It Sounds Controversial, but "Every Home Needs at Least One Uncomfortable Chair to Elevate It", Says This Designer

For the most surprising micro design trend right now, step forward the ‘uncomfortable’ chair. After years of almost every conversation we’ve had with designers focusing on choosing shapes and textures that people can hunker down into, the sculptural seat is the antithesis of that. It’s brought in not because it’s a seat to linger on but because it shifts the mood and feel of an entire space, where almost everything else has been selected to be easier on the eye (and bottom).

"I think of chairs as an expression, an accent point, something that can be a focus or a way to draw the eye," says designer Anahita Rigby, who was the first person to draw my attention to this idea. "There is a real beauty in a chair when it’s dysfunctional, in that it’s not really made to be sat on, and instead has a sculptural form that has been perhaps designed with rigor by an architect. I’m obviously not talking about every seat in a space being uninviting to sit on, but every home needs at least one uncomfortable chair to elevate it, make it seem more refined."

Designers understand that when you walk into a room with an uncomfortable chair, you’re more likely to throw your shoulders back, be party-ready, and feel like a more fabulous version of yourself. "The uncomfortable chair I added to my living room definitely makes the space feel more considered, balancing the softer energy it already had to seem more dynamic," says Sarah Stemp, co-founder of Sascal Studio.

They’re perhaps best used in spaces not designed for lounging — no one is yet placing them in front of the TV. "Uncomfortable chairs can pop up in various parts of the house," says Anahita. "It could be in the corner of a hallway, a space you actually don’t want people to linger in but to pass through to the more comfortable living areas. It could be near a bookshelf as a piece of art, a suggestion of a reading corner, though you know someone is more likely to take a book off a shelf and onto the sofa. It could even be as a dining chair in an informal dining room, because what these pieces of art do is change someone’s mood and behavior. You walk into a room that has an unexpectedly artistic piece of furniture in it, and you stand up a bit straighter; you act a little smarter. It’s fascinating to see."

The 'Uncomfortable Chair' Edit

They’re what decorator Simone Haag calls a ‘collar flick’ moment. "Putting a room together is a bit like choosing an outfit," she explains. "Having a little confidence to roll the cuff or flick the collar is a nuance that makes all the difference, and the framework for a room is just about the same. Add a little unexpected moment and the energy of the space shifts."

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