The auxiliary chair is the most popular type of chair. This type of chair is very versatile and can be used in a variety of floor plans and table positions, including the head of the table. Auxiliary chairs are not only great for dining, but they also make great decorative seating. In the 1940s, Danish designer Hans Wegner was inspired by Chinese merchants' chairs and created his own version of the Ming chair, which featured a curved armrest made of curved wood and a backrest with a fork shape and tips for a more elegant silhouette.
He presented this chair to the Danish manufacturer Carl Hansen & Søn, who perfected the 100 steps needed to make it, including the 395-foot paper cord for the seat. Eero Saarinen challenged Florence Knoll to create the most comfortable chair in the world when he began working with her. The result was the aptly named Womb Chair, first launched in 1948 and continuously produced by Knoll ever since. Arne Jacobsen designed the Series 7, also known as Model 3107, for Fritz Hansen in 1955 as an upgrade to his popular Ant chair.
The molded plastic chair available from Herman Miller as an armchair and auxiliary chair is made of polypropylene molded into an ergonomic shape. It was first designed for the 1948 MoMA international low-cost furniture design competition and set a new standard for affordable furniture that could be mass-produced. The Papa Bear Chair, designed by Danish design master Hans Wegner for AP Stolen Denmark and currently produced by PP Møbler, looks like its namesake animal with arms extended and a backrest curved upwards reminiscent of bear ears. The club chair is a classic living room furniture piece with rounded curves to maximize comfort.
It features sunken saddles, solid wood design, backrest and legs with rounded spikes, and is usually upholstered in leather or fabric. The Windsor chair has inspired many modern versions and is often used in dining rooms. Marcel Breuer's Wassily Chair is said to be the first chair design to use tubular steel to form its structure. Most models come in a polished chrome finish with leather or fabric slings.
Office or desk chairs are specifically designed for office space or work space at home. They are designed to increase productivity with maximum back support and come with a set of wheels for increased mobility. A wing chair (also known as a side-back chair) is a durable seat with a solid backrest, short wooden legs (usually turned wood) and is usually upholstered in fabric or leather. Wingback chairs are distinguished by the side panels or wings of the high backrest, which originally served to protect the occupant from drafts in a room or from excessive heat from chimneys.
A traditional side-back chair can measure more than 40 inches from the floor to the top of the backrest, making it an important piece of furniture. Although it is a very traditional type of reading chair, many modern designers have reinterpreted it and given it a more contemporary touch. For example, Arne Jacobsen's iconic and modern Egg Chair is considered to be a chair with modified wings. A folding chair is still a comfortable surface to support the head for naps, lounging or reading, although the wings may not always be as pronounced as in older versions.
An occasional chair is just that - one that is used from time to time as an additional seat when there are guests. Occasional chairs usually end up being decorative pieces in a room, selected for their decorative value more than anything else. They come in all sizes and shapes to suit any type of decor - some are small while others are oversized or dramatic in size and design that act as conversation pieces or add color to a room. You might want to splurge on a designer chair or an iconic occasional chair such as Knoll's original Barcelona Chair to add something unique to your space.
A club chair is a durable, thickly upholstered armchair with arms and backrest lower than other types of chairs and relatively square shape (although sometimes curved). It is usually upholstered in leather and comes from 19th century England where gentlemen's clubs had such chairs for relaxing. The traditional club chair is quite spacious - it often measures 37 to 39 inches wide (side to side) and 39 to 41 inches deep for superior comfort. Like many other traditional styles, club chairs have been updated and resized to fit smaller interiors (for example, you can find classic club chairs that measure 27 inches wide and 30 inches deep).
A modern club chair still involves sophistication but may show more leg and have lower arms or hardly any arms at all while leather has traditionally been preferred; club chairs now come in fabric options too.
