Sunday 22nd December 2024 01:52:33

Here’s why your home needs a mid-century armchair

From an armchair inspired by a boxing bag to a minimalist classic from Mies van der Rohe, here's why you should be taking a mid-century seat

Are you sitting comfortably? Probably not. But that’s only to be expected. After all, it’s been over half a year since most of us even saw an office chair, let alone sat in one. Instead, relegated to sunken sofas and creaky old dining room furniture, we’ve started to dream of ergonomic armrests and lumbar support.

But it doesn’t have to be this way. Working from home is an opportunity to change up your chairs and get around to some well-overdue interior decoration. And, with the mid-century design movement having something of a moment, now is the ideal time to pick up a striking, statement chair.

So, with cool colour palettes, tapered legs and clean curved lines, we’ve pulled up ten pieces of choice furniture to transform your home. They may not come cheap — but invest in the best and you’ll be sitting pretty for years to come…

Eames Lounge Chair

Very few chairs have their own Wikipedia page. But the Eames Chair is not so much a seat as a turning point in design history. Brothers Charles and Ray Eames wanted to create something that evoked English clubland, but with the “receptive look of a well-used first baseman’s mitt.” The result is a true icon of mid century design — and it’s comfortable, too.

Eames Lounge Chair

Eames Lounge Chair

£7860.00

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Timothy Oulton Cub Chair

Inspired by 1970s design, the Cub chair takes its name from the curve of a young lion’s ear — and has the playfulness and striking looks to match. Smart, elegant and finished in gorgeously soft leather.

Timothy Oulton Cub Chair

Timothy Oulton Cub Chair

£2550.00

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Magnus Long Cross Leg Lounge Chair

Designed in 2015, this pleasingly laid back lounge seat already has the air of a classic. The idiosyncratic X-shaped legs at the back of the chair are reflected in the Italian criss-cross stitching accents across the supple leather of the seat. Playful touches for a future icon.

Magnus Long Cross Leg Lounge Chair

Magnus Long Cross Leg Lounge Chair

£1881.00

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Knoll Barcelona Relax Chair

Mies van der Rohe was one of the pioneers of modernist architecture — an avant garde visionary whose striking, minimalist buildings became the defining look of the twentieth century. You can’t afford a Mies van der Rohe house. But you might juts scrape to an armchair. And the Barcelona, happily, is a quintessential example of the designer’s pragmatism and flair.

Knoll Barcelona Relax Chair

Knoll Barcelona Relax Chair

£5028.00

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Capitol Complex Lounge Chair

The Capitol Complex in the city of Chandigarh, India, was first designed by Le Corbusier in 1951 — a striking emblem of an emerging East-meets-West mentality in both design and politics. Many of its fixtures have gone on to be icons of modernist design in their own right — including this lounge chair, with its familiar ‘V’ support structure, enveloping cushions and confident lines.

Capitol Complex Lounge Chair

Capitol Complex Lounge Chair

£3288.00

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Andoo Low Back Lounge Chair

Relaxed and handsome; understated but inviting, this soft-leather upholstered chair has delicately shaped wood and chunky, familiar details. The low-slung back is particularly pleasing.

Andoo Low Back Lounge Chair

Andoo Low Back Lounge Chair

£2905.00

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Perch & Parrow Scott Armchair

The curved wood frame of this excellent living room chair gives way to a buttery soft, pleasingly rippled cushion and backrest. Inviting but stately.

Perch & Parrow Scott Armchair

Perch & Parrow Scott Armchair

£790.00

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Lucy Kurrein for Molinari Rondo Small Armchair

Inspired by boxers’ punching bags, the Rondo Armchair is a soft and engulfing creation in fine Nobilis Tegola leather, whose inviting chubbiness is accentuated by a strong black metal frame. Plus, there’s a nifty little side table — perfectly placed for an evening Manhattan.

Lucy Kurrein for Molinari Rondo Small Armchair

Lucy Kurrein for Molinari Rondo Small Armchair

£4768.00

Buy Now

Want more interior design tips? Here’s how to create the ultimate man cave…

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