CategoriesFurniture and Lighting
Seating
Everything made to sit on, from stools, benches and floor cushions to chairs, sofas and the modular systems of public spaces.
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About
Every culture decides how its people sit, and furniture follows. In Japan tatami mats and cushions long served instead of chairs. Across the Middle East people sat on low cushioned platforms along the walls of a room, which gave the word divan its furniture meaning. China shifted from mats to raised seats over several centuries, and chairs were common by the Song dynasty. In medieval Europe most people sat on stools and benches, and a chair with a back signalled status.
Modern life multiplied the types: recliners, sofas, stacking chairs for halls, fixed seats for stadiums and waiting rooms. Charles and Ray Eames's Tandem Sling Seating (1962) was designed for airport terminals. Designers such as Pierre Jeanneret, Edward Wormley, Wendell Castle and Eero Aarnio explored very different ideas of comfort. Look at the seat height, the angle of the back and how long someone could sit there.
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