10 New Chairs That Caught Our Eye From New York Design Week 2017

The seating pieces below feature common undertones, including straight-forward designs, pared-down materials, use of two-or-more materials, negative space, and sculptural forms. Ranging from a Midwest manufacturer who designed a chair with a bent-tube metal framework, to a chaise that seemingly floats on a single plane, the design elements, their material compositions, and their makers are guided by these simple and timeless design principles. Take a look at 10 of our favorites, beginning with a sinuous framework from TWNS Studios and concluding with more geometric, line-driven forms from klein agency and SKEEHAN studio.

TWNS Studios - Double Down Furniture Line

Add another Midwest manufacturer to the list of well-designed furniture makers: TWNS Studios. Manufactured and designed in Bloomfield Hills, Michigan, this chair was specially created for social dining environments with a simple, bent-tube metal framework. As part of a collection that focuses on modular design, it's broken down and packed flat when shipped.

Kettal - Riva Chair

Barcelona-based studio Kettal designed the Riva chair featuring a backrest design that perpetuates the country's varied tradition of outdoor seating. Imbued with a wooden foundation, the overall effect is strikingly minimal, with pared-down functional elements that double as ornament.

Volk Studios - St. Charles Armchair

Introduced just this year by Volk Studios, the St. Charles Armchair shown in solid white oak features a cerused finish. The delicate pairing of a variety of fabrics and wooden finishes highlights the distinct pairing of handmade and machine made—elegantly juxtaposed by the negative spaces within the structural framework. 

Skram - L01 Armchair

Skram’s signature L01 Armchair is outfitted with an all wooden, T-bone-shaped framework that includes a hand-shaped, base-and-arm assembly. The recessed dish seat offers ergonomic comfort for the lower back. The studio embraced slight imperfections to give the chair a little panache. 

Rapt Studio - Exhaust

Limelighting at ICFF, Rapt Studio debuted its first furniture collection featuring their Exhaust lounge chair—available in both high-back and low-back versions—inspired by everyday objects like bicycles, exhaust tubing, and gears. The full-service design studio comes from the unique departure point of being able to reinvent office, retail, and hospitality furniture after many years of working with major global companies like Google, HBO, and The Honest Company.

Eny Lee Parker - Fragments Chair

Based in Savannah, Georgia, Eny Lee Parker created this straight-forward yet refined chair that's outfitted with a wooden armrest. As part of a collection that explores the differences between sculpture and furniture, the Fragments chair was made in two different ways (shown below with mirrored arm rests).

SKEEHAN studio- Editions

Released as part of a limited-edition collection by SKEEHAN studio, the design of this chair concentrates on an honesty of materials that visually communicates its functional purpose. Along with other items in the range, it's characterized by the subtle articulations and negative spaces between each compositional element. 

klein agency - Pivot Chair 

Designed and fabricated in downtown Los Angeles by klein agency, the design of this chair features simple materials and clean lines. Inspired by a boat chair found in an old Belgian warehouse, the Pivot Chair pays homage to a simple mechanical solution to the challenge of finding rest on a moving boat.

klein agency - Sofa Single

Billowing out of its laser steel-cut frame, the Sofa Single features oversized puffy cushions that envelop surrounding structural components. With a bulky front and bulging back, the seating is made with naturally-tanned leather. 

klein agency - Chaise

Cleverly nicknamed "the long chair," the Chaise exposes the strength of two materials on a thin sheet of steel with a supple layer of leather. The design is afforded by sheet metal that's rolled in order to sustain weight on the resting area on top of the seemingly floating plane.