Modern classics that will never go out of style. Forged by the greats of mid-century modern furniture design, these chairs are the epitome of furniture innovation and remain at the top of global popularity charts today for their timeless design.

These classic designer chairs can make an ordinary room look like a highlight. But sometimes it's hard to decide which one is right for you. To help you do this, we've prepared a guide that provides suggestions for the use of these chairs in various modern interior environments. It also includes a brief history of each chair and renderings that better illustrate its use.

Egg Chair – Arne Jacobsen

Egg Chair

History: The designed classic Egg Chair was made in 1958 for the interior design of the Radisson Royal Hotel in Germany.

How to use the egg chair

How to use the Egg Chair: Its steel frame, tall curved back and rounded base give it volume and work well in open, modern spaces with high ceilings, like a loft or library.

Swan Chair – Arne Jacobsen

Swan Chair

History: The Swan Chair is a cousin of the Egg Chair and was conceived at the same time, commissioned for the same hotel in 1958. The Swan Chair is most influential for its curvature and defined the vintage style that is still popular today.

How to use the Swan Chair

Swan Chair Usage: This bright swan chair has a retro style with wide arms and low back space, which can be perfectly used as a lounge chair.

Diamond Chair – Bertoia

Diamond Chair

History: The Diamond Chair was created in the 1950s. It was the product of the genius of designer Harry Bertoia, who used metal to create different shapes and forms. He based the design of the Diamond Chair on the art of utility .

Diamond Chair Uses

Diamond Chair Uses: Lightweight yet sturdy, this piece remains a classic that complements any space, from a lush garden patio (with or without cushions) to the smallest reading nook by a window.

Lounge Chair – Eames

Lounge Chair

History: Designed by Charles and Ray Eames, the Eames Lounge Chair is the pinnacle of the mid-century modern chair wave.

How to use the leisure chair

How to use the lounge chair: This lounge chair piece is often paired with an ottoman and would look great on a shaggy area rug in a super stylish living room surrounded by fun vintage accents.

Eiffel Tower Shell Chair – Eames

Eiffel Bayeux Chair

History: The Eiffel Tower Shell Chair looks exactly as described, with the base legs analogous to the Eiffel Tower and the seat resembling the curves of an eggshell! Designed in 1948 by Charles and Ray Eames, this simple style of chair has remained popular ever since it was made.

Eiffel Bayeux Chair Uses

Eiffel Bayeux Chair Uses: This classic chair can be placed in the dining room or used in the entryway to help with shoe dressing.

Lounge Chair - Eames

Lounge Chair

History: Also designed by Eames in 1948, the Lounge Chair was entered into the Museum of Modern Art's International Competition for Low-Cost Furniture Design. It caused a sensation for its technological advances in free-form molding of fiberglass, designed to embrace the human form.

How to use a recliner

How to Use a Lounge Chair: The stance of this chair will still catch people's attention and will definitely look fresh to someone seeing it for the first time, juxtaposing vintage and modern decor to any room in your home.

Shell Rocking Chair – Eames

Shell rocking chair

History: This Eames design rocking chair is popular for its ultra-comfortable shape and style that balances beauty and function.

Shell rocking chair uses

Shell Rocking Chair Purpose: Designed and manufactured in 1948, it still has an interesting, timeless look that would perform well in everything from a modern nursery to a vintage living room.

Ball Chair – Eero Aarnio

Ball Chair

History: Designed in 1963, this retro-modern Ball Chair (also known as the Globe Chair) still looks like something from the future! Eero Aarnio created the prototype for the most unconventional chair of the time, pioneering a new line of fiberglass seating. Initially, the chairs were oriented towards industrial design, today these designs are also used as home furniture around the world.

How to use ball chair

How to use the Ball Chair: The chair works well in any open plan living or lounge space, creating a playful and relaxed atmosphere.

Bubble Chair – Eero Aarnio

How to use bubble chair

History: Five years later, Aarnio created the Bubble Chair, which was born from the concept of the Ball Chair. In addition to design improvements and suspension, he used transparent fiberglass to let light in from all angles to achieve a weightless effect.

How to use bubble chair

How to use the Bubble Chair: This chair would look great in a modern space with a simple fusion of classic and vintage modern art, and lots of natural light!

Dining armchair – Saarinen

Saarinen dining armchair

History: Known for its ultra-comfortable and simple construction, Eero Saarinen's dining chair was designed in 1957 and paved the way for flexible innovations in fiberglass shell panel chairs.

Saarinen dining armchair uses

Saarinen Dining Armchair Uses: These chairs will complement the modern furniture in the dining room, combined with the casual dining table setting.

Tulip Chair – Saarinen

Tulip Chair

History: This sexy Tulip Chair is famous for the curvaceous impression it made in 1956. Eero Saarinen made history with his pedestal tulip shape. It is a pure expression of modernism and is as popular today as ever.

How to use the tulip chair

Ways to Use the Tulip Chair: The Tulip Chair looks delicious as a dining chair with simple modern furniture and a table that is subtle enough to make this chair a conversation starter for everyone who sees it.

Womb Chair – Saarinen

Uterine Chair

History: The Womb Chair is probably one of the most comfortable Saarinen chairs in history. Made in 1948 at the request of Florence Knoll, this chair was designed and made for her!

Uterine chair usage

Womb Chair Usage: With its cradle form designed as a relaxed seating position, the Womb Chair is perfect for the modern living room but also for a quiet corner where one can kick off their shoes and catch the light of life in this little piece of paradise.

Bibi Chair – Eileen Gray

Seat Usage

History: The Eileen Gray Bibendum Chair is unique in form and function for its tubular trunk and luxurious seating feel. It was created in the early 1920s for a millionaire who commissioned Eileen Gray to design it from scratch.

How to use the Bibi Chair

Seat Usage: This versatile oversized chair will inspire an interesting modern home, where its curving lines and shapes contrast with natural elements like wood or stone.

Florence Chair – Florence Knoll

Florence Chair

History: This 1954 Florence chair is part of the Florence Knoll collection, known as 'stuffed pieces', these pieces have clean lines and are boxy, but have become modern classics because of their versatility.

Florence chair usage

Florence Chair Usage: We would highlight this large chair with a splash of color or rug and an organically shaped side table to add love to it.

Coconut Chair – George Nelson

Coconut Chair

History: Another modern classic is the Coconut Chair by George Nelson, who started designing furniture for Herman Miller in the 60s. This iconic design resembles a coconut and is super comfortable to lie in.

How to use coconut chair

How to use the coconut chair: The coconut chair is the perfect focal point for any room and will be happy to talk to anyone who sits on it.

Wishbone Chair – Wegner

Wishbone Chair

History: The Wishbone Chair was designed by Hans Wagner in 1950. This bony chair was carefully crafted so that each armrest had a practical purpose.

How to use the wishbone chair

Wishbone Chair Usage: These chairs are perfect as dining chairs but can also be used as bedroom or foyer chairs.

Risom Lounge Chair – Jens Risom

Risom Lounge Chair

History: Designed by Jens Risom in 1941, the Risom Lounge Chair was the most casual, high-end lounge chair of its time! Inspired by Scandinavian design and using woven straps and wood, this design has become a classic that defines modern casual living.

How to use Risom lounge chair

How to use the Risom Lounge Chair: This lounge chair is versatile and can fit any personal taste or style. It can be placed in a family room, library or lounge area to create a modern look.

LC4 Lounge Chair – Le Corbusier

LC4 recliner

History: Also known as the 'resting machine', the LC4 lounge chair offers you plenty of opportunities to rest. Designed by one of the great pioneers of modern architecture and furniture design, Le Corbusier truly captured the essence of relaxation in 1928. Well ahead of its time, this lounge chair still resembles a postmodern artwork and coincidentally, is permanently on display at the Museum of Modern Art in New York City.

LC4 recliner usage

LC4 Lounge Chair Uses: Best suited for ultra-modern spaces, it can be softened by a modern rug located in an office or living room, next to tall exotic plants or even a bookcase for a nice color and texture combination.

LC2 and LC3 armchairs – Le Corbusier

LC2 and LC3 armchairs

History: The LC2 Petit armchair is a mini version of the Grand Comfort Chair designed by Le Corbusier in 1928. The difference between the two is that the LC2 is more compact, while the LC3 has cushions that wrap down to create a softer look and feel.

LC2 and LC3 armchair usage

LC2 and LC3 Armchairs Usage: This chair works well in a modern space, setting off gorgeous hardwood floors and a collection of eclectic accessories you’ve acquired from your travels abroad.

LC7 Armchair – Le Corbusier

LC7 Armchair

History: Le Corbusier was one of the most influential architects of the 20th century and he still managed to produce some of the greatest furniture designs in history. The LC7 armchair features a chair that consists of a mostly polished chrome frame.

LC7 Armchair Usage

LC7 Armchair Uses: This swivel chair with its interesting lines makes a dynamic dining chair, and also works well as a desk chair in any art studio.

Wassily Chair – Marcel Breuer

Wassily Chair

History: Designed by Marcel Breuer in 1925, the Wassily chair is artistic, trendy and timeless with its lightweight structure and dynamic lines. Revolutionary in its manufacturing combination and innovative use of bent steel tubing and canvas.

How to use Wassily chair

Wassili Chair Usage: This sculptural chair with an urban appeal stands out among natural materials like stone, brick and wood, complementing any living or dining space in a modern home.

Small Tulip Chair – Pauline

Small Tulip Chair

History: Pierre Paulin designed the Small Tulip chair in 1965 as a derivative of the Large Tulip chair. It has a flared back and sides like a flower blooming from its seat.

How to use the small tulip chair

How to use the Tulip Chair: The Tulip is a great design that will look great in a modern or traditional space.

Cone Chair – Verner Panton

Cone Chair

History: Verner Panton's Cone Chair is popular for its tapered shape and striking colors. It was designed in 1956 for a Danish restaurant, but is used in many settings today, including bars, lounges, hotel lobbies, and meeting rooms.

Cone chair uses

Cone Chair Uses: This fun chair would look amazing in a lounge or office because the base swivels and the back is tall enough for a king or queen.

Heart Chair – Verner Panton

Heart Chair

History: Equally gorgeous is the Verner Panton Heart chair, which was made a year after the Cone and gets its name due to the unmistakable heart-shaped design. Given that it is a modern interpretation of the classic wing chair, the Heart has a vintage feel that seems appropriate for open spaces with high ceilings, such as restaurants, bars, and hotels.

How to use the Heart Chair

Heart Chair Usage: This chair also looks great paired with other trendy lounge furniture in an open modern loft space.

S-shaped chair – Verner Panton

S Chair

History: This classic award-winning chair, known as Verner Panton's S-chair, was created in 1967 and is extremely popular among modern design enthusiasts. Panton created the first single-mold injection-molded plastic chair and went on to design the S-chair to meet demand for its striking curves.

How to use the S chair

S Chair Usage: This chair would look great as a dining or office chair in any style of home.

Taishi Chair - Wu Yuan, Southern Song Dynasty

Armchair

Qin Shiyuan was the treacherous minister Qin Hui who was the Grand Tutor at that time. This record clearly tells us that Qin Hui was sitting there and raised his head, and his turban accidentally fell off. Wu Yuan saw this and ordered people to make a lotus leaf headrest, which was installed on the chairs of Qin Hui and others by craftsmen. The Grand Tutor Chair was thus created, and the name of the Grand Tutor Chair also spread from then on.

Purpose of the Taishi chair: The Taishi chair has a square seat and arc-shaped armrests, adhering to the concept of "the sky is round and the earth is square". Relatively speaking, the Taishi chair is the most suitable for the principles of human ergonomics engineering, and is more suitable for the elderly, especially those with back pain. This is because the back of the Taishi chair has a forward arc, which coincides with the physiological curvature of the human spine. However, when elderly friends sit, they should pay attention to keeping their coccyx close to the back of the Taishi chair to avoid the back waist being suspended and keep the back straight, so as to support the spine.

What is national is also global, as can be seen from the ergonomic design of the armchair.