Seattle Homes & Lifestyles Blog

Armchair Reading

March 25th, 2008 at 10:23am Lindsey

Want to know more about chairs after reading about them in our March issue? We did, so we asked around and found the best books on the subject. Whether you want to learn about the history of chairs or just look at beautiful examples, turn to these five enlightening books. 

The Chair: Rethinking Culture, Body and Design by Galen Cranz (W. W. Norton & Co., 1998): A specialist in the sociology of architecture at the University of California in Berkeley, Galen Cranz writes about the evolution of chairs and explains their social role in Western culture—she even investigates the hidden toll they take on our bodies. 

Chairs: A History by Florence de Dampierre (Harry N. Abrams, 2006): In this book filled with beautiful photos, Florence de Dampierre visually explores chairs in the context of different cultures throughout time. Chairs would make a great addition to any furniture-lover’s library, but it is so pretty we think it should be on coffee tables everywhere.

The Modern Chair: 1850 to Today by Gilbert Frey (Arthur Niggli, 1992): Though this book doesn’t contain many photographs, bibliographies about each designer and a timeline of modern chair design might make this the best resource for modern chair research.

Sourcebook of Modern Furniture, Third Edition by Jerryl Habegger and Joseph H. Osman (W. W. Norton & Co., 2005): This is a great textbooklike reference on all types of modern furniture—not just chairs. However, in the modern design era, great furniture designers are often more known for their chairs than anything else. 

1000 Chairs by Charlotte and Peter Fiell (Taschen, 2005): This book is literally a "who’s who" of chairs. Fun for flipping, it can also be used like flashcards to quiz yourself or your friends.

(With special thanks to Peter Miller of Peter Miller Books and Jason Hallman of Area 51)

Entry Filed under: Books, Furniture