In memory of the stereo chair.

I was at some friends' house yesterday, and in their salvaged junk-filled garage was a 1970s stereo egg chair. I've never actually seen one in person, so when I laid eyes on it I turned into an absolutely giddy little kid. I've always loved the stereo chair, but never took the time to read up on it.

So here's a little bit about the evolution of one the greatest chairs EVER. And some photos, of course!


It all started with Eero Aarnio's 1966 Ball Chair. He wanted to create a "room within a room."


This photo captures Charly Stendig sitting in the ball chair.

Aarnio even installed a red telephone in the prototype of the Ball Chair that was presented at the 1966 International Furniture Fair in Cologne.

left: Aarnio in his prototype with the red phone.
right: the 1966 Internation Furniture Fair.


In 1968 Aarnio created the acrylic ball chair, better known as the Bubble Chair. It hangs from the ceiling because the designer didn't like the way clear pedestals looked.


left: the Informational Lounge at Frankfurt Airport.
right: Aarnio's daughters.


Next came Henrik Thor-Larsen's Ovalia Chair, which was exhibited at the 1968 Scandinavian Furniture Fair. These egg-shaped chairs were sold until 1978.




Reproductions of the Ovalia chair, especially in America, would lead to the stereo-wired chair.


This is the AlphaChamber chair by Lee West. I can't really find any info on this, except the occasional mention in a blog or item in an auction. (The chair in the following photo is being auctioned...click the photo to see!). I am guessing it's from the early 1970s.



Another great stereo chair is the Egg Sound Chair from Starkey Laboratories that was made in 1976. And again, it is impossible to find any photos of it anywhere! I suppose that as the reproductions of these chairs got so vast in the 1970s (and even today with companies like inmod).

Here's the thing--the real ones are out there, and in searching the web for this post, I've come across numerous Craigslist posts and auctions of the real things. How cool would it be to have one of these incredible chairs to sit back in!? Keep your eyes open people. Keep 'em open.