Defining a Chair

The definition of a chair is something that is a seat, usually having four legs for support and a rest for the back and often having rests for the arms. This leaves a lot of room for interpretation. Artists and designers have taken this definition and ran with it; creating chairs with innovative designs and chairs that don't even look like chairs. I recently came across a chair made completely out of haphazardly arranged forks. How do you even sit one that? I don't even think you can. And even though we can't sit on it (okay, we can, but it would be really painful), does it still count as a chair? Let's check the definition - was it a seat? Yes, it was. I guess it counts as a chair then. While not as artistic as a fork chair, office and lounge chairs have their design focused on support and comfort. If you're going to go 9-5 in the office, you trust your chair not to kill your back by the end of the day. Once you get home, all you want to do is fall down onto a cloud and just relax. Believe me; I've had my experience with lounge chairs that were as soft as butter - absolutely heavenly. Obviously certain aspects are going to be stressed or exaggerated more depending on the type of chair. Arm chairs will be extra comfy; modern chairs will be more trendy and edgy. However, it's always amazing to see the extent that design has taken. I've seen neon-light up chairs, egg pods, oddly shaped bean bags, and chairs designs so artistic, it's hard to wrap your mind around. Even after looking at all those innovative, artistic, and design oriented chairs, we still have the standard four-legged wooden chair. From dining chairs to ergonomic office chairs to egg pods, chairs have come to be more than just objects we "sit" on. They've entered the world of art and design, and have become so specialized to suit our needs. Who knows, maybe sometime in the future we'll have our very own hover chairs that we'll be able to float on. Anything is possible at the rate that chairs are changing.