Cool Chair Designs That Provide Style as Well as Seating

They’re certainly a necessity but chairs can also be an artistic addition to your decor. Choosing a design that offers different visual or functional features can add a real pop of interest to a room. Chairs are also the easiest piece to change out because they are easily moved to other areas of the home, sold or donated. Once you go beyond the comfort, it’s all about the style and what appeals to you most. We have rounded up the top 10 cool chairs that we’ve seen lately. We’re willing to bet that you’re going to think they’re pretty awesome too.

Unique Dining Chair Designs

Traditional Scandinavian joinery techniques using custom ash pins are used in this chair.
Traditional Scandinavian joinery techniques using custom ash pins are used in this chair.

This cool chair incorporates some of the features found in other classic chair designs. The Stand Alone III by Agustav of Iceland is third in a series of chairs. The unique thing is that all the chairs are made from the same two shapes but look very different. This is made of three semi-circles formed by bent laminate, all in different sizes. They make up the seat, lumbar support and upper back. We love how this one features vertical pieces that are similar to those used in a Windsor chair. The Stand Alone II is made from white ash and can be covered in wool or leather.

Modern Twist on a Classic Shape

Unexpected elements make this chair a standout.
Unexpected elements make this chair a standout.

An upholstered chair gets a pop of cubist drama in this custom version by New Day Woodworking. The shape is reminiscent of a classic wing chair but with updated lines and a nifty graphic patterned upholstery fabric. The legs are a formed by a stack of graduated cubes in different finishes, topped off with a shiny gold one. The ball feet and just that — bright orange balls — that are repeated on the lower part of the armrest. The design is an original by the company, which does custom millwork and fine furniture.

Both Comfortable and Contemporary

The modern design is streamlined and comfortable.
The modern design is streamlined and comfortable.

Angular but still cozy, the SNUG chair was the winner of the 2018 ICFF Studio Award. Designed by Nupur Haridas, it is designed to provide the hug from friends and family that we miss during our busy, hectic days. The back wraps around the person sitting, much as a hug does. SNUG is made from a bent plywood shell on the outside. Seating areas are padded with polyurethane foam and it is upholstered in 100% wool felt. The unique shape and brushed steel base make the chair seem to float. It’s a modern minimalist shape that has plenty of comfort to offer. The up-and-coming designer aims to create products that have appeal, and are functional and include an element of surprise.

Revitalized Classic

The classic design was so popular it was reissued into production.
The classic design was so popular it was reissued into production.

This cool chair is actually a creation from 1958 by iconic midcentury designer Norman Cherner. The molded plywood and bentwood chair was so requested that his sons Benjamin and Thomas created the Cherner Chair Company to reissue the most popular pieces. The original specs and drawings now guide the production of the chairs. This design is available in a host of finishes and upholstery choices. It has an easy, comfortable and stylish silhouette that is as fresh today as it was when the first one was made. In addition to the reissued molded plywood chairs, the company has also resurrected designs for stools and tables and introduced new designs by Benjamin Cherner.

Artful Conversation Piece

Tens of thousands of tiny beads make up the surface of this chair.
Tens of thousands of tiny beads make up the surface of this chair.

Equal parts art and functional chair, this beaded beauty is from West Africa. The kings and queens of the Yoruba tribe traditionally used these chairs, which can now serve as conversation pieces in your own home. Amazingly carpeted with thousands upon thousands of tiny beads, each chair requires 3 months of work by artisans. The beads are sewn onto a fabric backing which is then upholstered onto a wooden frame. Each chair that From The Tribe offers is a unique piece of art. The company also offers elaborately beaded headpieces that have been inverted and transformed into lighting fixtures.

Unconventional and Playful

A playful chair adds a bit of fun to an interior.
A playful chair adds a bit of fun to an interior.

While both these chairs are very stylish, the one on the left is particularly fun. The playful take on a Roman chariot is the Ben Hur chair, created by French fashion designer Jean Paul Gaultier for Roche Bobois. Originally designed in 1993, the piece — which was part of a complete collection that Gaultier did in 2010 — has been re-released. This cool chair is made from poplar plywood and laminated aluminum and upholstered in a rich velvet. A small section of nailhead detaining gives it a classic touch to the chair, which shows off the designer’s sophisticated yet quirky vision.

Funky Yet Functional

Unconventional construction materials make this chair special.
Unconventional construction materials make this chair special.

Modern designers are turning to unexpected and upcycled materials to produce chairs that are functional yet have a decidedly unconventional appearance. This is the case with Gentner Design’s newest chair. The design started with their Baltic Stool and how now expanded into a chair. Crafted from brass and silicone, it is comfortable and as well as visually arresting. The Chicago-based studio, established in 2011, creates pieces that “transcend materiality” and challenge assumptions.

High-Tech Hand Crafting

The design also comes with a leather-covered seat option.
The design also comes with a leather-covered seat option.

Sleek and sloping with unexpected contours, the AVA armchair is a masterful wooden design. Created by Guto Indio da Costa and San German, it is part of the Machina & Manus collection. The cool chair back has a flexed triangular shape, with the two arms extending back and melding into one unit. The design is possible thanks to digital technology that underpins the entire collection, which deals with the relationships of human and artisanal creation. It’s also a beautiful display of the lovely look of wood.

Alternate Construction

The floating pieces give the chair a unique lightness.
The floating pieces give the chair a unique lightness.

Most chairs have a typical form, and while this one from Studio Yen does have a base and a seat, it is unlike others. The creator has taken the concept of patterns from the typical application onto upholstery and transformed it into the body of the chair. Designed by Changyen Tsai, the molded plywood forms create “cradle like comfort” that envelops the person seated. This cool chair is called the Storyteller because the studio says it creates “a new spectrum of a renowned storyline in depth.”