1. The Proust Geometrica chair, by Cappellini

A 2009 update of the Proust chair created in 1978 for an Italian palace, the Palazzo dei Diamanti. Designed by Italian designer and architect Alessandro Mendini, this funky chair now comes upholstered in cotton and retains the exuberant, larger-than-life form of the original. Fit for both a king and a jester.

Price upon request, from Proof Living, available in March

2. The Progetti armchair, by Giorgetti

Designed in 1987 by Milanese furniture designer Umberto Asnago, this is one of the signature pieces from Italian furniture label Giorgetti, which started as a carpenter’s workshop in 1898. The frame is made of beech wood and it is upholstered in leather.

From $6,265, from Space Furniture

3. The Mychair, by Walter Knoll

Designed by Dutch architect Ben van Berkel in 2008, this sleek, sculptural lounge chair plays with the gentle curves of convex and concave planes to create a starkly modern piece of furniture.

Price upon request, from Proof Living

4 The Vanity Fair chair, by Poltrona Frau

A 1930 replica of an iconic 1903 piece from the Italian brand, this seductively cushy piece is known for its rounded shape and the rows of leather-covered nails that add the finishing touch to its back and arms.

Price upon request, from Proof Living

5. The 214K chair, by Thonet

This piece was introduced last year as an irreverent update of the German brand’s 214 chair created in 1859. The original, known as the coffeehouse chair, was one of the first chairs to be mass produced and remains popular after 150 years. The newer iteration of this classic comes with a playful knot in one leg.

$3,584.50, from Xtra

6. The Costes chair, by Driade

Created in 1982 by French designer Philippe Starck for the legendary Cafe Costes in Paris, this chair is recognisable by its tubular steel frame and three legs instead of four (to reduce the likelihood of waiters tripping over chair legs).

$2,500, from Platform

7. The 1919 chair, by Poltrona Frau

This plump number is from the Italian furniture company’s 1919 catalogue. Executed in a modern rococo style, it also boasts a brass tray extension (earlier versions had a book stand) and a manually quilted upholstery finish.

Price upon request, from Proof Living

8. The Chair_One, by Magis

Created in 2003 by German designer Konstantin Grcic, this is made of technologically innovative die-cast aluminium and the composition of its small flat panes is inspired by the structure of a leather football.

$652.70, from Xtra

9 The Liba chair, by Driade

This piece was created in 1988 by Czech designer and architect Borek Sipek, who is known for his playful neo-baroque style. The seat and back are made of rattan covered in cane and the curved back legs are reminiscent of a taut slingshot.

$3,400, from Platform

10. The Aeron chair, by Herman Miller

Created by American designers Don Chadwick and Bill Stumpf in 1994, this ergonomic chair has a seat and back made of a flexible mesh material and its various components can be customised for maximim comfort. The innovative design earned it a spot in the permanent collection of New York’s Museum of Modern Art.

$1,799, from Xtra

11. The Swan chair, by Fritz Hansen

The result of Danish architect and designer Arne Jacobsen’s search for a light chair, this was created in 1958 for a Copenhagen hotel. A moulded synthetic shell is covered in foam, upholstered in fabric or leather and poised atop an aluminium star-shaped swivel.

From $4,100, from Space Furniture

12. The Heart Cone chair, by Vitra

Designed in 1959 by Panton, this is the younger sibling of his futuristic Cone chair. Both quirky designs stem from his desire to pay absolutely no attention to conventional ideas of what a chair should look like.

From $5,875, from Space Furniture

13. The Red/Blue chair, by Cassina

Designed by architect Gerrit Rietveld in 1918, this piece embodies the Dutch artistic movement known as De Stijl, which advocated the purity and harmony of form and colour as an aesthetic utopia. The colours red, blue and yellow echo the paintings of one of De Stijl’s most famous advocates, artist Piet Mondrian.

From $5,745, from Space Furniture

14. The Bibendum chair, by ClassiCon

Inspired by the Michelin Man (the rotund mascot of the French tyre company), Irish designer Eileen Gray created this piece in 1929. She also drew inspiration from Hungarian designer, architect and artist Marcel Breuer’s experiments with tubular steel. The legs of the chair are made of polished stainless steel tubes. Originally commissioned by the owner of a Parisian hat boutique, it was praised by art critics when it was first unveiled.

$17,700 from Platform

15. The Eames lounge chair, by Herman Miller

Created by American designers (and married couple) Charles and Ray Eames in 1956, this classic design has never been out of production since its launch. The cushions are fixed to the curved wooden frame with hidden clips and rings. The designers intended this piece to have “the warm, receptive look of a well-used first baseman’s mitt”.

$6,599, from Xtra

16. The Panton chair, by Vitra

Danish designer and architect Verner Panton dreamed up this fantastic plastic design in 1959. But it went into production only in 1967, when technological progress enabled the mass production of this revolutionary single-material, single-form number. It is one of the most famous cantilevered chairs (chairs without back legs).

From $290, from Space Furniture

17. The Louis Ghost chair, by Kartell

Philippe Starck created this piece in 2002 for Italian furniture manufacturer Kartell. Made of hardy polycarbonate cast in a mould that pays homage to a baroque Louis XV-style silhouette, this see-through number embodies a very modern sort of self-referential cheekiness.

From $588, from Space Furniture

18. The Wishbone chair, by Carl Hansen

Created by modernist furniture designer Hans J. Wegner in 1949, this piece – also known as the Y chair due to the shape of its back – is considered an icon of Danish design. Its frame is constructed from Danish hardwood. The seat is made of woven paper cord.

From $1,200, from Space Furniture

19. The Bracelet chair, by Henredon

Created by Los Angeles-based American furniture designer Barbara Barry, this chair is marked by a back composed of a distinctive trio of wooden ovals.

Price upon request, from Proof Living

20. The Up chair, by B&B Italia

Italian designer and architect Gaetano Pesce created this piece in 1969, inspired by feminine curves. The attached ball-shaped ottoman, similar to a ball and chain, is meant to represent society’s subjugation of women.

From $8,150, from Space Furniture