Despite the name that might sound foreign to your ears especially if you’re not into interior design, I can guarantee that you have seen that chair at least once in a lifetime. These days, coffee shop, offices and sometimes houses feature a piece of Scandinavian chair in their home. As Scandinavian look gains more popularity, people are also adorning their space with interior pieces to add more authenticity. One among pieces that’s important to achieve the ultimate Scandinavian look is the chair. There is no Scandinavian aesthetic without the presence of the iconic Scandinavian chair that often looks minimalist, sleek as well as focuses on more practicality^[1]. But is every Scandi chair actually follows those principles? Or is the one made of out the country is made without much of a thought and craftsmanship? Today, I’ll be taking about it, an overrated Scandinavian aesthetic that I despise the most.

Meet Eames Molded Chair

Meet Eames molded plastic side chair. I think it was around 2019 when this type of chair started getting more popularity.A lot of coffee shops and cafe feature this chair to adorn their space. Every place with this type of chair would instantly be recognized as“Scandinavian” vibe and aesthetic. Instantly, Eames becomes sort of a marker for that type of space especially for en masse. While actually, there are a few more types of lesser-known Scandi chair aesthetic out there. While Eames matches the aesthetic of minimalism and cosy Scandinavian look, for the life of me, there are better types of Scandinavian chair to feature and use.

Apparently, this Eames chair is named after the designers, a couple who was experimenting with plywood back in the 1939. Though the couple Charles and Ray were American, they were influenced by Finish architects ^[2]. And they created this piece of chair that are now popular in most coffee/cafe especially those with minimalist or Scandinavian aesthetic.

Eames chair is a one-piece molded seat that has curved shaped and is often colored in white. Although these days, there are dark colored ones such as the one above. At the same time, there are a few types of legs material of this chair from entirely wooden to a mix with metal support for extra durability and adding more sturdiness to it. Unfortunately, the ones on the market that are sold less than $50, are the worst to sit on. In a few places I frequented to, they were pretty fragile and was made of cheap plywood that overtime was prone to cracking and splintering. Sometimes it even makes squeaky sound that you’re sitting and feeling like it can break at any moment. Today I felt the same thing. It has been a while since I visit a place with this type of chair. I actually made a mental note to always avoid any place with this chair. But since I was being a bit more experimental today, I ended up getting to a place with this type of chair. While they actually evoke coziness, sitting in the chair more than 4 minutes was quite uncomfortable.

Personally, I have never seen someone broke the chair nor fall down from it. However, sitting on Eames molded chair for more than 20 minutes feels like hell. I can understand the reasoning if this was used for cafes/coffee shop but for home use and maximal comfort, there are better chair to use from. On top of the list would be “ The Chair”or Wishbone Chair replica and the least would be Saarinen Womb chair which is bit bigger, padded and as well as wider. These are great options for extra comfort but not so much of ergonomic. The more I learn about different types of Scandinavian chair, the more I can not comprehend why people think this one-molded seat is comfortable. It sure does follow the principle of Scandinavian aesthetic but unfortunately, the ones on the market especially the affordable ones are too fragile to sit on and lack of craftsmanship. Perhaps, the problem isn't on the design but the production. Who knows!

Do you find that type of chair comfortable?