chairs

Patchwork patterns evoke comfort immediately, in part due to their homey look (even if your grandmother wasn't the quilting type) and in part because patchwork things are almost always soft and plush. This chair, simply titled Patchwork, uses rich fabrics in variously sized pieces that are cobbled together on a lounge that demands to be curled up in. It was designed by Thien and My Ta Trung and measures 30"W x 39"W x 24"H. Price: $2,000.

Most companies are willing to spring for fairly expensive, ergonomic office chairs for their employees, but because they will still try to keep their costs to a minimum, the ultra-expensive office chair from Interstuhl Manufactur is unlikely to get approved on your expense report.Designed by Hadi Teherani, the chair is gold-plated and covered with a shimmering floral print. No word on whether or not it is actually ergonomic, but it does come with an ottoman. Price: €50,000 ($66,000).

[via gizmodo]

Design Within Reach is hosting their annual Champagne Chair Contest, which gives you a chance to not only do some design work of your own, but to actually be recognized for it. The idea is that you have to use a champagne cork and turn it into a miniature chair. The cork, cage and foil are all fair game, but you can only use what comes with two champagne bottles. Entries will be judged on craftsmanship, creativity, character, innovative use of materials, and durability and must be no larger than 4" x 4" x 4". The grand prize is a $1,500 DWR gift certificate and the deadline for entries is Monday, January 15, 2007.

Above are some of the designs from the 2005 contest to give you some ideas.

Marcel Wanders is an amazing Dutch designer that has enjoyed quite a bit of publicity this year due to the popularity of his knitted/crocheted creations for the home. This past weekend, while in Miami, Beyonce and Jay-Z took a tour of DesignMiami to pick out furniture when one of Wander's newest creations caught their eye. They took home one of his knitted chairs for about $40,000. The chair is beautiful, made of white cotton and coated with epoxy resin, but that price is quite a lot for a chair - especially when, due to the unusual design, half of it isn't really there.

With a name like the Snuggle Chair, you know that you have a pretty comfortable piece of furniture on your hands with this piece. The large plush chair is covered with a velvety soft fabric that, when combined with the wraparound back that seems to hug you as you relax, you will find very difficult to extricate yourself from. It comes with three black pillows and one fluffy white one, as pictured, although the chair itself is also available in red. Since winter is upon us, your best bet is to situate this chair near the fireplace and just plan to spend the whole afternoon in it. Price: $600.

[via cribcandy]

You have to admit that rocking chairs have been around for a long time because they tend to be both comfortable and very relaxing. The staid image of a rocking chair is too dull for most modern tastes, however. The Keinu Rocker gives a somewhat futuristic twist to the classic design. The Finnish rocker, designed by Eero Aarnio, is made of leather and chrome-plated steel. It features an ergonomic seat and has a stopper halfway up the front blade in case you become a touch overenthusiastic about rocking. The only drawback is that it is only offered in yellow, while we think that white would look a bit more elegant. Price: $4,000.

Ignacio Ruiz Gutierrez H.

[via Popgadget]

It goes without saying that the iChair is a better idea than the iToilet. The plush chair is upholstered in a super-soft faux suede and has speakers built into the wings just above ear level. The sound is further enhanced by the subwoofer built into the base of the chair. There is a control panel and a pocket to hold an iPod while it is plugged in on the side of the chair. It also comes in black, which looks a bit more dignified than the sky blue pictured here, though the speakers are easier to see on the blue background. The black chair has black speakers, not grey. You can also take an interactive look at the chair here, complete with streaming music from the Veronicas and Tyler Hilton. Price: $399.

While some trends from decades past are best forgotten, such as dark wood wall paneling, others deserve a place in our hearts and even homes. Relive the mod 1960s with this chic Panton Chair. The chair was the first single-material, single-form chair ever to be made, designed by Verner Panton in 1968. The stackable chairs are constructed from durable but not rigid polypropylene and are available in both a red-orange and white, if the former is too bright for your purposes. With its very contemporary lines, these would not look out of place in an upscale bistro, but would look equally appealing in a kitchen or office. Price: $225.

This chair is artfully formed from a single piece of aluminum, bent and cut to form a sleek, minimalist chair. The Get Bent Chair has a powder coating on top of the aluminum and is available in not one, but 186 different colors and finishes, both in matte and gloss, and the bottoms of the chairs are padded with small neoprene pads to protect your flooring. The chairs are also stackable, so the can easily be stored away if need be. Setting a rainbow of these chairs around a glass-topped dining room table would have home design magazine banging down your door. But at $2,400 each, you may want to start with just one before buying a set.

[via BLTD]

Cheap plastic beach chairs don't look that good, are rarely comfortable and don't last. A much better summer chair option is the classic looking Adirondack. It conveys a quiet sense of luxury because it's the kind of chair that people expect to see on a porch in the Hamptons. The Wall Street Journal's Catalogue Critic rated foldable Adirondacks this week. Their intention was to find a chair that could be stored for the winter, but why not store it in your trunk and take it down to the shore instead? Their winner in both comfort and ease of assembly was the Orvis Folding Adirondack. The delightful chair is made of hardwood, finished with weather-resistant acrylic in one of 3 colors. The chairs are $189 each.