Your Best Sweaters Deserve to be
Thrown on Some Beautiful Chairs
By Delia Cai
Photographed by Billal Taright
Styled by Colin King
Gallery: Demisch Danant
Interior stylist Colin King’s trick for showing off this fall’s best knits was inspired by what many of us do at the end of the day: throw our not-quite-dirty, not-quite-clean clothing onto the nearest chair. These particular chairs just happen to hail from the New York City–-based Demisch Danant gallery’s rather stylish collection of French modern furniture, which includes the iconic François Arnal Z Chair and René-Jean Caillette’s Folding Chair R.J.C.
Under these circumstances, the task of choosing a perfect sweater-chair pairing becomes a delightful design exercise. What could be better than the ribbing on Wales Bonner’s Roots polo shirt to make the lines of the Z Chair pop? Or the sleeve of Emily Dawn Long’s take on a ’50s children’s jumper climbing the playfully corded back of Louis Sognot’s Low Chair? Don’t get us started on how the straps of Prada’s cherry-red knit tank mimic the legs of Jacques Charpentier’s stainless steel Chair just so. The first-best place for a really good sweater is on your body. But the second-best place is, without a doubt, on a really good chair.
Jacques Dumond and& Philippe Leloup
Pair of Bridge Chairs, 1961
Polished steel, painted aluminum, foam, suede
This steel-framed chair was designed as part of the Salon Saint-Tropez,” the largest public lounge aboard the SS France cruise liner, an international symbol of French luxury.
Sweater: Stone Island
Antoine Philippon and Jacqueline Lecoq
“Confort” Desk Chair, Model 3001 T8, 1964
Cast aluminum, molded plywood, veneer, foam, fabric
Made from molded plywood and aluminum, this is what office chairs looked like in the days before ergonomics took over.
Sweater: Margaret Howell
Armchair, c. 1920
Ash and cherry woods, foam, fabric
This chair is an embodiment of Jourdain’s championing of humble, unornamented wooden furniture that working- class people could enjoy.
Sweater: Loro Piana
Chaise X / X Chair with Arms, 1968/2017
Brushed stainless steel, foam, fabric
Pergay, who self-identified less as a designer and more as a “captor of ideas,” was known for making steel look luxurious by combining it with soft leathers, as in the Chaise X.
Sweater: 6397
Pair of Iena Armchairs, 1985/2023
Sycamore, wood, foam, fabric
Paulin was so favored by the French elite that, at one point, he was invited to decorate the private apartments of President George Pompidou. This chair design was a commission from the French government in 1985 for a major office building in Paris.
Sweater: Lauren Manoogian
Pair of Chairs, c. 1987
Blue and white laminated wood, metal frame
This chair shows off Caillette’s commitment to clean, sculptural lines and his use of wood — a material he had a particular affinity for as the son of a cabinetmaker.
Sweater: Ralph Lauren
Orly Club Chair, 1966
Chromed steel, lacquered aluminum, rubber, foam, original vinyl
Designed in 1965 by Tallon and his studio, this model was produced by the office furniture company Flambo, which was known for its use of aluminum and steel. The arms are made of solid rubber instead of being upholstered, which was unusual for the time.
Sweater: Loewe
Z Chair, 1970
Chromed metal
Arnal was an artist and designer associated with the lyrical abstraction movement. The iconic Z Chair is an example of how he used industrial materials for avant-garde purposes.
Sweater: Wales Bonner
Chair Primevère, c. 1967
Tubular lacquered metal, foam, felt
Many of Caillette’s furniture designs were mass-produced after World War II; the drawings of his designs, including this chair, are kept in the French government’s collection.
Sweater: Hermès
Low Chair, 1955
Solid beech, jonc de Sadroplast
This design by Sognot, who was known for his combinations of rattan and wood, received first prize in its category at the 1955 Salon des Arts Ménagers, a prestigious exhibition of domestic appliances, furniture, and home designs held in Paris each year.
Sweater: Emily Dawn Long
Chair, c. 1992
Molded cherry laminate
A set designer, author, architect, and painter, Peduzzi designed sets that have been the backdrop for numerous theater and opera productions. This chair was a commission from the French government and embodies the minimalist ideal of ’90s furniture.
Sweater: Dior
Chair, c. 1970s
Steel
Charpentier’s career in the ’60s and ’70s saw him design bold furniture and lighting pieces using materials like stainless steel and leather, often associated with the Space Age aesthetic.
Sweater: Prada
Pair of Luge Chairs, 1966
Chromed steel, foam, fabric
Originally designed for the Mairie de Grenoble, France
Provenance: Public commission, Paris
These chairs by Motte, an iconic mid-century French designer, were commissioned for the city hall in Grenoble, France.
Sweater: Another Aspect
Folding Chair R.J.C., 1986
Metal wire, varnished medium
This unique reversible folding chair design by Caillette represents the apex of French post-modern minimalism; the backrests and seats can be flipped so that the chair appears either all-black, all-tan, or mixed.
Sweater: Celine