How Architects’ Buildings Effect Their Chair Designs

A new book explores how qualities in architects’ buildings translate into their chair designs.

​As the straightforward title intimates, Chairs by Architects is a new book by art historian Agata Toromanoff that compiles 55 chairs by architects and explores how qualities in these architects’ buildings translate into their designs. The following are just a few of the chairs featured in the book, which covers chairs from architects as well known as Antoni Gaudí, Walter Gropius, Santiago Calatrava, and Zaha Hadid.


Jean Prouvé


Maison Démontable 8 x 8, 1945

Courtesy Galerie Patrick Seguin



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Standard chair

Courtesy Galerie Patrick Seguin


Mario Bellini


“Green Towers” Deutsche Bank, Frankfurt, Germany, 2006-2011

Courtesy Mario Bellini Architects & Deutsche Bank

KI chair, 2010

Courtesy Horm.it


Renzo Piano


Fondation Jérôme Seydoux-Pathé, Paris, France, 2014

Courtesy Michel Denancé

Piano Design Chair, 2014

Courtesy Riva1920


Mario Botta


Church, Seriate, Italy, 2004

Photo by Enrico Cano, Courtesy Mario Botta

Quarta chair, 1984

Photo by Aldo Ballo, Courtesy Mario Botta


Waro Kishi


Kit House, Kyoto, Japan, 2010

Photo by Shigeo Ogawa, Courtesy Waro Kishi + K. Associates

TS chair, 1989

Photo by Hiroyuki Hirai, Courtesy Waro Kishi + K. Associates


Kengo Kuma


GC Prostho Museum Research Design Center, Kasugai-shi, Japan 2010

Photo by Daici Ano, Courtesy Kengo Kuma & Associates

GC chair, 2011

Photo by Masatoshi Mori, Courtesy Kengo Kuma & Associates


Piero Lissoni


Mare Pineta Hotel, Cervia, Italy, 2010

Photo by Cesare Chimenti, Courtesy Lissoni Associati

184 Eve chair, 2009

 Courtesy Cassina


Shigeru Ban


Paper House, Yamanashi, Japan 1995

Photo by Hiroyuki Hirai,  Courtesy Shigeru Ban Architects

Paper Tube and Plywood Stool, 1997

Courtesy Shigeru Ban Architects


Satoshi Okada


House U, Tokyo, Japan, 2013

Courtesy Satoshi Okada

Titanium chair, 2007

Courtesy Satoshi Okada


Julien De Smedt


TAD/Iceberg, Aarhus, Denmark, 2013

Photo by Mikkel Frost, Courtesy JDS Architects

Bone Chair, 2011

Photo by Nikolaj Moeller, Courtesy JDS Architects


Chairs by Architects, by Agata ToromanoffPublished by Thames & Hudson 

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