Grenelle Chair

The Grenelle Chair from Four Hands is a low, angular lounge chair built around a single deep cushion, chamfered on three sides, that appears to hover above a plinth base of solid oak in a soft gloss finish. Seat and back fold together into one sink-in shape, flanked by wide, flat arms, with S-spring construction underneath for give without slump. It comes upholstered in a wool-blend textile or in top grain leather, and the proportions are generous enough that the chair holds a corner of the room on its own.

The silhouette draws on 1960s lounge seating, when low, boxy forms and unbroken planes did most of the talking. It was designed with longtime Four Hands collaborator Thomas Bina and Brazilian designer Ronald Sasson, and the weight and ease of the form carry a hint of Brazilian modernism. The warm taupe textile softens all that geometry, while the tobacco-brown leather reads darker and more graphic. Either one sits well beside travertine, walnut, or a shaggy wool rug.

Place it where a chair can be sat in for an hour or more, such as a living room corner, the far side of a coffee table, or a window with good afternoon light. The plinth base keeps the profile clean from every angle, so it works pulled into the middle of a room as easily as pushed against a wall. A pair facing each other makes a conversation area without a sofa.