Arne Jacobsen

Jacobsen's Ant chair of 1952 and Series 7 chair of 1955 solved a problem every canteen and conference room has: a light, stackable chair that is comfortable for an hour. A single sheet of moulded plywood, pinched at the waist so it flexes, sits on slim steel legs; Fritz Hansen has sold millions of them, in every colour. His Egg and Swan chairs, designed for the SAS Royal Hotel in Copenhagen, where he planned everything down to the cutlery, are the luxury end. Honest caveat: Series 7 seats are hard without a cushion over a long dinner.