Domus means home

Eighty years on, Domus Chair’s familiarity, warmth and versatility complement interiors of all shapes and sizes, throughout the world: in Helsinki offices, Parisian restaurants and Japanese apartments alike. Its appeal lies in its balance of practicality and personality. This is a chair that adapts to its surroundings while retaining a quiet sense of welcome familiarity.

Comfort and compactness

Two key design elements provide the comfort and functionality that have allowed Domus to endure: a contoured, form-pressed plywood seat and strikingly short armrests. 

The gently curved seat and back provide natural ergonomic support, ensuring comfort for both study and leisure. The chair is available both with an unadorned plywood seat or upholstered with a wide selection of fabric and leather covers. The updated selection of upholstery options accentuate the chair’s chameleon-like ability to complement any interior, from Nordic and minimal aesthetics to more opulent and layered spaces. All Domus Chairs are made in Finland.The short, curved armrests are an example of Tapiovaara’s practical approach to furniture design. The neat proportions and smooth tactile surface serve as the “handshake of the chair”, all while offering essential support and freedom of movement to the sitter. The short armrests also allow the chair to be drawn close to tables and contribute to its stackability.

All Domus Chairs are made in Finland.

From student living to private dining rooms

Domus is the Latin word for “house” or “home” – a small but important distinction when it comes to defining Ilmari Tapiovaara’s 1946 creation. For while Domus Chair was created for student living, it soon went beyond these functional origins to emerge as a chair equally suited to more refined settings. 

Tapiovaara was commissioned to provide functional and economical furniture for Domus Academica, a new student housing complex that was built to address a lack of student accommodation in post-war Helsinki. Together with his wife Annikki, Tapiovaara approached the Domus project with a vision of designing furniture that embodied the ideals of modern living. He viewed comfort as an integral part of the functional requirements. This was, after all, a chair in which the intended users would spend much of their time, studying, eating and chatting with their fellow students.

Praised for its comfort, versatility and elegant silhouette, the chair soon gained international recognition. It was sold in the United Kingdom under the name “Staxx” (the design lends itself to convenient stackability) and in North America as the “Finn Chair”, a nod to its Nordic character. From libraries and universities to cafes and upmarket homes, the Domus Chair proved itself equally at home in public and private interiors.