Good evening, everyone:

Audrey noticed a fascinating article in the New York Times listing the “Ten Most Important Chairs ”– chosen because “combining utility and style in novel ways, these seats have changed the way we think about how furniture is made — and who it ’s for. ” Impossible to quarrel with their criterion and their choices.

But …………… Because my father was, among other things, a chair designer –while at Cranbrook and later for Knoll furniture and later still for Blue Dot magazine and others – I thought I would not quibble with the Times ’ ten, but offer a slightly expanded set of possibilities.

So, first, five of the Times selections seem to me to be clearly correct (not that the others aren ’t, of course, but they strike me as a bit less interesting):

“No. 14 ” (1859) by Michael Thonet : some 50 million of these were sold between 1859 and 1930 – arguably the first mass-produced chair:

“B33 ” (1927-28) by Marcel Breuer : The cantilever is common today, but was revolutionary 100 years ago.

“B.K.F. Chair ” (1938) by Antonio Bonet, Jorge Ferrari Hardoy and Juan Kurchan. The so-called “Butterfly Chair, ” this enables the sitter to relax in ways that were unusual at the time.

“Molded Fiberglass Armchair ” (1950) by Charles and Ray Eames (who were at Cranbrook with my father). My daughter, Anna, just bought a rocking version of this one, so it must be noteworthy.

“Aeron Chair ” (1994) by Don Chadwick and Bill Stumpf. We all have sat in one version of this or another – it pioneered the concept of an office chair. .

So that leaves five available slots. With the freedom of a complete lack of bias and an unapologetic and shameless capriciousness, let me offer these:

“Bentwood Cantilever Chair ” by Ralph Rapson (1942). Cantilevering with wood takes the Breuer one step further:

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“Outdoor for Living Line ” by Knoll (approximately 1945). A three-chairs-for-one line that was Knoll ’s first foray into outdoor furniture:

“Gehry-Before-the-Gehry Chair ” by Rapson (1942):

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Frank Gehry (1972)

“Chair of Tomorrow ” by Rapson (1942). This is being produced as we speak (er, read) by my brother Toby:

And the one you can all come and sit on:

“The Rapson Rapid Rocker ” by Knoll (1936- ‘45): This headlined the first exhibit of modern furniture at Bloomingdales, in 1946:

How ’s that for objective list-completion?

Rip

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