It's All Greek

The Ancient Greek klismos chair is undeniably one of the most resilient creations in the history of interior design. It's horizontal crest rail, contoured back splat, and curvaceous sabre legs embody a perfect harmony of aesthetic and function. The design (dating back to the 5th century B.C.E.) is unmistakable, and its influence can be found scattered throughout many of today's furniture collections.

The firm Saridis of Athens has been reproducing authentic pieces of Etruscan, Greek and Roman periods, in keeping with the stardards of original craftsmanship. The image above of Carl Lagerfeld's residence shows Saridis' klismos reproductions looking stellar in a modern day setting.

Baker has taken a softer approach with their Greek Lounge Chair
(Scroll down to see this chair featured in a room under the "Why Herringbone?" entry)


Robert Lighton New York's fully upholstered version.
Note the gentle "s"-shape of the profile as the contoured back changes direction and flows outward through the back legs. Simply gorgeous

World-famous decorator, T.H. Robsjohn-Gibbings worked in conjunction with Susan and Eleftherios Saridis on the development of the klismos chair line.
Another perfect pair from the 1980s in the style of Robsjohn-Gibbings is pictured above.
(Available through ModeModerne)

For those on a budget, Crate and Barrel's Sasha side chair features subtle klismos characteristics.