Colorful furniture for your restaurant: Butterfly chairs by Karim Rashid

Butterflies are entrancing creatures. I remember going to a butterfly garden and watching thousands of them of all colors of the rainbow flittering hither and yon. They evoke feelings of lightness and peace, and I think in some cultures they represent hope; that’s why they are released during wedding receptions in many parts of the world.

It might not be practical to have butterflies flying around in your restaurant’s reception area to keep guests entertained while they wait to be seated. But that doesn’t mean you can’t brighten up your establishment with some funky furniture like Karim Rashid’s Butterfly chairs, which when used as contemporary reception chairs for example, would add vibrancy to any establishment’s waiting room. Not only do they look bright and upbeat, they are actually a breeze for restaurant management to clean and maintain. The plastic seats don’t require much in the way of upkeep and the fact that the chairs are stackable makes them easy to store away and move around.

Manufactured by Magis, these chairs come in various glossy colors such as orange, sky blue, lime green, pink, as well as in standard white and grey anthracite. They may not be as light as the real thing but then, they are not heavyweights either. The frame is made of chromed steel tubing while the seats and their backs are made of standard injection molded acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS) plastic. The Butterfly chairs measure 82.5 cm high, 54.5 cm wide and 55.5 cm deep. The seat height is 46 cm.

Karim Rashid has designed and produced more than a thousand pieces of furniture. Some of his work is in permanent collections in museums and he has received numerous design awards. His Butterfly chairs are examples of finely designed furniture that is both attractive and eminently practical.