A furnishing with dual uses — such as a chair that is also a unique light source — can boost a room’s décor, while also having a utilitarian purpose. Colorful and innovative seats, for example, can make a splash in any room of the house (as well as with house guests) and, as an added bonus, serve as pieces of art.
The following five unconventional seats currently available for purchase truly stand out as more than just places to sit.
#1: Alice
Alice is an innovative piece from Edra built to brighten anyone’s at-home "wonderland."
This unique and lightweight armchair designed by Jacopo Foggini is not only a seat, but also a delightfully unusual light fixture (there is an LED light feature underneath that shines through the chair’s polycarbonate structure). It is also capable for indoor or outdoor use. Alice comes in a variety of bright colors — such as lemon yellow, fuchsia, petrol blue, and light green — and is priced at $13,785.
#2: H Studio Shai Bench
Get the conversation swirling with the hand-tufted H Studio Shai Bench.
The chaise features a curling, eye-catching wooden frame, acrylic legs, and luxurious detailing. Best of all, the suede fabric comes in a multitude of different colors. Button tufts come standard; however, Swarovski crystal accents are also available for an additional fee. The H Studio Shai Bench is available from Bella Dimora for $8,762.
#3: The Immersive Audiophile Pod
Pump up the volume (literally) in this perfectly modern pod-shaped seat.
Five speakers are built into the pod's ceiling, producing noise that is not only heard, but also felt. The 16 GB iPad shown above is included with the chair, providing content from one’s music library or the Internet. The chair is hand-crafted in Germany, and features a dyed-leather exterior, plush lime-green microfiber upholstery, and a stainless steel base that can rotate up to 350 degrees. This surround-sound seat is priced at $32,000 and can be purchased from Hammacher Schlemmer.
#4: Cradle
The Cradle by Richard Clarkson is sure to breathe new life into any interior.
Handmade in New Zealand from local materials, this intriguing piece beckons one to crawl into its spherical shape for a unique seating experience, perhaps one resembling a cuddle. The cradle is priced at $8,400.
#5: Vermelha
Edra’s Vermelha resembles red licorice laces that have been overlapped and woven into a delicious wraparound armchair.
Brothers Fernando and Humberto Campana are the designers behind Vermelha. This expertly woven seat takes at least several days of highly-skilled manual labor to complete. The chair is comprised of a steel frame and five hundred meters of special rope that has an acrylic core, covered in cotton. Prices for Vermelha are available upon request.
Photos and details courtesy of Edra, Switch Modern, STYLEPARK, Bella Dimora, Hammacher Schlemmer, and Richard Clarkson
