The Ghost Chair

Chances are if you are interested in interiors you know what the ‘Ghost Chair’ is! Believe it or not, this design was conceived almost two decades ago and once upon a time this translucent style was named the most iconic furniture design of the 21st century. Pushing 20 years old, the Ghost chair is making a resurgence in the events and wedding industry proving once more it certainly cemented itself as a classic and not simply a fad at the turn of the millennium.

Let us take you back… The design of the Louis Ghost Chair was imagined by Philippe Starck, an innovative French industrial and interior designer in 2002. Starck reinvented the classic Louis XVI armchair for Italian design company Kartell, which is known for its innovative use of plastics. The history of the design actually dates back to the 18th century – King Louis XVI (the King of France no less) and his wife, Marie Antoinette were renowned for their love of classical Greek and Roman design which in turn manifested in extremely unique architectural and interior change throughout the king’s reign. One particular furnishing was a chair with a rectangular or round upholstered back, clean lines, column-like carved legs, and an exposed wood frame— known as the Louis XVI Chair. This formal upholstered chair has a special place in history and now some century’s later has been reinvented as the Louis Ghost Chair.

One of the greatest features of the Ghost Chair is not immediately apparent to the eye—it’s how it’s made. The iconic chair required significant technical innovation: It’s made of a transparent injection-molded polycarbonate, which uses a single mold. This means that the entire chair is just one piece—no screws, upholstery, or separate arms and legs. Because it’s plastic, and because there are no joints (which could freeze or crack in the rain or cold), it does particularly well outdoors. So, it is an indoor/outdoor chair.

Interested in using the Ghost Chair at your next event or exhibition? View the product online here!