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New Classics: The Bubble Club Chair and Sofa
Philippe Starck's cartoony, polyethylene seats are a playful wink in indoor and outdoor rooms
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 »
The first time I noticed Philippe Starck's Bubble Club Chair was on the TV show Boston Legal. At the end of each episode, James Spader and William Shatner would sit out on a balcony overlooking Boston, smoking stogies in a pair of these chairs. I was always more interested in the chairs than the characters' episode-wrapping musings; I wondered if they were made of cement. Luckily, they are made of smooth polyethylene (a $10 word for "plastic"), which makes them a lot easier to move around than cement would. Designers have embraced these cartoon-like chairs, using them on traditional patios to modern roof decks. Below we'll see them in both, as well as in every kind of space in between.
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by Heather Merenda
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| Clearly, this homeowner has a playful spirit, and a black cartoonish Bubble Club fits right in with a taxicab yellow gnome and sharp graphic prints. In fact, Starck himself also designed a gnome table. See the rest of this flat |
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| This Bubble Club Chair blurs the lines between inside and out. It is placed to become an occasional chair in the living room when the folding doors are open. |
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The sofa and chair are available in white, terra-cotta (seen here), pale green, pale gray, black and pale yellow. Terra-cotta plays off brick very nicely.
The stools on this balcony are also a Starck design; they are called Prince AHA Stools.
The stools on this balcony are also a Starck design; they are called Prince AHA Stools.
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| Terra-cotta is also a great choice for a desert landscape, picking up on hues seen in the earth, rocks and mountains. |
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| Overstuffed-looking chairs definitely elicit a double take when placed poolside. That's what makes these so much fun. |
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While a rolled-arm silhouette is a very traditional sofa shape, the polyethylene works well with contemporary and modern architecture. Starck is famous for having fun with these kinds of unexpected combinations.
| The sofa lends itself to a living room–style furniture layout. |
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The chairs are a great choice for an urban rooftop oasis and can add a loungey vibe to an outdoor space.
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| These chairs received the same treatment that Grandma's vintage wicker chairs would have: cheerful pink seat cushions and throw pillows. |
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| I firmly believe that the Rat Pack would have lounged around Palm Springs in these chairs, had they been available back then. I can practically see Frank and Sammy sitting on this patio. |
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Sorry, I couldn't resist adding this; I always enjoyed this unlikely bromance even as the show swirled the drain.
More:
Iconic Furniture Moves Outside
More:
Iconic Furniture Moves Outside
Comments
gillymcmilly Great post Becky!
9 months ago · Like
Becky Harris Thanks Gilly!
9 months ago · Like
Becky Harris P.S. Another fabulous Houzz picture full of bubble furniture came up after I'd turned in this story - it's by Laura U:
River Oaks Residence
River Oaks Residence9 months ago · Like
Design For Less Becky- we have such similar likes! Boston Legal was one of my FAVORITE shows ever on because of the wit and banter that went on tackling social issues. I too loved those fabulous white Bubble chairs at the end of every show. It was the first time I saw one other than my own! My brother GAVE me his when he moved from his large-yard house to a condo! My favorite conversation starter looks gorgeous in my flower garden!
9 months ago · Like
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olldbobbi They do look like they're made from cement! Almost carved looking!
9 months ago · Like
bennycatgirl Thanks for a fun post! I would love to place one or more of these chairs in a slightly wild garden. Just for the joy of it. Any opinions on if they are they comfortable?
9 months ago · Like
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Design For Less bennycatgirl, they are surprisingly super comfortable! Bobbi P, the first time I saw mine, I had to touch it, thinking it couldn't actually be terracotta! Its the absolute best piece of conversational art- and it does hang in my wildly out-of-control flowergarden!
9 months ago · Like
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belleromero Like the look, but how comfortable are they?
9 months ago · Like
bluebird081 How do they stand up to intense Alabama sun and heat? Any distortion of shape in the sun?
8 months ago · Like
Ideabook updated on Sept. 4, 2012.
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