It's a sausage link! It's an intestine! It's a ... chair? It's called The Buldang and it's a 30 foot long plush tube that's designed to be molded into any number of comfortable seating arrangements like an enormous sausage-shaped beanbag (although it's not filled with beans or beads). It does look comfortable but it also looks hilarious -- I don't think I could take it seriously unless it was in a kids room (think how much fun that would be!). Created in Asia and produced by Dupont Neotis Studio, the name stands for "modular armchair-sofa." It's covered in a specially ventilated "climate control" cloth and is selling for $2,380 (no word on other color options).
The cool design and home blog Apartment Therapy (AT) always has a fresh idea. I've been reading it periodically for a few years, and every time I do, I vow to completely redo my space. Anyway ... The site recently featured a summertime-appropriate post on the Disk Chair, designed by Karim Rashid and made by Ferlea to look like a "spoon folded." AT noted it would be great for poolside or patio, as it's made of fiberglass over a steel frame, but AT commenters had a good point: seems like a sweatfest waiting to happen on a hot day. I think it looks fun and comfortable, albeit maybe with a cushier seat or a towel. Available in black, yellow or white; includes a single foam and polyester cushion. Owo Italia has it for a bit more than $2,000 (European pricing).
The Chubby armchair by Marcel Wanders is an interesting combination of cute, sleek, and modern all wrapped into one design. Looking like it was formed out of colorful Play Dough, the chair is smooth and round and looks outrageously comfortable -- although for real relaxing a higher back would probably be nice. It's available in 5 colors (white, black, green, red, and orange) and there's also a coordinating footstool called Chubby Low (see it in the gallery below) that looks like an overgrow piece of chewing gum. Good times.
I appreciate art just as much as the next person, sometimes even more so than average I think, and although these "Him" and "Her" chairs by Fabio Novembre are definitely interesting, there's just something about them that make me think eeeew. Maybe it's the idea of a naked person sitting on a chair? They kind of remind of this creation by Pharrell Williams.
Anyway, they're available in black, red, and white, and if you've got the right place to put a set they'll be sure to get a second look (and a third even) plus it might be fun to mix and match colors and make an even deeper statement?
The RD4 Chair ("roughly drawn") is a great example of form meets function. Originally created by Richard D. Liddle back in 2006, it's now been revamped for a special limited edition series. The RD4 LE* has all the open-weave airiness of the original design but with more defined legs and what looks to me to be a slightly tighter or thicker composition. Made of 100% recycled plastic waste this chair is just as good for the environment as it is for your decor. 100 LE* chairs are available total, 50 in green and 50 in black. $1,548
Suitable for either indoor or outdoor use, the Gownchair takes its inspiration from both the fashion are art worlds. It has a sweeping flowy shape that has it looking just as much a sculpture as a chair. Certain to be one of the boldest items in any room, the Gownchair is bright red with an eye catching glossy finish and it's made 100% of fiberglass that is painted using the same technology used in the automotive industry to paint cars. Available in limited edition (each is numbered and comes with a certificate of authenticity) only 2 remain for $2,105 each.
The Vermelha Chair would certainly be a unique addition to your home as it looks like a strange mess of string that happened to land in the form of a seat. It starts as a steel-framed wrap-around armchair form, which is then covered meticulously by hand with 500 yards of a special rope. The rope has an acrylic center and a cotton surface, and it's woven intentionally to look haphazard. It looks like the Vermelha Chair only comes in this one shade of bright pink though, so fitting it into your home's decor may be a bit of a challenge. $6320
Designed by Philip Starck, the Ero |S| Swivel chair is modern functional simplicity at its finest. I'm not quite sure what the naked models do for the advertising (other than make you feel like you need to clean the chair before you sit in it) but despite them I think these egg-shaped chairs look cool and relatively comfortable. They come in this pedestal version that swivels, in a version with legs, and one that has wheels. Plus there are lots of color options (both transparent and opaque). Polycarbonate and chrome, $485-$700.
Sometimes stuff just catches me a certain way and I can hardly stop laughing, and this Sella Bicycle Seat Stool is one of those items. Designed by Achille Castiglioni, it's really a very simple creation consisting of a black racing bike seat on a pink steel column and (get this) a rocking base.
I totally understand that in many ways furniture design is an art form and practical usability isn't always a top priority, but if you're going to call something a stool there's at least a slight implication that it could be sat on, if you were so inclined. But I'm afraid anybody trying to take a seat on this baby is simply cruisin' for a bruisin'. Oh well, it does look nice! £336.
Do you have a favorite comfy chair? One that you can sink into and suddenly all your stresses seem to float away? Well Hoverit, a British company, is introducing their latest in stress relieving and lounging technology: The Limited Edition Lounger. The concept is that you'll feel like you're floating on air because you will actually be floating on air...in a sense. Powerful magnets set to repel each other make the lounger feel like a big comfy hoverboard, and as an added benefit the magnets may also help with various health issues.
The chair may look cool in a futuristic and techie way, but other than the "floating" part it hardly looks cool in a comfortable way. Why are they so anti-cushion?
Not sure what this beauty costs, but I'm willing to bet it's more than your average furniture mart recliner chair.
The fun piece of design might provide an answer for what to do with your designer jeans after they go out of fashion. The Octopus was created by the design team of AtelierBLINK. It is made out of recycled jeans filled with polystyrene balls. The jeans have buttons on the bottoms that can form the back of the chair or be fastened together to form a clinging embrace around you. Want more high-end recycling, check out our gallery of fabulous finds below.
Human Touch calls the HT-7450 the world's first zero-gravity massage chair claiming that it basically helps to defy the effects of gravity. It reclines deeply with the back, seat and footrest moving in synchronization to position the body for massage comfort. From there it massages the neck, back and legs. It has an adjustable headrest, a detection system that scans the back and creates a map of individual pressure points. There is an eight-point seat massage system as well as a foot and calf massager and two lumbar head modules. It is being exhibited at CES and has been chosen as a Innovations 2008 Design and Engineering Award honoree in the Furniture product category. It sells for $3999.
A chair completely plated in 24k gold probably doesn't strike you initially as 'environmentally friendly,' but designer Frederik Mattson had the Earth and the deforestation problem in mind when he created this unique piece of glitzy furniture. Intended as a throwback to the less wasteful varnishing ways of old, coating all the surfaces of the Golden Chair in gold means all imperfections in the wood are hidden from view, which in turn means less wood is discarded in search of knot-free and blemish free pieces. I'm not sure how completely green this chair is (considering gold is not a sustainable resource) but I will say the little heart stamped on the side is adorable.
It's called simply "Bubble," and although it's a pretty thing at first glance it's not particularly obvious what it's purpose is exactly. What does a bubble do? Well apparently this one is meant to sit on.
Even after hearing it I don't quite get it -- it looks a little uncomfortable to sit on because it's made of plexiglass-like material, so that shape is what your bum gets. But they are super cute, especially in a little group. They come in blue, yellow, red, or clear, and your choice of round (shown) or cylindrical, and cost £99.
The Mummy Chair! It sounds a little scary but it isn't really -- it actually looks quite comfy. Nothing like taking the hard edges off what looks to be a fairly standard dining chair. Designed by Peter Tragg in 2005, it's created by covering a beech-wood chair and polyurethane foam with polyester ribbon. There are 5 different "Mummies" in the collection and aside from the black and gray they all have a decidedly whimsical feel because of the bright colors. Made in Italy, $1010.
