The king of furniture

Sep 01, 2024

This week it's all about the armchair and why I consider it the hidden hero of the living room.

The Duden dictionary defines an armchair as "softly upholstered, comfortable seating for one person." But I think that's too simplistic. Equally unsatisfactory is the word's origin, which comes from the Latin "sessilis," meaning "firmly seated," "suitable for sitting." There's definitely more to it than that!

Because unlike a sofa, which can accommodate several people and dominates the room simply because of its surface area, an armchair creates a unique, intimate atmosphere. It establishes a personal connection with the sitter, a kind of silent dialogue. For example, there's the memory of one's grandfather, who on Sundays sits in his armchair, raptly watching the action on the screen. Or of autumn afternoons when you sink into a familiar armchair with a cup of tea and watch the raindrops drift across the windowpane. It's the moments after a long day at work when you sink into your favorite armchair, close your eyes, and forget the world outside for a moment that make this piece of furniture so incomparable.

From throne to status symbol to mass culture

The history of the armchair stretches back several millennia. The first armchair was indeed – the throne! A symbol of exclusive power, reserved only for popes and kings. It wasn't until the 16th century that the armchair entered the living rooms of the middle class, primarily as a status symbol. Back then, long before industrial mass production, these pieces of furniture were handmade, high-quality, and passed down through generations. (Incidentally, a form of appreciation that we find very beautiful and are expressly trying to revive today!) The 19th century saw the armchair's global triumph: Industrialization made it affordable for many people and advanced to become an everyday object.

The armchair as a design classic

A well-designed armchair tells a story. Some models are true icons of their time and embody an entire era: The functionalism of Le Corbusier's LC 2 , designed in 1928, and Ludwig Mies van der Rohe's Barcelona Chair (1929) perfectly reflect the architectural spirit of the 1920s. Charles and Ray Eames set new standards with their Lounge Chair in 1956: light, elegant, and incredibly comfortable, it became one of the most famous armchairs in modern furniture history. Likewise, the abstract present is rarely more evident than in the ligne roset Togo single-seater with its minimalist, floor-to-ceiling design.

In this blog post, I've compiled a few highlights from our current armchairs. And if it's the sofa that makes your heart beat faster, you'll of course also find other favorite pieces in our latest new arrivals . Just take a look!