21 Enchanting Spaces That Feature Iconic Furniture
From the Eames lounge chair to the Noguchi coffee table, these quintessential designs in modern homes prove that classic can also feel contemporary.
The world of iconic furniture boasts designs by legendary architects and designers whose love of clean lines and curving, comfortable forms have influenced modern interiors for decades. Today's homeowners still reach for the classics, bringing these pieces into the present. Read on for great examples of one-of-a-kind spaces that incorporate the sleek shapes and forms of these well-known, exemplary designs, from sculptural chairs to elegant, minimalist tables.
Herman Miller Eames Lounge Chair and Ottoman
Charles and Ray Eames had ideas about making a better world, one in which things were designed to bring greater pleasure to our lives. Their iconic Eames Lounge Chair and Ottoman (1956) began with a desire to create a chair with “the warm, receptive look of a well-used first baseman’s mitt.” The result embodies what it really means to lounge. In continuous production since its introduction, this set is widely considered one of the most significant designs of the 20th century. Combining soft, inviting leather or mohair with the sleek form of molded wood, the Eames Lounge Chair and Ottoman is the culmination of the Eameses’ efforts to create a club chair using the molded plywood technology they pioneered in the ’40s. Even today, each piece is assembled by hand to ensure the highest level of quality and craftsmanship, and you’ll be pleased to discover the set gets even better with use and age. Cushions snap in and can be removed and changed. This is the authentic Eames Lounge Chair and Ottoman by Herman Miller. Made in U.S.A.
ShopThis open-concept Amsterdam loft features soaring 15-foot ceilings, an Eames lounge chair and ottoman, and a Jielde light. Throughout the home, Standard Studio architects Wouter Slot and Jurjen van Hulzen favored raw materials, including concrete, oiled oak, and hot-rolled steel, all of which complemented the original space's industrial feel. Tucked smartly underneath the loft, a compact home office features functional built-in shelving and an Eames DSR chair.
In true mid-century fashion, a George Nelson Bubble Lamp is paired with an Eames Lounge by Charles and Ray Eames in a corner of the living room. The glass walls and mitered corner are original features of architect Saul Zaik’s 1956 design.
Photo: Grant Harder
In the living room, an Eames lounge chair is matched with a Richard Conover–designed fiberglass chair in similar proportions. A custom coffee table by Asher Israelow complements the industrial lighting by Workstead, affixed to walls painted in Farrow and Ball’s Manor House Gray. The sliding doors leading into the home office were fabricated by Markus Bartenschlager.
Photo: Matthew Williams
In the living room are a sectional by American Leather for Room & Board, an Eames lounge chair and ottoman, and a custom floor lamp and coffee table by Jeremy Clark and Ed Haynes.
Photo: Brian W. Ferry
ClassiCon Adjustable Table E 1027
A pioneer of modern design in the 1920s and '30s, Eileen Gray created revolutionary furniture out of tubular steel. The Adjustable Table E 1027 is a side table she created in 1927 for the French Riviera retreat she built to share with her partner, architect Jean Badovici. The summer home is also named E 1027, which is code for their two names intertwined: E for Eileen, and 1027 for J, B, and G. Made of black powder-coated or chome-plated steel, the table echoes the house's cantilevered form and is adjustable to fit next to a bed, chair, or sofa. The tabletop is clear crystal glass, gray smoked glass, or black lacquered metal. The iconic Adjustable Table E 1027 is part of the permanent collection at MoMA. Photo Courtesy of Design Within Reach
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Flanked by sliding glass doors, the living room includes a Lowseat chaise longue by Patricia Urquiola for Moroso, paired with an E1027 side table by Eileen Gray.
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The Kelleys furnished the cottage with help from Suzanne’s daughter Betsy Burbank of Betsy Burbank Interiors. Classic modernist icons, such as a Saarinen Womb chair for Knoll, a Herman Miller Eames lounge chair, and an Eileen Grey E1027 side table look at home alongside present-day pieces such as an Encore sofa (which handily folds down into a sleeping surface) from Room & Board and a Doka rug designed and produced by Stephanie Odegard. The Wohlert pendant lights from Louis Poulsen were designed by Vilhelm Wohlert in 1959, but grouped as such, they appear distinctly contemporary.
Photo: Mark Mahaney
The living room is outfitted with the Stockholm Wool Rug from Ikea, a Noguchi table by Isamu Noguchi for Herman Miller, and the Neo Sectional Chaise Left by Niels Bendtsen from DWR.
Photo: Jessica Haye and Clark Hsiao
In the living room, the architects painted the limestone fireplace a dark shade of blue-green. The walnut coffee table is by Noguchi for Herman Miller. The Barcelona chair is by Mies van der Rohe.
Photo: Trevor Tondro
Blauvelt and Winter ground their soaring two-story living room with classics such as Eero Saarinen’s Womb chair and ottoman, a Noguchi coffee table, an Eames wire-base table and a Danish teak credenza, which displays their collection of pottery and a pair of Martz lamps made by Marshall Studios. Flor carpet tiles help add color to the neutral palette.
Photo: Dean Kaufman
Remodeled by resident and interior decorator Jill McCoy and her husband David Hassall with the help of architect Paul Molina, the open-plan living space opens to a small outdoor area. French doors and a wall of windows bring in light. An Eames lounge chair and a Noguchi table add a modern sensibility.
Nederhof and his son Scott sit at a Tulip table by Eero Saarinen for Knoll in the flexible office area. The chairs are by Friso Kramer for Ahrend, and the Corona pendant light is from Established & Sons.
Photo: Hotze Eisma
Campbell’s Little Bird swing flies high alongside modern classics like the Eames shell chairs and Saarinen Tulip table.
Photo: Raimund Koch
Smith, Grimley, Roen, and Mae gather around a Polder Sofa XL by Hella Jongerius for Vitra. The marble Saarinen side table is from Knoll and the Slow chair is by Ronan & Erwan Bouroullec for Vitra.
Photo: Bob O'Connor
Carl Hansen & Søn Wishbone Chair
Using the best natural materials and refined steam-bent methods, Wishbone is made to last for generations. In 1944, Hans Wegner began a series of chairs that were inspired by portraits of Danish merchants sitting in Ming Chairs. One of these chairs was the Wishbone Chair (1949), also known as the “Y” or “CH-24,” which has been produced by the Danish firm Carl Hansen & Søn since 1950. The son of a shoemaker, Wegner was trained as a cabinetmaker before attending the School of Arts and Crafts in Copenhagen, after which he began his career as an architect. Just three years later, Wegner started his own design office, and his work soon caught the eye of Carl Hansen. The Wishbone Chair fit what the Hansen company was looking for to supplement the heavier forms popular at the time. Made in Denmark.
ShopPerhaps the family’s biggest priority was their connection to the outdoors. The north-facing facade is almost entirely made up of operable windows with screens for ventilation and—a favorite of Jeff, the family father—listening to the lullabye of cicadas and spring peeper frogs during the summer. The joint living and dining area features a Wishbone chairs by Hans Wegner for Carl Hansen & Son, a Groundpiece sofa from Flexform, David Weeks' Tripod No. 303 floor lamp, and PP Møbler's Circle Chair and Fruit Table. The latter two are also by Hans Wegner.
Photo: Shai Gil
The designers explain, "These steel windows played an integral part in making the interior feel larger and more open by blurring the boundaries between the interior and exterior." A grey Halcyon Lake area rug, an oak chair from MAP, and Hans Wenger Wishbone chairs make for a simple, neutral palette. The painting over the fireplace is by Kate Hendry.
Photo: Shannon McGrath
Douglas fir and Alaskan cedar richly line the interior walls, and the flooring is made of Vermont slate. In the kitchen and dining area, a group of Wishbone chairs by Hans Wegner for Carl Hansen & Søn surrounds a table by local furniture maker Larry Hepler.
Photo: Chuck Choi
In the dining room, Wishbone chairs by Hans J. Wegner surround a 195 Naan table by Piero Lissoni.
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Knoll Wassily Chair
Some designs never age, and the Wassily Chair by Knoll is the perfect case study in this brand of timelessness. Framed in tubular steel, it's a characteristic creation of designer Marcel Breuer, who became intrigued with this material after purchasing his first bicycle. Leather strips stretched between the tubes give the chair its distinctive angles, creating a comfortable and stylish space to sit and relax. Photo Courtesy of Lumens
ShopMcMinn, an architect, helps Soren construct a TinkerToy tower. The cowhide rug is from Perfect Leather Goods, and the Wassily Chair is by Marcel Breuer for Knoll.
Photo: Lorne Bridgman
On the first level, the living room and dining room connect to a southeast-facing terrace, which catches the morning and midday sun. A pair of larch sliding doors join the two rooms. Two Marcel Breuer Wassily chairs from Knoll flank the rug, from Room & Board, and Portland Willamette Ovation II fireplace.
Photo: Benjamin Benschneider
The 4,400-square-foot residence is designed for aging in place. A ground-floor bedroom suite enables extended stays from grandparents. Low- and no-VOC finishes create healthy indoor air quality.
Eric Roth Photography
Vince chose most of the furnishings in the house, including a pair of Marcel Breuer’s Wassily chairs for Knoll in the library.
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