This Iconic Chair Just Turned 100 Years Old, But It Looks Like It Was Designed Yesterday — This Is the Secret to the Bibendum Chair's Ageless Good Look
As it celebrates its centenary, we take a closer look at Eileen Gray's enduring design
Few chairs are as instantly recognizable, or as loved, as the Bibendum. Designed by Irish-born Eileen Gray in 1926, it stacks plump, tyre-like rings of upholstery around a gleaming tubular steel frame, making it equal parts practical and sculptural.
Named after the Michelin Man (that's the mascot's official name, if you're not familiar), it still looks wonderfully playful a century on. No wonder it keeps turning up in contemporary design projects: comfortable, classic and a reliable cue for cool, it is one of the most iconic chairs of the 20th century.
Made by Aram since the 1970s after becoming the worldwide licence holder, the Bibendum is already celebrating its centenary with a special edition. But, here, we take a closer look at its history, its impact, and the designers still using it today.
As Iain Watson, CEO and founder of David Collins Studio, puts it: “I lived with a pair of Bibendum chairs for many years and have always admired their balance of sensuality and modernity. Their generous, upholstered forms contrast beautifully with the precision of their metal bases, while their memorable name offers a witty nod to the Michelin Man.”
The History
This photograph was captured by Eileen Gray back in 1929, a few years after the birth of the Bibendum chair.
Bibendum takes its name from the Michelin Man, first illustrated by cartoonist O’Galop in 1898. The name traces back to the Latin phrase ‘Nunc est bibendum’, from an ode by Horace, which Michelin adopted as an advertising slogan from that first poster onwards.
Gray, whose other designs include the Adjustable Table E1027, the E-1027 villa itself, and the Lota sofa, borrowed both the rounded silhouette and the name, showing her wit as much as her talent. A generously stuffed chair ran against the taste of the time, which only adds to the fun.
For designer Agnes Rudzite of Agnes Rudzite Interiors, that playfulness is part of the draw. “It is an iconic piece by Eileen Gray, with a generous, rounded form that feels playful yet elegant. You get a two-in-one interior solution: an inviting chair to sit in and a sculptural object in its own right.”
The anniversary addition, new for 2026, brings another layer of modern design sensibility to the iconic chair with a 'gold' leather textile.
Eileen Gray used the Bibendum in many projects through the 1920s and 1930s, most notably fashion entrepreneur Juliette Mathieu-Lévy’s Paris apartment on Rue de Lota and her own Villa E-1027 at Roquebrune-Cap-Martin, completed in 1929. There, the chair’s rounded form contrasts with the linear architecture. A reconstruction can still be seen at the villa today.
The Bibendum can be read as an interpretation of the classic club chair, but the similarities end there. The designer swapped traditional wooden legs for slender tubular steel, a radical move at the time that gives the chair an architectural feel and makes the seat pad appear almost weightless. Little wonder it has transcended interior trends. Agnes agrees. “Its geometry feels remarkably contemporary, and its sculptural silhouette can give a room a focal point without introducing unnecessary decoration.”
The Legacy
Its versatility of material choices has kept the Bibendum in style for a century.
Eileen’s lacquer work of the 1910s and 1920s was admired, with Jacques Doucet commissioning major pieces, and her Galerie Jean Désert, opened in 1922, drew a notable clientele. In 1929, the design journal L’Architecture Vivante devoted a special issue to E-1027. Yet mainstream success eluded her early on, arriving later in life and after her death.
Iain adds: “Eileen Gray’s architecture and interiors helped define the Modern Movement, bringing together materials with exceptional imagination, from exquisite Japanese lacquer on screens and panels to linear rugs, bold geometry and sculptural furniture.” He also says Eileen’s work “remains a rich source of inspiration for our Studio, informing interiors that combine Art Deco references with an esoteric, contemporary sense of opulence.”
Early Bibendums, upholstered in fabric or skai (a vinyl made to resemble leather), were exhibited at Jean Désert and are now very scarce. Limited production and Gray’s modest profile meant the chair faded from view until the 1970s.
Then, Zeev Aram spotted the potential in Gray’s designs. After securing the licence in 1973, he put many back into production, including the Bibendum. Aram remains the exclusive UK supplier, while ClassiCon holds the sublicence outside the UK. Today, the Bibendum is widely regarded as a landmark of modern furniture design.
The Enduring Appeal
"You get a two-in-one interior solution: an inviting chair to sit in and a sculptural object in its own right," says designer Agnes Rudzite.
Agnes Rudzite, who featured the Bibendum chair in her Seaside Villa project, says it suits her approach to interiors. “I am drawn to pieces that have both clarity and emotion. My interiors often have a calm architectural foundation, but I like to introduce something unexpected that gives them character. The Bibendum has that quality: it is expressive, sensual and quite bold, while being composed from very simple forms”
For Murude Katipoglu, founder and interior designer at MURUDÉ, it is the way the chair mixes materials and eras that makes it work today. “I think the Bibendum works particularly well in contemporary interiors because it brings softness, character and a sense of individuality to a space. Its rounded, almost architectural silhouette creates a beautiful contrast with cleaner lines and more minimal forms, while the combination of upholstery and metal gives it a timeless quality.”
Murude says it’s the distinctive rounded forms that are a recurring draw. “I find that these shapes can soften the architecture of a room and introduce a more relaxed, human quality, particularly when balanced with natural materials, tactile fabrics and more structured elements.”
Her advice on styling is to give it room. “I would allow it space to breathe, pairing it with a considered palette of natural materials and understated finishes so that its distinctive form remains the focal point without overwhelming the room.”
“What I find so extraordinary about the Bibendum is that, 100 years on, it still feels so relevant,” says designer Róisín Lafferty.
Interior designer Róisín Lafferty, who is also the founder of Róisín Lafferty Gallery, has recently given three Bibendums a new look, each in a different fabric that marks a contemporary departure from the chair’s early upholstery. “For the three chairs, we selected Dedar Milano’s Alpaca Alto in Bordeaux and Olive, alongside the beautifully expressive Scarabei Plum print. Each fabric brings something entirely different to the design. The richness and tactility of the alpaca introduce a sense of warmth and luxury, while the patterned fabric offers a more playful interpretation.”
Róisín’s aim is to show how easily the chair adapts to a contemporary setting, while giving each one its own character. “I wanted each chair to have its own personality, celebrating the versatility of Gray’s design and demonstrating how an important piece of furniture history can feel completely at home in a contemporary interior.”
She says the chair’s greatest strength is that it was made to be used. “Eileen Gray understood that exceptional design could be daring and unconventional while remaining incredibly functional and comfortable. It is a wonderful reminder that great furniture is created to be lived with, not simply admired.”
The Special Edition
Now is a prime time to consider investing in the Bibendum design. Marking Bibendum's 100th birthday, Aram has produced a limited edition of 100 individually numbered Bibendums in close collaboration with ClassiCon in Sørensen Duet nubuck gold leather, a material Aram says was chosen for its depth, softness, and subtle patina. This special leather upholstery has been paired with a nickel base for a tone and lustre which echo early versions of the design.
“The Bibendum chair has always held a special position within Eileen Gray’s work and in the broader history of design”, says Daniel Aram, managing director of Aram. “For this centenary edition, we carefully selected materials and finishes that evoke early examples, and this together with the individual numbered frame stamp, provides collectors with something truly unique.”
A hundred years on, Gray’s witty Bibendum hasn’t lost any of its charm. Round, plush and decidedly different, it still looks like it was designed for today, whether it is upholstered in alpaca and pattern, as in Róisín’s reimagined trio, or in the gold leather of the centenary edition. It is a chair that offers softness and structure in equal measure, inviting you to sit in it as readily as it asks to be admired from every perspective. It’s no surprise, then, that the Bibendum keeps winning over designers, and shows no sign of stopping.
