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Modern Icons: The Bubble Chair
Climb Into Eero Aarnio's 1968 Invention for a Mini Light-Filled Escape
Houzz Contributor. Hi There! I currently live in a 1920s cottage in Atlanta that I'll describe as "collected."
I got into design via Landscape Architecture, which I studied at the University of Virginia. I've been writing about design online for quite a few years over at Hatch: The Design Public Blog.
Houzz Contributor. Hi There! I currently live in a 1920s cottage in Atlanta... More »
Perhaps you've noticed this futuristic chair swinging from ceilings in images on Houzz and wondered what the story was. Here it is! The Bubble Chair was designed by Eero Aarnio in 1968. It's hard to believe they've been hanging around for more than 40 years. Here's a little more information on their history and some inspiring ways Houzz designers have used them.
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I spied this pair of Bubble Chairs on the Modern Atlanta House Tour a few years back. The designer used them against the window to block as little of the view as possible, and placed a Swan Chair across from them (we'll have more on the Swan Chair in a future Modern Icons Ideabook, I promise. If you've seen it around, please share it with me in the comments section).
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Aarnio designed this chair, the Ball Chair, before conjuring up the Bubble Chair. He said, "I wanted to have the light inside it and so I had the idea of a transparent ball where light comes from all directions." Hence, the idea for the Bubble Chair was born.
| In order to execute fabrication of the chair, Aarnio was inspired by skylights. "Since I knew that the dome-shaped skylights are made in this way I contacted the manufacturer and asked if it would be technically possible to blow a bubble that is bigger than a hemisphere."
It was, and after adding a ring around the opening and a cushion, he had created the Bubble Chair. |
| Aarnio could not find a good way to make a transparent stand for the chair, so this issue was solved by looking up and hanging the chair from the ceiling.
Here the clear acrylic of the Bubble Chair relates to the clear glass wall next to the stairs and the skylights. |
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by Charline Lancel
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| These Bubble Chairs are placed at the edge of an indoor pool. The relationship to the artwork behind them is remarkable; I am currently in the process of putting together an interview with the artist, Charline Lancel, that I will be sharing with you soon. |
by Nicole Hollis
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The Bubble Chair and the chrome globe pendants work well together in the room. The Bubble Chair is the largest bubble in the room, hanging down closest to the floor.
(For information on the sofas, check out Modern Icons: The Togo Series".)
(For information on the sofas, check out Modern Icons: The Togo Series".)
| The Bubble Chair blocks out a bit of noise, and thus is a good place to find a little solitude in a crowded room. In this layout, it's perfectly placed in a great spot to let you climb in and be ever-so-slightly anti-social. |
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by Tatiana Takaeva
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| Here the Bubble Chair hangs unobtrusively in an otherwise unused corner of the room.
For information about where to buy an authentic Eero Aarnio Chair, click here. |
Ideabook published on Dec. 14, 2010.
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It can be seen (along with other eccentric design ideas) here: http://polaroidcupcake.blogspot.com/2010/04/movie-interiors-clockwork-orange.html