Chairs for Charity (and Great Design) : Interior Design Blog

The cavemen probably didn’t have furniture and interior design on the brain when they set up the very first human households – hunting and gathering were the first priorities. Followed by chairs. Yes, chairs, the most essential, fundamental piece of furniture. As you look around your new home or cave – with survival assured – the first thing you’re going to need is a place to sit.

So it was then, so it is today! As Robb & Stucky’s Creative Director – with a self-proclaimed chair fetish – I get to shop the world of chairs. And next Wednesday, March 25th, chairs are going to get the spotlight they truly deserve as Robb & Stucky celebrates its 100th anniversary.
During “Chairs for Charity,” twelve designer chairs will be up for auction at the Fort Myers store with all proceeds benefiting The American Cancer Society Relay for Life.



Robb & Stucky has the history of chairs beautifully and (comfortably) covered in this exclusive clique of twelve designer single-seat solutions – A.K.A. chairs. Decorating decisions are very personal, but there is a chair for every body in this assortment. As a chair aficionado, I’ll offer some observations.


Chaddock’s Luxor Chair, the brainchild of designer Larry Laslo, doesn’t go back to the Stone Age, but it does harken back to the ancient Greeks. It’s a Klismos chair, the mother of all chair designs. Cleopatra had one. Do you recognize its iconic shape?

The wing chair came into vogue in the 17th Century. The design was a clever solution to an age-old caveman-like problem: staying warm. Wing-like side panels shut out drafts and contained the heat rising from the hearth. Today, Hancock & Moore sets the wing chair free with The Bird Cage Chair, a hand-painted and wonderfully stylish design. This chair is warmly donated in memory of Brion Foremon, Robb & Stucky’s late Senior Upholstery Buyer, who we lost to cancer in 2014.

Candice Olson’s Mistique Chair is a more modern adaptation of the classic wing chair. Note the perfectly tailored “clipped” wings brilliantly outlined in nailhead trim.

Fast forward to contemporary times. Milo Baughman’s T-Back Lounge Chair for Thayer Coggin is a modern classic. The tuxedo style chair, dressed in a tone-on-tone herringbone, is set on a polished chrome frame.

For historical provenance, great design and drama, it is difficult to surpass the Directoire Chair from Mitchell Gold + Bob Williams. I have personally perched in this chair and promise you it’s as comfortable as it is good looking. I love it in decked out in Tibetan Fur – and believe cavemen brethren would agree. There’s only one way to improve upon the Directoire Chair: make it a pair!

It seems fitting that Robb & Stucky celebrate a landmark anniversary with special event focusing on a universally needed and coveted item: the quintessential chair, twelve of them. It gets better. Robb & Stucky is delighted to welcome chair designers and esteemed guests Candice Olson, Mitchell Gold and Larry Laslo on Wednesday night.

Interested in joining us? Consider yourself invited. To reserve your seat, just go Robb & Stucky’s website now. Admission is $50 per person and $60 at the door. And remember, ALL proceeds go to the American Cancer Society Relay for Life. Everyone’s welcome – from local cavemen to sophisticates!


ABOUT MARK STUART: People impressed and inspired by the Robb & Stucky showroom often wonder where we get our ideas. Meet our creative mastermind Mark Stuart, a Florida transplant from Indiana. As Robb & Stucky Creative Director, Mark is responsible for the floor plan and visual display of all Robb & Stucky stores. In his spare time, he also shops the world for accessories and engages with our amazing buying team on wood and upholstery selections (chairs included) so our stores enchant as a unified, beautiful experience.