The affordable Scandi designer chairs you’ll love forever

If a single piece of furniture could symbolise everything we love most about Scandi design it has to be the chair, shares Simply Noted editor Nicola Capper

Delve into the history of design and it soon becomes clear that no one makes a chair quite like the Scandinavians. Reimagined by the great names time and again, it’s said Hans J Wegner alone designed nearly 500 over the course of his career. So, whether you’re looking to invest in a timeless classic or add a contemporary counterpart to your collection, we’ve rounded up the cream of the crop.

1. The FDB Møbler J46 chair

This classic spoke-backed chair from FDB Møbler is a modern mid-century must-have. Found in many Danish homes today, this enduring best-seller was actually designed by Poul M. Volther way back in 1956, not for its looks, but for its everyday comfort. Made from solid beech or oiled oak, and coming in a variety of colourful paint finishes too, the J46 offers both heritage and style in abundance. Whether you're elegantly updating your dining area or want to add a statement piece to your kitchen, you can guarantee it will stand the test of time.

FDB Møbler J46 Chair, £219, cataloginteriors.com

2. The GUBI Beetle dining chair

Strikingly simple but full of personality, GamFratesi’s Beetle chair is one of the biggest success stories in contemporary furniture design. Lunched by GUBI in 2013, Italian Enrico Fratesi and Dane Stine Gam were captivated by the idea of translating the form of this humble insect into a product for the home. Translating its characteristics into gently tapered legs and a curvaceous shell seat, this sleek and versatile piece, which is also available in an outdoor edition too. Looks just as good on its own or as part of a group, the choice is up to you!

UBI Beetle dining chair, £299, hollowaysofludlow.com

3. The Normann Copenhagen Mat chair

Made from some of the strongest, and most CO2 absorbing natural fibres available, the innovative Mat chair was decades in the making. The brainchild of Copenhagen-based Foersom & Hiort-Lorenzen, this acclaimed design duo first became interested in using plant fibres as a substitute for plastic back in the late 1990s. Now, with the support of Normann Copenhagen, their idea has finally become a reality with milled hemp stems, a waste product from food and pharmaceutical production, and eelgrass, a type of seaweed which is naturally washed ashore on the island of Læsø, used to give every chair its unique appearance. 

Normann Copenhagen Mat chair, £370, hollowaysofludlow.com

4. The Vitra Panton chair 

A genuine pop culture icon, the playful Panton Chair can be found in many stylish homes as well as prominent design museums around the world. Conceived back in 1959 by the ever-controversial Verner Panton, who once said, “you sit more comfortably in a colour you like”. The first all-plastic chair to be put into mass-production by the renowned Swiss furniture manufacturer Vitra in 1967 and designed without back legs, it is the combination of this chair’s cantilevered shape, and the slightly flexible material that makes it so comfortable as well as aesthetically striking. 

Vitra Panton chair, £345, heals.com

5. The HAY Rey chair

Designed by Swiss designer Bruno Rey in 1971 and relaunched by HAY in 2022, the acclaimed Rey chair seems to be everywhere right now. From super cool homes to trendy top restaurants, its distinctively rounded edges and curved backrest, look perfect in any setting. Updated by the Danish brand with new dimensions and material combinations to meet contemporary needs, the screwless and stackable Rey is crafted in solid wood, and available in both its original colours as well as the latest tones. With stools and tables also available you can always add to your collection over time. 

HAY Rey Chair, £529, twentytwentyone.com

6. The Fritz Hansen Drop chair

Designed by the grandfather of modern Danish design Arne Jacobsen in 1958, the Drop Chair was originally created for the legendary SAS Royal Hotel in Copenhagen. Only produced at the time in limited numbers, alongside his much-loved Swan and Egg chairs, the Drop remained an exclusive to the hotel for decades before its relaunch by Fritz Hansen in 2014. A piece of history brought into the present, the Drop is said to be Jacobsen’s favourite chair, with its design drawing inspiration from the feeling of an embrace and providing all who use it a unique sense of comfort.

Fritz Hansen Drop Chair, £339, mynordicliving.co.uk

7. The &Tradition In Between chair

Suitable for dining, working or lounging &Tradition’s award-winning In Between Chair by Finnish-born, but Sweden based Sami Kallio has quickly become a runaway success. Available in oak, walnut and black lacquered ash, the design takes Scandinavia’s deeply rooted heritage in quality and craftmanship as its starting point but gives it a modern twist. Combining latest moulding techniques on the seat and backrest, with traditionally turned solid wood for the legs and armrest, this much-loved EU Ecolabel certified piece provides the perfect balance between past and present at a price that’s right. 

&Tradition In Between chair, £400, nest.co.uk

8. The Carl Hansen CH88T chair

Primarily known for his work in wood, throughout his career the great Hans J. Wegner often explored other materials too, and the carefully considered CH88T chair is one such example. Initially developed as a prototype for an exhibition in 1955 before being put into production decades later by Carl Hansen & Søn to celebrate the centennial of his birth. Versatile, functional and conveniently stackable, this elegant design showcases Wegner’s skill at lending softness to industrial forms, with the steel frame supporting not only an oval wooden seat but a beautiful steam-bent backrest with upturned ends, which form a natural resting place for your arms. 

Carl Hansen CH88T chair, £500, utilitydesign.co.uk

9. The Artek chair 69 

A list of this kind would not be complete without including Artek’s Chair 69. The most popular chair in their collection and created by the legendary Finnish designer Alvar Aalto in 1935 for use in the Viipuri Municipal Library in Russia, it was seen at the time as a pioneering reinvention of classic kitchen and café style seating. With its broad seat and supportive backrest, all made from bent birch, this chair is also available in a variety of tones and finishes ensuring it will add a nostalgic pop of colour to the heart of your home or an informal feel to the office. 

Artek Chair 69, £434, scp.co.uk 

10. The Fredericia J39 chair

Nicknamed 'The People's Chair' for its timeless appeal and lasting durability, this iconic Børge Mogensen design has remained in uninterrupted production since its launch by Fredericia over 75 years ago. One of Denmark's most sold wooden chairs, it is said to have been inspired by Mogensen's mentor, the great Kaare Klint, as well as the influential designer’s love for American Shaker furniture. With its curved backrest and hand-woven paper-cord seat, the J39 continues to inspire people around the world, coming in solid beech or oak, as well as a black lacquer, pebble grey, khaki green, indigo blue or heritage red painted finish.

Fredericia J39 Chair, £463, skandium.com