These are at a ridiculously good price...

Inspiration can come from anywhere, and in the case of Hee Welling, it was the interior of a refrigerator. More specifically, the shelves inside the refrigerator caught the eye of this industrial designer. At the time, Welling was fiddling with an idea for creating a chair that uses only one material. Altering this criteria a small bit, Welling added only a powder coating and created his Hee Collection (2004). The durable powder coat finish makes the Hee Chair suitable for indoor and outdoor use by protecting the solid steel underneath. The coating also provides a surprisingly soft seat, and gives a slight "give" to the surface.

Hee Chair, $200.00 Now: $98.00, Buy it here.
Available in Green, White and Yellow.
H 31" W 19" D 20" Seat H 18"

Hee Barstool, $200.00 Now: $98.00, Buy it here.
Available in Green.
H 33" W 16" D 19" Seat H 30"

[posted by katie]

Not only are these chairs made from wood that would normally end up in a landfill, but you also have the delightful option of hand picking the color you prefer for the sides of the chair.

Ref-use, a small furniture company in Austin, TX. makes modern chairs from reclaimed plywood. The duo finds their waste in dumpsters of large wood manufacturers, then transform it into their two current products; the stout and the light.

Light Chair (left), $325.00: Buy it here.
Weight: approx. 12 lbs, 33 3/4"h, 19"w, 24"l

Stout Chair (right), $450.00: Buy it here.
Weight: approx.35 lbs, 32 1/2"h, 18 1/2"w, 20 1/2"l

[posted by katie]

At over half off, these floor sample chairs are a pretty good deal. Not sure how much shipping would be, but it might be worth checking out.

"These white powder coated steel chairs are really comfortable...and while they're designed for an outdoor range, we think they look great inside too! These floor samples are regularly $600 each. We've got 6 left...hurry!"

White powder coat metal

[posted by katie]

This is a pretty interesting chair. I'm a little perplexed by the shape, not entirely modern and it looks like an aeronautical device more than a chair, but with a leather cover it trims it up a bit and makes it look more interesting.

Available in polished or matte polished aluminum to be mounted on a wall. Available accessories: cover of reindeer skin or black leather imitation.

[posted by kris]

I love the simplicity of the lines of this bamboo dining chair.

[posted by kris]

This all around indoor/outdoor/stackable chair would tough it out in harsher (i.e. high traffic) areas, but keep in mind there's a minimum order of 4.

"Tosca by Magis is a new stacking chair with arms finished in glossy or polyamide. Tosca is suitable for outdoor and indoor use and can be used for many contract projects. Tosca can stacks nine units high and is ideal for small spaces. Designed by Richard Sapper, 2007"

W: 22.2", D: 21", H: 34.7", Seat H: 18", Arm H: 25"

Glossy Finish, $240
Transparent Colors, $260

[posted by katie]

I'm enjoying the New Antiques collection by Marcel Wanders. This chair in particular strikes my fancy. It's a Klismos style chair (an ancient Greek form) merged with the turned wood technique, where wood is thrown on the lathe for the "knobby" appearance.

"A stunning takeoff on period furniture, the new antique wood-turned chairs and tables are available in matte black or white lacquer. the chair seats are upholstered with polyurethane foam and covered with a choice of smooth G908 or stamped leather of the same color choice as the frame. the seat is also available made of woven polyester belts with the cappellini logo."

If you'll look closer at this chair, you'll see there's no metal frame...it's completely hand coiled from 100% carbon fiber and epoxy. As Bertjan Pot explains, "Every point on the rim of the chair is connected with all 4 points where the seat is connected to base-frame."

'Carbon Chair of Bertjan Pot and Marcel Wanders speaks of dedicated craftsmanship in connection to high tech materials and the material expertise only possible by personal excitement, passion and the love of "enlighted amateurs".'

designers: Marcel Wanders, Bertjan Pot
manufacturer: Moooi, the Netherlands
materials: Carbon fiber


[posted by katie]

If the comfort and credential of being in the permanent collection of the MoMA isn't enough, I'm sure that the fact you can turn over this chair and show the credits to your friends will make the price tag a bit easier to swallow (at least in theory, right?).

'Non has won numerous design awards and is featured in the permanent collection of the Museum of Modern Art. Straight and simple in design, the stacking chair is comfortable thanks to the rubber it's made of and the "built-in spring bands". The underside of the chair features interesting molded rubber movie-style credits. The chairs be stacked together to save space. NON can be used both indoors and outdoors. The pieces are completely waterproof and can be left outdoors permanently.'

Color Options: Black, Gray, Red, Green

W 17.3 D 15.4 H 30.3 SH 17.7

[posted by katie]

Save up your pennies, folks, because buying this chair will get you just a little closer to feeling like a saint (that's why it's so expensive).

"With the North South Project, Canadian designer Patty Johnson is extending the positive effects of globalization to places that have yet to benefit. In the case of her Maun Windsor Chair (2004), that place is Botswana, Africa. To create the Maun, Johnson went to Peter Mabeo, the founder of the Mabeo Furniture factory in Gaborone, Botswana, with a design brief for a collection of high-quality wooden furniture that could be produced by hand. The Maun Windsor is a new interpretation of a classic American chair. Its Shaker-inspired clean lines meld with the abstract quality of African wooden sculpture, and the tight linear grain of the white oak further emphasizes the chair's form. Handcrafted from wood that's harvested from well-managed forests, it's finished with an all-natural soap flake finish. The Maun's design and manufacture is ecologically, aesthetically and culturally sustainable, while bringing long-term benefits to the local craftspeople and community. Made in Botswana."

H 28.5" W 23.25" D 21.25" Seat H 17"

[posted by katie]