velvet or leather upholstery, and the savonarola chair with a hard back
and loose seat cushion became popular in Italy. Chairs with three or four legs,
sometimes called stool chairs, also became popular during this time.
Previously used only by royalty and other powerful figures, chairs now made
their way into the homes of aristocratic and merchant families.
The association of chairs with authority wasn’t limited to Europe. While
armchairs were common among the elite in China by the time of the Tang
dynasty (618-907), not until the Ming dynasty (1368-1644) did they become a
fixture in households of lower rank. Most of the forms we now recognize as
traditional Chinese gained popularity during the Ming and Qing (1644-1911)
dynasties.

The traditional Chinese art of root carving, carving furniture and objects from
the roots and gnarled branches of trees, has also been used to craft chairs from
the Tang dynasty forward. The organic beauty of these forms particularly
appealed to Buddhists and Daoists who prized harmony with nature.
Baltimore Fancy Side Chair, United States, Early 19th Century

After the opulence of the Baroque and Rococo periods, Neoclassicism reigned
during the late 18th century. Mahogany imported from the Americas became
more readily available and was used in elegant chairs and other furnishings.
Although most Neoclassical forms reference the straight lines of ancient
Greek and Roman architecture, the curves of the curucle and klismos chairs
also make a reappearance.
Hill House Chairs by Charles Rennie Mackintosh, Scotland, 1903

Like the Neoclassical period, the Victorian era referenced the past, this time
through revivals of Gothic, Renaissance and Rococo styles. Dissatisfied with
the opulence of these styles, designers of the Arts and Crafts movement
returned to clean lines, geometric shapes, and the “honesty” of making the
structure and craftsmanship of the piece visible rather than covering it up with
upholstery or ornamentation. Charles Rennie Mackintosh used exaggerated
heights and rectilinear patterns to dramatic effect in his architecture as well as
his furniture.

Kubus Chair by Josef Hoffmann, Austria, 1910

Josef Hoffman also emphasized straight lines and geometric shapes, and many
of his furniture designs featured the square and cube. Hoffman often
combined linear patterns with rich materials for a luxurious look, as in the
Kubus Chair.
Wassily Chair by Marcel Breuer, Germany, 1925

Modernism took off after World War I, and designers began designing
furniture with mass production in mind. Compared with earlier styles, Modern
furniture is stark, plain and industrial. To create affordable and lightweight
furniture, designers turned to tubular steel, usually plated with chrome, and
bent plywood, which eliminated many of the joints required in more
traditional pieces. Marcel Breuer’s Wassily Chair is a perfect example of a
chair stripped down to the basics. The tubular steel frame is completely bolted
together and uses no welding, while slings of Eisengarn fabric cradle the
body.
Barcelona Chair by Ludwig Mies van der Rohe, Germany, 1929

Perhaps one the most furniture famous designs of the 20th century is the
Barcelona Chair, designed by Ludwig Mies van der Rohe for the Pavilion of
the Weimar Republic at the 1929 World Exposition in Barcelona. Like the
architecture of the pavilion, also designed by Mies, the Modernist furnishings
display the honesty of the Arts and Crafts movement along with the
minimalism of the new Modern style. Yet even in this classic of Modernism
we can see the influence of the ancient Roman curule chair in the diagonal
cross braces.
Plastic Chairs by Charles and Ray Eames, United States, 1948

Another iconic chair of the 20th century, designed by Charles and Ray Eames,
took advantage of a relatively new material: petroleum-based plastic. Their
molded plastic chairs were designed with mass production in mind and are
still produced today. “The need for well-designed, moderately priced
furnishings for the vast majority of people; furnishings that could be easily
moved, stored and cared for, thus meeting the demand of modern living.”
Charles and Ray Eames

Eames Lounge Chair 670 by Charles and Ray Eames, United States, 1956

Mixing comfort and luxury, the Eameses created their iconic lounge chair and
ottoman in 1956. Using a method of bending plywood pioneering by Charles
Eames and Eero Saarinen, it was also designed with mass production in mind.
The chair is composed of three pieces bolted together and onto the pedestal.
The result is a classic, comfortable chair still in high demand today.

Clearly, chairs are more than just objects to sit on. We lounge in them. We
create, solve, share and think while seated. For now, the chair remains a
comforting fixture in our society, necessary to all that we do but so ubiquitous
that we don’t give it a second thought. Will there ever come a time when we
will no longer rely on a chair for our day-to-day activities? With rapid
advances in technology now greatly affecting how humans relate to one
another (or even ourselves), it will be interesting to see how the chair will
morph to keep up with our evolving lifestyles.

Sources:
Koenig, G., & Eames, C. (2005). Charles & Ray Eames, 1907-1978, 1912-
1988: Pioneers of mid-century modernism. Köln: Taschen.

Miller, J. (2005). Furniture. New York: DK.

Rabun, J.H., Kendall, C.L., & Rabun, J.L. (2013). The Anglicized and
Illustrated Dictionary of Interior Design. Boston: Pearson.

Stimpson, M. (1987). Modern furniture classics. New York: Whitney Library

of Design.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/scotland/history/articles/skara_brae/

http://numismatics.org/collection/1935.117.358

http://www.wdl.org/en/item/641/

http://www.metmuseum.org/collection/the-collection-online/search/206995

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_the_chair

http://www.metmuseum.org/collection/the-collection-online/search/20486

http://www.homedecorideas.eu/home-furniture/best-chairs-i/

https://shop.classicdesignitalia.com/en/products