New Classics: The Bubble Club Chair and Sofa
Philippe Starck's cartoony, polyethylene seats are a playful wink in indoor and outdoor rooms
Becky Harris
September 4, 2012
Houzz Contributor. Hi there! I live in a 1940s cottage in Atlanta that I'll describe as "collected."
I got into design via Landscape Architecture, which I studied at the University of Virginia.
Houzz Contributor. Hi there! I live in a 1940s cottage in Atlanta that I'll describe... 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.
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
See the rest of this flat
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.
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.
Terra-cotta is also a great choice for a desert landscape, picking up on hues seen in the earth, rocks and mountains.
Overstuffed-looking chairs definitely elicit a double take when placed poolside. That's what makes these so much fun.
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.
The chairs are a great choice for an urban rooftop oasis and can add a loungey vibe to an outdoor space.
These chairs received the same treatment that Grandma's vintage wicker chairs would have: cheerful pink seat cushions and throw pillows.
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.
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
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I love my Kartell Sofas!!