8 Iconic collaborations in luxury furniture design, Property interior tips, Online house decor advice

8 Iconic Collaborations In Luxury Furniture Design

7 Apr 2022

Luxury furniture and famous designers go together like fish and chips. Here are some of the most recognisable collaborations from the past 100 years.

8 Iconic Collaborations In Luxury Furniture Guide

Egg Chair by Arne Jacobsen for Fritz Hansen

The Egg Chair is one of the most eye-catching pieces in the collection that Arne Jacobsen designed for the SAS Royal Copenhagen Hotel in 1958. The smooth, curved oval back opens into a winged armchair that envelops its occupant in a cosy nest.

Since its inception, there have been many copycats, but none can touch the original Egg Chair which is still available from Fritz Hansen today.

S-Chair by Tom Dixon for Cappellini

British designer Tom Dixon is known for his avant-garde furniture and non-conformist approach to design. In 1991 he collaborated with Cappellini to create the S-Chair, a gravity-defying seat that appears to hover in an impossible curve above a metal base.

Over the years Dixon has recreated his iconic chair in multiple versions, many of which can be found at FCI London. The chair can also be seen at the Museum of Modern Art in NYC.

Vegan Leather Collection by Phillippe Starck for Cassina

French designer Philippe Starck created a 16-piece furniture collection for luxury Italian brand, Cassina. Starck’s designs include the Privè collection, the Passion chair and a new version of the Volage EX-S sofa.

All 16 pieces are upholstered in Apple Ten Lork, a vegan alternative to leather made from apple cores and skins. This use of biological industrial waste products puts Cassina on the cutting edge of sustainability in furniture manufacturing.

Barcelona Chair by Ludwig Mies van der Rohe for the 1929 International Exposition

Now one of the most recognisable luxury furniture pieces in the world, the Barcelona Chair was originally designed by Ludwig Miles for the Spanish royal family to oversee the opening ceremonies of the second International Exposition.

Inspired by an ancient Roman design, the Barcelona chair has remained a sought-after design for almost a century, in part because its industrial aesthetic belies the attention to detail. In a world of conveyor belt furniture, each chair is to this day almost entirely handcrafted.

Africa Dining Chair by Afra and Tobia Scarpa for B&B Italia

As part of B&B Italia’s Maxalto series, the creators of the Africa Dining Chair set out to combine the art of wood craftsmanship with innovative furniture designs.

Originally made in 1975 from palisander wood with an ebony inlay, the few chairs that remain today are in-demand collector’s items that can occasionally be found at high-end auctions.

The Wiggle Chair by Frank Gehry for Robert Irwin

In 1969, a group of artists and scientists from NASA asked architect Frank Gehry to give artist Robert Irwin’s studio a makeover with very little budget. Gehry came up with a crazy concept: tables and chairs made from piles of cardboard.

With the help of Irwin, he created his Easy Edges series, a corrugated cardboard collection that included shelves, side tables and the now world-renowned, S-shaped Wiggle Side Chair.

These six collaborations demonstrate the collaborative power of brilliant minds in interior design.

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