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7 iconic pieces of furniture that every design lover should own

Eames Armchair: Eames Office
Eames Armchair: Eames Office

Starting to invest in some ‘forever’ furniture for your home?

As well as choosing practical pieces, you want to make sure you’re wisely spending your money on pieces that look as good as they feel.

The temptation is to buy everything that’s currently ‘in vogue’ - but for every Charles and Ray Eames chair, there’s a gold pineapple ornament or palm print sofa that goes in and out of fashion as fast as you can say ‘hipster-friendly’.

Thankfully, there are some designs that that will simply never go out of style. Some of these pieces of furniture have been around for nearly 100 years, standing the test of time and proving themselves as worthy additions to any discerning homeowner’s space.

Here are the modern classics to know.

Model: Eames Lounge Chair
Designer: Charles and Ray Eames
Year: 1956

Husband and wife Charles and Ray Eames dominated the furniture design scene from the early 1950s to the 1970s, but it’s their buttery lounge chairs that they are most famous for. Clad in a wooden veneer, the designers said they wanted their leather recliner to have the “warm receptive look of a first-baseman’s mitt.” The Eameses’ modern take on a 19th century club chair has not only endured for more than 50 years, it has become one of the most significant furniture designs of the 20th century - finding a home in museums and art galleries across the world. It’s perfect for lounging by the fire with a good book or a stack of magazines.

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Model: Arco Floor Lamp
Designer: Achille and Pier Castiglioni
Year: 1962

You just need to take a quick look around a few lighting shops to see the enduring influence of Achille Castiglioni’s iconic floor lamp. Designed to look like an urban streetlight, the looming space-age design has inspired countless rip offs and tributes over the years. Introduced in 1962 by Achille Castiglioni, it was created to answer a tricky interior design problem – how do you create overhead light from a floor lamp? Sitting on a Carrara marble base, it arches into an unobtrusive stainless steel stem that delicately leans into living spaces, casting a pleasingly warm glow over its surroundings.

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Model: Noguchi Table
Designer: Isamu Noguchi
Year: 1944

You’d be forgiven for thinking that the contemporary and sleek Noguchi coffee table is a product of the past decade. Surprisingly enough, it was designed in the early 1940s. At its launch, it was described as ‘sculpture for use’, a table that could look like a piece of art but still play a functional part in the home. The simple but iconic design consists of two curving wooden supports which provide a base for a heavy plate glass top, without the use of connectors. Characteristic of the biomorphic style of Noguchi’s work, it’s sure to be the crowning glory of any stylish living room.

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Model: E1027 Side Table
Designer: Eileen Gray
Year: 1927

Probably the most important table design of the 20th century, this popular height-adjustable design has been a permanent collection of MoMa in New York since 1977. The secret code-name comes from the designer herself, and her collaborator, Jean Badovici: E is for Eileen, 10 for Jean (J is the 10th letter of the alphabet), 2 for B(adovici) and 7 for G(ray). Gray designed the table to be entirely multi-functional, so you can adjust the table top to the height of your sitting position, letting you indulge in delights such as breakfast in bed, reading books on the sofa and enjoying an arm-side beverage.

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Model: Barcelona Chair
Designer: Mies Van Der Rohe
Year: 1929

The Barcelona Chair needs little introduction. Mies van der Rohe designed his eponymous leather lounge chair for his German Pavilion at the Barcelona Exposition of 1929. Although only two Barcelona chairs were made for the event, the design was put into production and became so popular that, with the exception of one 16-year period, it has been manufactured since its inception 1929.

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Model: LCW Plywood Chair
Designer: Charles and Ray Eames
Year: 1946

Time magazine famously called the LCW “the chair of the century.” And with good reason - the gentle curves of its plywood frame have long been luring people to part with significant amounts of cash. You can buy them in a range of colours and upholstery, but we suggest your stick with the original, classic walnut finish and let the deisgn speak for itself.

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Model: LC3 Grand Confort Grand Sofa
Designer: Le Corbiseur
Year: 1928

Looking just as fresh as when it first appeared in 1928, Le Corbiseur’s soga is one of the grand dames of modern architectural style. It features a chrome tubular steel frame with squishy black leather cushions that look as good as they feel. Just as Le Corbusier believed a home was a "machine for living in", he believed that the machine needed appropriately functional furniture or "équipement de l'habitation". Perfectly formed, the aesthetic purity of his simple but impeccably crafted sofa gives it staying power for the next century to come.

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