Droog Rag Chair

Furniture, interior and public space designer Tejo Remy is known for his imaginative modern and post-modern pieces that combine ornamentation, function and constructive forms into a cohesive whole.

Born in 1960 in Nijmegen in the Netherlands, Remy studied three-dimensional design at the Utrecht School of the Arts (also known as the HKU University of the Arts), graduating in 1991.

Since then, Remy has actively collaborated with the conceptual Dutch design firm Droog. With the company, he has achieved international acclaim for such pieces as his Milkbottle lamps, Rag chairs and lounge chairs, which are produced with multiple layers of fabric. The You Can’t Lay Down Your Memories chest of drawers is a sculptural assemblage composed of drawers of varying shapes, sizes and colors stacked haphazardly.

Remy is further noted for his work with Dutch interior and furniture designer René Veenhuizen, also a graduate of the Utrecht School of the Arts. Together, they have devised multiple experimental furniture pieces, such as their Weaving cabinet, featuring oak drawers and steel packing straps, and their curious and whimsical Tennis Ball bench, which is made with a spiraling steel frame and hundreds of tennis balls.

Throughout his design career, Remy has exhibited his work extensively, including in shows at the Museum of Arts and Design, Museum of Modern Art and the Bartow-Pell Mansion Museum in New York, the ACME Gallery in Los Angeles, the Stedelijk Museum in Amsterdam and Museum Boijmans Van Beuningen in Rotterdam.

In 2022, Remy, with Droog, collaborated with Balenciaga, displaying custom Rag benches in the fashion house’s stores in London, Berlin, Milan, Beijing, Shanghai, Tokyo, Singapore, New York and Beverly Hills. 

On 1stDibs, find a range of Tejo Remy’s seating, case pieces and storage cabinets.

With entire areas of our homes reserved for “sitting rooms,” the value of quality antique and vintage seating cannot be overstated.

Fortunately, the design of side chairs, armchairs and other lounge furniture — since what were, quite literally, the early perches of our ancestors — has evolved considerably.

Among the earliest standard seating furniture were stools. Egyptian stools, for example, designed for one person with no seat back, were x-shaped and typically folded to be tucked away. These rudimentary chairs informed the design of Greek and Roman stools, all of which were a long way from Sori Yanagi's Butterfly stool or Alvar Aalto's Stool 60. In the 18th century and earlier, seats with backs and armrests were largely reserved for high nobility.

The seating of today is more inclusive but the style and placement of chairs can still make a statement. Antique desk chairs and armchairs designed in the style of Louis XV, which eventually included painted furniture and were often made of rare woods, feature prominently curved legs as well as Chinese themes and varied ornaments. Much like the thrones of fairy tales and the regency, elegant lounges crafted in the Louis XV style convey wealth and prestige. In the kitchen, the dining chair placed at the head of the table is typically reserved for the head of the household or a revered guest.

Of course, with luxurious vintage or antique furnishings, every chair can seem like the best seat in the house. Whether your preference is stretching out on a plush sofa, such as the Serpentine, designed by Vladimir Kagan, or cozying up in a vintage wingback chair, there is likely to be a comfy classic or contemporary gem for you on 1stDibs.

With respect to the latest obsessions in design, cane seating has been cropping up everywhere, from sleek armchairs to lounge chairs, while bouclé fabric, a staple of modern furniture design, can be seen in mid-century modern, Scandinavian modern and Hollywood Regency furniture styles.

Admirers of the sophisticated craftsmanship and dark woods frequently associated with mid-century modern seating can find timeless furnishings in our expansive collection of lounge chairs, dining chairs and other items — whether they’re vintage editions or alluring official reproductions of iconic designs from the likes of Hans Wegner or from Charles and Ray Eames. Shop our inventory of Egg chairs, designed in 1958 by Arne Jacobsen, the Florence Knoll lounge chair and more.

No matter your style, the collection of unique chairs, sofas and other seating on 1stDibs is surely worthy of a standing ovation.