NYT hails the ubiquitous plastic chair as ‘design Holy Grail’
The ubiquitous plastic chair that has become something of an icon of Greece’s laidback lifestyle has been included by the New York Times onto its list of the “25 most defining pieces of furniture from the last 100 years.”
Described as “immune to trend and cultish adoration” and “often spoken of as the most widely used piece of furniture in the world,” the monobloc plastic chair is sold off the back of pickup trucks all over Greece to beachgoers, cafes and homeowners looking for cheap patio furniture.
It is lightweight, durable, stackable and washable, not to mention the array of fun colors it comes in, plus being available as a set with tables of different sizes.
T, the New York Times’ style magazine, singles out the classic armchair option, in white, hailing it for its clever design and low cost of production.
“To make a chair out of just one piece of material is something of a design Holy Grail, one that became more attainable around midcentury with advancements in plastics technology,” the magazine writes.
However, it also points to concerns about the environmental footprint of such furniture, adding that “depending on where you land on the affordability sustainability axis, monoblocs are either a triumph of democratic design or a mess of disposable mass consumption – the red to-go cup of chairs.”
