Inspired

Having somewhere to sit, relax, and be inspired in my own home is enormously important to me.

Finnish designer Eero Aarnio designed the bubble chair in 1968, and was a pioneer in using plastic and glass fibre. It’s a masterpiece of reduction. Using the most simple of geometric forms, a ball, then cutting off a section, Aarnio creates a remarkable result that resembles an enormous soap bubble.

‘There is no nice way to make a clear pedestal,’ Aarnio noted, so he improvised and hung the chair from the ceiling. This modern acrylic sphere is suspended by a single chain, allowing it to swing freely in the place it resides. With white (or silver) leather cushions and a 360º frame of chromed steel, it is nothing less than striking.

It creates a ‘room within a room’, swallows sound and gives a private space for relaxing, having a phone call or just somewhere to sit and think. There is a very comforting feeling of isolation within the chair, a real sense of calm, even in a room full of people.

The Bubble Chair oscillates between function and fun because the transparent ball allows light in from all directions. In a world of 1970s revivals here is a design that really works and creates an inspirational space within your own home. It is also wonderfully comfortable, so just turn off the lights, turn up the music (if you want to hear it) and be inspired.