Designer Chairs and Why They Matter

One of my first days of class in my new major thoroughly confused me. A guest speaker came in to speak to us about chairs. I learned that someone could actually take up over an hour to present on these seating inventions. Before this day, I had never heard of an "Elizabethan" chair nor a "pedestal" chair. Just like you can collect designer handbags, you can trade large sums of money for designer chairs as well.

I left feeling intrigued by the idea of designer furniture. It was as if keeping up with the clothing trends wasn't enough. Now to be in the fashion loop, one had to acquire chairs who share names of their famous designers. I'm still not sure if this is just another pride thing, a way to become better than those around you. I hope it's not. I hope in the future that I'll come to understand that the fascination with collecting expensive furniture is purely because one values the aesthetic qualities and workmanship. I also hope that as I pursue my career in design, I find meaningful ways to contribute to society. How does a designer find the balance between creating beautiful things for good purposes and creating beautiful things that contribute to the "pride industry".

As a side note, I do believe it's possible to own designer bags, clothes, etc. without it being a symbol of pride, but often, it can be just that.