Sitting Pretty: The Chairs That Shape Our World
Image: with thanks to George Smith, London
If you think back through your day so far, how many different types of seats have you sat on? Whilst chairs might seem like simple, functional objects, they are crucial to our everyday comfort and wellbeing. Even the most beautiful or thought-provoking spaces can falter when seating is overlooked or designed without empathy. In a world design is becoming increasingly visual and fast paced, it’s an area that a lot of designers frequently neglect.
Iconic Chairs
The chair has long been an item of fascination and intrigue to designers and if I ask you to imagine an iconic chair, you might conjure up an image of the Eames Lounge Chair, designed in 1956 by Charles and Ray Eames. The chair’s bent plywood shell and sumptuous leather upholstery effortlessly conveying luxury and mid-century modern elegance. Or you might imagine Dali’s infamous Mae West red lips sofa – the striking design which started life as a sketch on the back of an envelope.
Whilst some chairs can very definitely be considered ‘art’ for the sake of the aesthetic, I think the very best public chairs aren’t just about fitting a theme - they invite rest, reflection and inclusion. Part of my job as a designer is to think deeply about the space that a chair will occupy and the type of activity it will enhance.
Seating Influences How People Feel About a Space
Seating influences comfort and comfort influences how long people stay; how welcome they feel and how positively they remember a place. There are stark examples where furniture has had the opposite effect – and sometimes by design. In some public urban spaces like parks or outside museums, ‘hostile architecture’ often includes benches with central armrests or slopes that make lying down impossible, in a bid to deter homeless people from resting there. While technically functional, this kind of chair design is widely criticised for rejecting inclusivity, sending a message that some bodies are less welcome in public spaces than others.
The Tate Modern in London is a place that people visit to pause and reflect on the art. But much of the seating scattered around the gallery is sleek and sculptural and whilst in keeping with the gallery’s cutting-edge aesthetic, it’s deeply uncomfortable to sit on. Some benches have no back support, or are made from cold metal or concrete, making sitting for elderly visitors, those with mobility issues, or anyone wanting to rest for more than a moment, left with little option other than to be uncomfortable. Surely in art and cultural spaces, seating should invite contemplation, not limit it.
When Seating Detracts - Not Adds - To An Experience
All too often furniture is specified based on aesthetics and cost, and it is very clear when you visit some hotels (even the most exclusive and expensive) that more consideration has been given to how a piece of furniture looks, rather than how one might experience it. I recently visited one of the most prestigious hotels in the country, but I couldn’t sit at the salubrious bar for long, because the high barstool was so uncomfortable. It detracted from what should have been a very enjoyable and relaxing experience. Instead, I felt restless and irritated at having to find myself and my guest a more fitting space to sit. The barstool may have looked cool, but the experience of it was anything but.
Right Chair, Right Look, Right Place
This is something I see time and again in hotel design - incompatible chairs and table heights, oversized furniture that is difficult for service staff to navigate, or undersized tables that can't fit all the necessary cutlery, crockery and OS&E. Sofas and armchairs that are too far away to hold a conversation, or nowhere to place a drink. Furniture should be positioned for practical reasons, function and to cultivate social interactions, not scattered about to support a design aesthetic.
Curating the right chairs and seating for a space requires much deeper thinking and an understanding of how people move and interact with the furniture. There is a sweet spot between function and form which is very specific to needs and beauty of each space. When it's right, seating can really elevate the design of a room, but as importantly, how a room feels.