The Ball Chair by Eero Aarnio

A Hemisphere of Fun That's Half a World Away From a Regular Seat

Jan 13, 2009

The Ball Chair - aka the Globe Chair - is Eero Aarino's design classic that's as relevant - and comfortable - today as it was when first introduced in the sixties.

Introduced to the public at the 1963 International Furniture Fair in Cologne, the Ball Chair is Finish designer Eero Aarnio’s attempt to afford the sitter a quantum of quiet in an otherwise busy living environment. The ball (or globular, rather) shape appealed to Aarnio because it was simple and provided the most stylish means of achieving his design brief – to create a “room within a room” for his and his wife’s first home. Aarnio – recollecting the genesis of his design – has described what he required of his new chair: “We had a home but no proper big chair, so I decided to make one, but in some way a really new one.”

The Ball Chair Prototype & the Red Phone

For the chair’s prototype Aarnio made a plywood frame which he covered in fibreglass and burnished to give it the lustrous finish its still sports today. The chair’s interior was then upholstered in black and orange fabrics (today, these are commonly Hallingdal or Tonus fabrics) and a metal base was added that allowed the sitter to swivel. One might have thought this funky design would have satisfied the designer’s taste for quirkiness, but to add an idiosyncratic finishing touch he fixed a red telephone to one of the chair’s interior walls.

Sci-Fi's Classic Seat

The chair was quickly snapped-up and massively reproduced by the furniture manufacturer ASKO. Its distinctive design made it an immediate hit and a fixture in all number of sixties livings rooms and lounges. Indeed, it wasn’t long before the world of showbiz recognised the chair’s potential and sci-fi movie makers in particular found its futuristic aesthetic congenial with their sensibilities. To date, the Ball Chair has featured in a number of TV shows and films, including Men in Black, Dazed and Confused, Tommy and The Prisoner.

That the chair is as popular today as it was at its introduction is no doubt owing to its timeless design, a design that appeals as much to our retro and nostalgic sensibilities as to our thirst for that which is new and relevant. For some it's sheer bulk and ostentation speaks of the libertarian swinging sixties, while for others – sci-fi fans and budding astronauts, especially – its time capsule structure and sleek ergonomics provide a flight of fantasy from the ordinary.

Ball Chair Prices and Sizes

Today, the Aarnio Ball Chair is still manufactured in the designer's native Finland and is distributed exclusively by the German company ADELTA. They sell for for $6,695.00 in the U.S and 5,850.00 (Euro) in Europe.

However, there are a number of faux or ‘inspired-by’ Aarnio Ball Chairs on the market. The price invariably reflects the chair's materials and craftsmanship, but a typical faux Ball Chair is priced anywhere from $700 to $1500.

The copyright of the article The Ball Chair by Eero Aarnio in Collectibles is owned by Christopher Wilson. Permission to republish The Ball Chair by Eero Aarnio in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.