Armchairs for a home interior: we sit well

One of the simplest pleasures in life, which is especially appreciated at the end of a day filled with fuss, a huge number of completed and unfinished business, contacts useful and useless, is to sit down, close your eyes and relax for a while in a limited individual space. Sofa? Designed for collective use, any of the households can get hooked at any moment and destroy the sweet immersion in a state of peace and bliss. Another thing is a chair, the most suitable piece of furniture that can organize a cozy sitting area in any of the rooms - a living room, a bedroom, an office, a nursery, on an open terrace.

An armchair as a seat designed for one person, equipped with a back and armrests is an ancient invention. To verify this, just look at the images of the pharaohs from the Egyptian pyramids. Ancient Egyptian masters had to create monumental works (there were still thousands of years to mandatory ergonomics!), Where the main task was to impress, to suppress with the grandeur of details made of expensive wood, ivory, carved jewelry, precious inlays (the basic conveniences of an unfortunate pharaoh who had to spend a working day on a luxurious throne, were not taken into account). Therefore, having ordered an absolutely retro-old stylish armchair to decorate a modern interior, you can only use it as an element of decor (although this is also a function!).

Turning over the illustrated pages of history, we are convinced that in the era of ancient Greece and Rome, a small step towards ergonomics was made in the form of animal skins, softening the stiffness of the seat.

Viking homes, medieval castles were furnished with heavy wooden furniture, among which the chair was the prerogative of the power elite (as a throne for the ruler).

The real birth of the chair as a genre of furniture design dates back to the times of the brilliant courtyards of French kings and aristocrats. The wooden frame has got an upholstery made of expensive fabric (Chinese silk, velvet, tapestry), for softness, pillows with down fillers began to be used. The back, armrests and legs began to look more like objects of applied art. Medieval craft workshops competed with each other in the production of luxurious furnishings, and modern European furniture factories attribute the appearance of their traditions to free associations of cabinetmakers.

The twentieth century, especially its middle, can be safely called the “golden age” of industrial design, when a great many unique and magnificent designs were proposed that have not lost their relevance at the present time, as evidenced by numerous remakes of furnishings and the re-entry into fashion of samples from the best authors.

The concept of ergonomics took shape as a direction of industrial design in the middle of the last century and became an integral standard in the design of furniture, including chairs. The essence of the ergonomic approach can be expressed briefly - the conformity of any item of furniture to the anatomical features of the human body to create maximum comfort (during work and rest) and maintain health. At the same time, aesthetic appeal is combined with functionality and rationalism.

Today, across all continents - European, American and Asian - a whole galaxy of talented young designers has appeared, destroying traditions and stereotypes and creating a new aesthetics of furniture design of the future. The everyday life includes modular transforming chairs, multifunctional chairs with built-in shelves, tables, lamps and other accessories.

Rattan wicker chairs used by designer Harold Leidner
for his Whimsical Rooftop Garden project - a magnificent bizarre garden,
rooftop high-rise building in Dallas (USA)

Upholstery materials are natural wear-resistant fabrics - New Zealand wool, cashmere, cotton, linen, leather Wicker rattan chairs, synthetics, as well as literally hand-knitted.

A popular technique of applying a pattern to fabrics - print - has found its application in the design of armchairs, giving the image completeness and personality.

It is generally accepted that to create a perfect interior, using two factors is enough - free space and the right combination of colors. The colors of the upholstery allow you to create bright accents or contrasts with other objects of decor.

The style classification coincides with the main artistic trends - classical (baroque, empire, rococo), constructivism, rustic, provence, hi-tech, with the characteristic features inherent in each of them. In fashion, stylization for a certain image.

 Wooden armchairs in rustic style (translated as simple, rough)
made, as a rule, of natural wood.
Deliberately simple forms are compensated for by careful processing.
innovative and ecological varnishes giving the furniture a picturesque look.
Rustic style is another name for the direction.
Upholstered large armchair with fabric upholstery stylized as homespun cloth
for those who don’t like hard seats

 Use in the interior of chairs of various designs,
the style, color scheme of the upholstery is characteristic of the direction of fusion.
This is a kind of freestyle in the way of interior decoration -
the more heterogeneous things, the more colorful the “mixture”.
But this creates a paradoxical atmosphere of harmony and charm

There is a classification of armchairs associated with design features: armchair-bathtub, winged armchair, armchair-bed, etc.

Chair-bath has an original design:
low back smoothly into the armrests, legs hidden deep under the seat,
textile or leather upholstery can be used

The classic winged chair rests on twisted front legs,
It has a high back and bent armrests.
Buttons-buttons in a fabric shell, deeply fixed on the surface of the upholstery,
serve as decorative elements

A special group of furniture was called designer furniture and reflects the spirit of the time through the refraction of the individual perception and self-expression of an individual designer. Today this direction is the most demanded and interesting. The names of the best developers of the last century are coming back, who generated so many interesting ideas and designs that anticipated many of the trends of the present century, and which are enough for many generations of interior designers.

For example, in 1968the famous Finnish designer Eero Aarnio created a ball-chair made of transparent acrylic, which hung from the ceiling, since, according to the designer, any leg would damage the impression of lightness and airiness of the “soap bubble”. The model turned over the idea of ​​how the chair should look.

Alvar Aalto created magnificent ergonomic chairs. Of particular interest are designs made from Master’s favorite material - bent plywood.

Upholstery - print with a zebra pattern.
Chairs by Alvar Aalto used by designer Kristen Rivoli
for decorating the living room in modern style

Schools of French and Danish design experimented with traditional and innovative styles, techniques and materials in creating furniture. The two directions did not compete, but complemented each other.

Modern interior with designer armchairs by Jean Prouve (1951 model)
and Hans Wegner (The Papa Bear Chair he created in 1951
exists in many modifications and remakes

Milo Boman extolled the positive benefits of good design to human life. His designs were far-sighted and unusual, but unpretentious and affordable.

Chair with an ottoman from Milo Boman with a stainless steel frame,
executed in the color of kiwi, complements the furniture of the home cabinet in the Art Nouveau style.
The product was developed in 1987 and named Boldido

Charles and Ray Eames made a huge contribution to the development of industrial design of the twentieth century. Their molded plastic armchairs have become iconic examples of the industrial style, presented in permanent exhibitions of European and American museums of modern art.

Interior Designer Robert Caner
used an Eames molded plastic chair,
fiberglass reinforced (developed in 1948)
organically fitting it into the modern interior of San Marino Island House

When purchasing a chair, it should be remembered that the most comfortable piece of furniture should correspond to the general concept of the space being designed or be a contrasting accent to it. The main thing is to prevent congestion, restrictions on freedom of movement. Another question that should be answered is what role the chair will play in the interior: functional (that is, used for its intended purpose) or decorative (then everything can’t be sat like in a museum, just admire and admire from afar).

Factors affecting the choice of "pet":

• comfort (ergonomics),
• appearance,
• durability,
• mobility,
• resistance to pollution and negative environmental influences,
• ease of maintenance.