The History of the Ball Chair

The Ball Chair is an iconic modern classic chair that can be identified by many people all over the world. We see it in movies, hotels, retail stores, commercials – it’s everywhere!

We’ve put together a quick history of the Ball Chair, so the next time you see one, you’ll know the story of how it was created.

The Ball Chair was designed by Eero Aarnio, a famous modern designer from Finland. Aarnio designed the Ball Chair to be a “room within a room” that created a private enclave for a person to relax, or to make a phone call as suggested by the red telephone he installed into the prototype!

As most designs begin as a sketch, the Ball Chair was drawn for Eero’s first home with his wife, in 1962. A life-sized drawing was stuck to the wall, and Eero’s wife measured the height needed for Eero to sit comfortably.

After the drawing was complete, Eero constructed a prototype out of molded plywood, then covered it with wet paper and fiberglass. He has the chair upholstered and added the base. Later on, the red telephone was added.

Thus, the Ball Chair was created. For a more detailed history, read Eero Aarnio’s version.The original, seen above, sits in Eero Aarnio’s home in Finland. You can view a tour of his house at Apartment Therapy.

At Inmod, we offer modern classic reproductions of Aarnio’s Ball Chair. Visit our website to see create a Ball Chair in your favorite colors!