Just before the turn of the century, designer Phillippe Starck reinvented the Louis XV armchair for the modern era, molding the timeless design from a single form of injection-molded polycarbonate, creating a unique look that’s also lightweight, stackable, and environmentally friendly.
Starck’s classically beautiful and undeniably modern design–dubbed the Louis ghost chair, because the most popular version is transparent–became an instant icon when it hit the shelves in 1999.
The ghost chair works in slick city settings thanks to its efficiency and clean lines, but its traditional proportions harmonize with cozier styles. Its especially beloved for minimizing visual clutter in any setting.
Starck’s clever take on a classic piece continues to inspire raving fans–and more than its fare share of haters. The ghost chair doesn’t appeal to a huge audience: it’s a little irreverent, maybe even a little absurd.
That’s why we’re calling it a cult classic.
Love it or hate it? (Own it or wouldn’t DREAM of it?)
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This is the fifth post in a series, 31 Days of Cult Classics. You can click here to see a list of all the posts, updated everyday in the month of October.
19 comments
I’ve been dying for a couple of these to pair with our dark table in the breakfast nook, but hubby hates them (think’s they look 80’s). I get it, but I’m still crazy about them.
I think they are beautiful, I love them. We have lots of inherited, beautiful wood furniture so we can’t actually have any. I love them, though.
Yeah, but i keep forgetting where i left it.
I really love these & want to get them for my dining room. I’m a little scared though.
I love them but imagine they would be so dirty all the time with my little ones running around.
I’m a fan. I wanted to get a chair like that for my little office, but ended up getting something different. But we have clear acrylic nesting tables that are kind of similar, and I LOVE them. They do get a LOT of fingerprints on them, but they are easy to clean.
Nope. Not for me. They look like they’d be sticky – you know, if you were sitting on them in shorts.
I think they’re super cool! They’re not for me — I really like the feel of natural materials in my house, plus there’s the fingerprint factor — but in the right space, they’d be amazing.
Great for kids gifts. Buy one for their room and let them paint it…great activity
Um, at hundreds of dollars–that’s an expensive art project!
Yeah I was kinda kidding
I could see myself tripping over one of those with a platter of hot food.
I have to admit, the first time I saw these on a blog I thought they were hideous and ridiculous. Now, I still wouldn’t spring for them unless I had a lot of extra money lying around–but I wouldn’t say no if I found one or two for cheap (ha! as if that is likely to happen!).
I love this. Sort of futuristic, sort of vintage.
I’m totally a fan!
Your 31 days of cult classics is a great education for me! I’ve lived outside of America for 21 of my adult years, so I missed out on a lot of things.
Lous Ghost Chairs? Had never heard of them. I think they’d look great in some one else’s house, but maybe not in mine. I don’t like the idea of having to windex my chairs…
We just got these (well, knock offs on Amazon) for our dining room! I obsessed for over a year because I knew I really loved them, but they are pretty out there. Happily, I regret nothing and my husband even came around. So far fingerprints and smudges haven’t been too bad. The chair with the high chair strapped in looks particularly interesting.
I love these but we don’t have any at home. We’ve stayed in places that have them, and we have had to use the Windex on them. But all those tiny kids’ fingerprints came right off with a few squirts.