Herzog & de Meuron

What distinguishes a design classic? It should be comfortable and functional and, in the best instance, possess a timeless elegance. Three criteria not easily combined, but which unquestionably apply to the Lounge Chair in Wood created in 2017 by the Basel architects Herzog & de Meuron. The design has its origins in a project for a lounge in New York, out of which the lounge chair for the Volkshaus Basel Hotel ultimately developed. Up for auction is the one-off version of one of the first prototypes. Whereas the seat of the later model is strung with polyester cord, the present chair is made entirely of white oak. Whatever the case, you'll be sitting in the best company-from Mies van der Rohe to Lina Bo Bardi, and from Max Bill to David Adjaye, all great architects have demonstrated their creative talents in the sphere of furniture design, too. Herzog & de Meuron need no further introduction in Basel, or indeed anywhere else. We may nevertheless mention a brief selection from the impressive list of their internationally distinguished architectural projects. The Tate Modern in London (UK) opened in 2000, followed by the Schaulager in Basel (CH) in 2003, the de Young Museum in San Francisco (USA) in 2005, the Pérez Art Museum in Miami (USA) in 2013, and the M+ Museum in Hong Kong in 2021.