In the modern world we spend an average of 9.5 hours a day seating in our adult life. So why not make sure we spend those waking hours sitting comfortably and in style?
The perfect chair can mean many things... The one providing the perfect posture. The one fitting into the interior perfectly. The one that's style is matching our mental moodboard. The one that has the long life span. The one that is easy to take care of. The one that can become your home office chair for a little while, while still matching the dining table perfectly.
So what does THE perfect chair mean to you? That is the question we have to have a clear answer to when buying for new chairs for your home.
- What style do you prefer?
- What level of comfort are you looking for?
- What type of material will go with the look you are trying to achieve?
All of these things, and more, are aspects you need to think about. You can always browse our selection of chairs at Pepper Sq for inspiration.
First step: take into account what the chair is going to be used for.
Are we looking for a dining chair that is going to be only used on occasions and big family gatherings? Or is it a chair for the daily use, that needs to be comfortable? Does your dining room often serve you as a home office? Is it a home office chair that you will put into your stylish home office?
Dining Room Interior: Abstract Energy . Designed by Pepper Sq's in-house team
Second step: let's settle on the style.
Nowadays, the most popular styles are Scandinavian, Japandi, Classic, Art Nouveau and Mid-Century Modern. You can be sure to find one that fills all the criteria you need it for and looks exactly the way you want it.
Iconic Chairs... or chairs with heritage
Chairs favoured by great architects, artists and masterminds in the past include those we are used to seeing in the european cafes all over the world.
- Marcel Breuer “B32/Cesca”
Two important milestones in the history of modern furniture are Breuer's profoundly influential chairs: the Wassily and the B32/Cesca. Fascinated by bicycle handlebars, Breuer and Mart Stam used non-reinforced tubular steel to pretty much invent the 20th-century modern chair.
The B32/Cesca was the real game changer: It offered a comfortable bounce and seemed to float a human being on air.
- Model 811 by Josef Hoffmann
The Madrid type chairs and armchairs, inspired by a model from 1920's designed by Josef Hoffmann, blends his interest in Art Nouveau and simple shapes with manufacturing processes applied in Bystrice pod Hostynem since 1861.
The armchair is therefore more geometrical, but bears the clear features of the manual bending technique. This armchair variant combines an upholstered seat with a woven cane backrest.
Madrid Dining Chairs Collection
- No 14 Chair or √eniece Bistro Chai
The No. 14 chair, also known as the bistro chair, it was designed by Michael Thonet and introduced in 1859, becoming the world's first mass-produced item of furniture. It is made using a unique steam-bending technology, known as bentwood, that required years to perfect.
Thonet's No. 14 was made of six pieces of steam-bent wood, ten screws, and two nuts.
With its affordable price and simple design, it became one of the best-selling chairs ever made. Some 50 million No. 14s were sold between 1859 and 1930, and millions more have been sold since.
- 209 armchair by Josef Hoffman and Adolf Loos
209 armchair, designed by Josef Hoffmann and Adolf Loos for Thonet, but the 209 is the icon for modernists. That model was most popular among architects in the beginning of last century.
Le Corbusier was fascinated with it and used it in many of his buildings, for example the Weissenhof Estate in Stuttgart in 1927. According to him "this chair has nobility."
Berlin bentwood chair with upholstered seat is the elegant bentwood classic after Thonet 209 Chair. Due to its aesthetic reduction in combination with the organic form, it almost looks like a sculpture.
Pepper Sq: Berlin bentwood armchair with upholstered seat, £249
Mid-Century style was born (and the exact time line is still being disagreed upon) in the mid-1930s and lasted until around mid-1960s in the United States. The era is known for the peak of the technological advancement, timeless furniture designs and architectural landmarks, as well as the development of the new materials such as metal, glass, vinyl, and plywood.
- DSR Style Eiffel Dining Chairs
Designed by Charles and Ray Eames to be a simple form that would fit every body and every space, this shell chair is one of the most well-recognized pieces of mid-century furniture.
The iconic chair that is often referred to as simply "shell" has a variety of models around the furniture industry. The iconic eiffel design is a great way to compliment your dining area, workspace, or meeting room.
- Chairs by Hans J. Wegner
Constantly striving towards organic simplicity, iconic Danish designer Hans J. Wegner was a visionary in his field.
Lauded for his ability to create sculptural beauty, comfort and outstanding stability, Wegner designed over 500 different chairs in a feat that earned him the reputation as one of the 20th century’s most prolific designers.
The CH23 is a dining chair without armrests. Its simplicity of design is enhanced by superb details of construction, such as the 2 caps encrusted in the back, magnified by the mixture of essences.
Pepper Sq: Noop chairs collection, Scandinavian Style
Third Step: The Size and the Shape
If it's a dining chair, take into account how many guests you wish to ideally seat at your dining table and if you realise you'll have to squeeze more people in, then the dining chair will have to be the smaller kind and definitely we have to give up on the idea of having a mix of the armchairs.
Once these points have been assessed it is time to work out what size chair you need. You may want a huge, comfortable chair that swallows you up, but take a step back and look at the proportions of your room.
You may find that you have to compromise on the size of the chair to allow for the aesthetics of the room. This also applies for smaller chairs. Make sure you don’t get a chair that is too small and makes your room look empty.
All of the chairs in collection have the dimensions to hand so you can get an idea of what sort of space it will take up and how to plan the rooms layout.
Fourth step: Choose colour and material
Colour is important. You can have the perfect style but if you get the wrong colour it can completely change the entire look of the room.
From deep luxurious blues to intense, fiery oranges. Subtle greens to bright yellows that immediately draw the eye, the colour choices throughout our products are extensive, make sure you choose the right one for your room.
The material of the chair is also a big part of the decision. A plush, traditional looking woven armchair may not go in a room if you are aiming for a minimalistic, modern look.
We are not saying it definitely won’t, but if you are going to experiment with different styles then the colours and types of fabric will become a very important factor to think about.
It might be better to go for a style that compliments the rest of the room.
There are other routes to go down if you want to combine styles. One option would be to make a chair the focal point, make it stand out and use it to draw the eye and be the centre piece of the room. This can have striking effects from a design aspect and can give a room the “wow” factor that it didn’t previously have.
If you have a style in mind or a room that you want to revamp, visit our catalogue to get some inspiration for what chair would go well with the room.
At Pepper Sq, we want to make sure that you make the right choice and are 100% happy with whatever chair you decide to purchase. If you need any help contact us to get free interior design consultation.
Every room has limitless possibilities. Spacemaking starts here. Discover. Design. Enjoy.