The 50 Most Iconic Chair Designs (2024)

Who Makes the Most Iconic Chairs?

Just as in the world of fashion, the makers of the most iconic types of chairs are varied. There are designers like Carl Hansen and Alvar Aalto, and even uncredited, timeless shapes like the Louis XIV-era chairs from France. Many of the most iconic chairs are midcentury designs and are still being produced today. You can shop many of them at Knoll or Design Within Reach.

What Are the Most Common Types of Chairs?

The Eames leather lounge chair is one of the most recognizable types of chairs, but it’s definitely not the most common. Whether on a patio or in a restaurant, you can find the humble bistro chair almost anywhere. The sleek Wishbone chair by Hans J. Wegner and the caning-accented Cesca chair resurged in popularity in 2021 and 2022. There’s also something to be said for the Monobloc chair: the timeless, plastic, stackable garden chair that we have all sat in on a steamy summer evening.

More home decor history:

• The Fascinating History Behind the Slipper Chair
• Behind the Look of the Original Egg Chair
• These Chairs Are a Modern Take on Traditional Yoruba Thrones

Designed to mimic the curving shape of a bicycle handlebar, this type of chair has been a design staple since Marcel Bruer first constructed it. One of the best examples of Bauhaus design, furniture company Knoll (who owns the design) states that this chair was named for Wassily Kandinsky. He was known as an abstract painting pioneer and was a colleague of Breuer's at the Bauhaus school.

Given that the Ming dynasty ruled China from 1368 to 1644, a wide range of furniture styles emerged from that period. Toward the later years, the nation saw the production of intricate, carved wood furniture, much of it produced—thanks to discoveries in joinery—without the use of nails. The curved backs and folding seats of the Ming era would become especially influential in later furniture designs.

After graduating from the prestigious Cranbrook Academy in Michigan, designer couple Charles and Ray Eames moved to Los Angeles, where they began experimenting with new materials and processes for making furniture. Part of this experimentation resulted in what they called the “Kazam! Machine,” a mechanism for pressing sheets of thin wood veneer together and bending them. The LCW Chair, introduced in 1946, is the result of this process—its back and seat are shaped to accommodate a sitter of any size.

You've likely seen this type of chair at your local big-box store: Widely knocked off, the original Navy chair was first introduced by Pennsylvania brand Emeco in 1944 for use on warships. It's the result of a signature, 77-step (!) process in which welders melt recycled aluminum to form the sturdy, lightweight chair.

In the 1960s, designer Verner Panton began to experiment with an innovative new product: plastic. Captivated by its flexibility, the Danish designer created a type of chair that looked more like a sculpture than furniture (but was also extremely comfortable). The result is the cantilevered, S-shaped Panton chair, which was the first ever molded plastic chair when it was released by Swiss manufacturer Vitra in 1967.

The furniture from the reign of France's Louis XIV—the ruler who oversaw the construction of Versailles—is characterized by intricate carving, rare wood, and heavy upholstery, like in this walnut seat with a dark brocade fabric. Telltale signs of Louis XIV-style chairs include straight backs, curved armrests, and crossed stretchers, which can either be H- or X-shaped.

Comfort was prioritized for the 2nd chair iteration of the middle—Louis XV period (1723-1750). You'll notice that the newer seat is more padded, the arms and legs are curved, and the back is arched. You'll know it's a Louis XV chair if you see a square-ish back shape and curved features.

Along with being Marie Antoinette's husband, Louis XVI was France's last monarch before the country's revolution. Chairs designed during his reign are characterized by rounded seat backs—often curved for comfort—and plush seats. A revived interest in classical style makes for details that nod to Greek and Roman decoration, like carved, fluted legs reminiscent of classic columns.

These armchairs, originally handcrafted for royal members of the Yoruba tribes of western Africa, are covered in a pattern created entirely from beads. Designed for ceremonial purposes, these chairs can comprise over 100,000 beads, each hand-applied to the armchair.

In 1925, Hungarian American designer Marcel Breuer introduced the first chair made from tubular steel, the Wassily. Three years later, he introduced the Cesca, a simplified design that marries traditional (the cane seat) and innovative (the cantilevered, steel base). The chair's S-shaped frame provides just enough bounce to make it comfortable without sacrificing support. This type of chair also happens to be in the MoMA's permanent collection.

When tasked with furnishing the German pavilion at the 1929 Barcelona International Exposition, German American architect Mies van der Rohe conceived a chair fit for royalty while keeping his modernist aesthetic. The leather-and-chrome seat and accompanying ottoman have been produced by Knoll ever since.

Now you see it, now you don't! In 2002, designer Philippe Starck put his own spin on the Louis XVI armchair, rendering it in clear polycarbonate for Kartell. The design—which is offered both as an armchair and without arms—became an instant sensation...and spurred dozens of knockoffs.

Manufactured in one Italian town since 1807, this type of chair inspired designers from Michael Thonet to Gio Ponti, who riffed on its graceful shape and lightweight constructionin their own modern designs. Brass versions of the Chiavari from the 1970s are highly sought after by vintage sellers.

The Windsor chair, characterized by its spindled chair back, has a history as old as the United States. The exact origins of the chair style remain somewhat murky, but they may have first been produced in the 16th century in Ireland and Wales. English settlers introduced them to North America, where they continued to gain popularity. Today, many American models are made by Amish woodworkers.

In 1859, German cabinetmaker Michael Thonet created what would come to be the quintessential restaurant chair. Defined by its round seat and bentwood back, the Era chair (sometimes called a Thonet chair) is both lightweight and durable, making it ideal for commercial settings. Notable fans of the chair include Le Corbusier and Pierre-Auguste Renoir.