Chairs

February 7, 2013September 8, 2014

Chair Marries High Design with Space Efficient Design

In the coming months, we will be highlighting products and services we use in the LifeEdited apartment. Today, we’re looking at the Eco chair by Voxia.

One of the main design criteria for the LifeEdited apartment was the capability to host dinner parties for ten. We chose the Resource Furniture Goliath Table as its ability to expand from 17″-115″ was hard to beat. Seating was more difficult. Though there are many great folding chair options, we wanted something that looked a bit more permanent, so we narrowed our search to stacking chairs. At the time, lifeedited.com wasn’t much to look at, so we had our friends at Treehugger do a roundup of stacking chairs.

While there were a number of great options, none were as aesthetically or functionally appealing as the Eco by Voxia. It matched the look of the apartment perfectly. Most important, the chairs stacked extremely tight. The surface is a mere 9mm thick; with protective pads 13mm. There is a negligible gap between chairs when stacked. This tight fit allowed us to fit all ten chairs in one cabinet.

The chair is one piece of compression molded beech plywood, which the company claims uses 1/8 the amount of wood of most conventional chairs.

The chairs are quite comfortable. Though we must say that the seat portion, which is about 15″ wide, favors the slimmer set.

Unfortunately, the Swedish chairs do not have a US distributor just yet. Pricing ranges from about $350 for the beech finish version to $426 for painted versions (pricing is approximate as there is no official US price list). While this was actually middle-of-the-pack pricing for a number of the designer chairs we looked at, it’s admittedly a good chunk of change.

What is unique about the Eco chair is that it marries high design with space-saving features. The current paradigm suggests that if you want high design, you probably have a big home and don’t need to worry about space efficiency. We’d love to see more exquisite furniture like this for a new breed of home where efficiency and high design go hand in hand.

October 26, 2012October 26, 2012

A Chair That Will Follow You From Cradle Till Long Time

Few things derail your editing schemes like children. Clothes often need to be changed multiple times a day. They grow out of those same clothes every few months. Most of their toys have a six month half-life. Then there are innumerable accessories from cribs to strollers to baby bathtubs that thwart the most earnest minimalist aspirations.

Given all of this, if you’re a parent and there are products that reduce the amount of stuff your child requires, you should probably get them. The Stokke Tripp Trapp high chair is such an item. Its simple, classic design allows it to be useful from infancy to adulthood.

The inverted seven shaped base has slots that accommodate either a seat or footrests. As your child grows, you lower the seat and footrests in the slots to the appropriate height. You can even remove the footrest and use it as an adult height chair, making this a great piece of furniture for people like grandparents who frequently have children visitors, but for whom a dedicated high chair takes up too much space.

The seats start around $200 and go up depending on the material. Oak and walnut version are available that are quite a bit more expensive; these options are worth considering as this could easily be an item kept for many years.

Do you have other tips for minimizing kid clutter? Let us know in our comments section.

August 13, 2012September 9, 2013

10 Folding Chairs to Look at and Sit On

Many people have reached out to us looking for solutions for making their own home an edited home. Often requested is a guide to folding chairs–chairs being a staple piece of furniture for most any home. With a little help from our friends over at Apartment Therapy, we’ve put together this list of 10 folding chairs, ranging from the super inexpensive to the super not-inexpensive.

Let us know what we might have missed in our comments section.

1. Terje Folding Chair from IKEA, $16.99

We’d be remiss to not include the big I. This is one of their several folding chair options. They’re not super sturdy, but boy are they inexpensive. We’ll leave it at that.

2. Mika Natural Wood Chair from World Market, $75 for 2

This chair has a nice look and works inside and out.

3. Cyclone Indoor/Outdoor Chair from Target, $123.89 for 2

If your aesthetic leans toward pop-art, this chair from Target might be your style. It works inside and out.

4. Muji Beech Folding Chair, $70

We really dig this chair. Simple, real-wood, good price.

5. Clarity Acrylic Folding Chair, $150 for 2

Like the Target chair, this one will appeal to a particular aesthetic. The translucency opens up visual space, but acrylic tends to scratch over time.

6. Lina Leather Folding Chair by Design Within Reach, $150

We quite like the look of these. They have a very light design, but the leather gives them a touch of luxury. Their legs don’t look super beefy, so might be best for the lither buyer.

7. Flux Chair, $199

We’ve been using a Flux chair for a while and they’re surprisingly comfortable. They work as a lounge or dining chair, but are too slack for an office chair. When unfolded, they lie completely flat. They’re available in several colors.

8. Resource Furniture Pocket Chair, $225-480

These high-quality, Italian-made folding chairs are 3/4″ deep when folded. Unlike a lot of folding chairs, they have a nice, substantial feel. Prices vary depending on finish.

9. Leaf by Folditure, $680-760

We’ll dispense of the alien jokes. In terms of raw functionality and portability, it’s tough to beat the Leaf. They hang in your closet and are built solid enough to withstand your heaviest friend. [Note: the Folditure site has stopped publishing these prices, so check with them to see current pricing.]

10. The April folding chair by Gae Aulenti, $1350

If your tastes lean toward mid-century modern, and your budget leans toward hedge fund manager after a bonus, this chair is probably for you. Solid construction, classic looks, big price tag.

Via Apartment Therapy