Confession time: When I wrote the ultimate IKEA shopping list, the POÄNG chair was mysteriously missing from the bunch. Truthfully, I turned my nose up at this chair for way too long. It was just so quintessentially and so obviously IKEA. But you know what? Every time I see the $100-ish POÄNG in person or in photos, the damn thing always looks amazing. A little history to put everything in perspective: The POÄNG Chair is one of IKEA's longest-running and best-selling designs. It was introduced in 1977 as the POEM (the name changed to POÄNG in 1992) and designed by Noboru Nakamura, a Japanese IKEA designer who was given the task of creating an "armchair for life." Because it has been around such a long while, the iterations you see here (including the matching footstool & of course the rocking chair version) might not be the same exact form you would buy today. But the clean lines, bent frame and gentle rocking motion should all be very familiar as soon as you bring it home and settle in for a sit.
Above: An IKEA POÄNG in a new, orange slipcover from Bemz, just one way to elevate the look. Toni and Patrick's Floridian Flat on Pop Sugar (Image credit: Pop Sugar) POANGs in Grey and Scout's living room (Image credit: Grey and Scout) A contemporary living room from Adrian James Architects on Houzz (Image credit: David Fisher) Kate & Chad's Art-Filled Dwelling (Image credit: Alexis Buryk) A Nursery POANG from The Suburban Urbanist (Image credit: The Suburban Urbanist) A coastal-style home, featured by IKEA Another nursery POANG rocker, from The Clevery Bunny (Image credit: The Clever Bunny) Peek at through a doorway in this Denver home from Lauren Mikus on Houzz (Image credit: Lauren Mikus)POÄNG: Love it or hate it?Read more on PRF The price reflects selected options CA, East Palo Alto Go to POÄNG series New (4) from $135.97 Ships from and sold by emporiumonline. Selection for all your Bedroom needs, from mattresses and bed frames to sheets, lighting and more.
Ikea Poang Chair Armchair with Cushion, Cover and Frame Ikea Poang Chair Armchair and Footstool Set with Covers (Machine Washable) FREE Shipping. Width: 26 3/4 " Depth: 32 1/4 " Height: 39 3/8 " Seat width: 22 " Seat depth: 19 5/8 " Seat height: 16 1/2 " 31.2 x 25.5 x 10.7 inches 4.4 out of 5 stars #50,358 in Home and Garden (See top 100) #13,619 in Home & Kitchen > Bedding > Decorative Pillows, Inserts & Covers > Pillow Covers #210,033 in Home & Kitchen > Home Décor 23.1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies) If you are a seller for this product, would you like to suggest updates through seller support? Would you like to tell us about a lower price? 5 star81%4 star10%2 star3%1 star6%See all verified purchase reviewsTop Customer ReviewsLove the chairGreatEvery person who sits in it .....They are very comfortable and easy to assembleFive StarsFive StarsGreat Poang chair See and discover other items: ikea chair cover, ikea stools, ikea kitchen
Learn more about our warranty POÄNG seriesWhat’s so special about POÄNG? The springy bentwood frame that makes it so easy to relax. It follows the shape of your body to support your lower back and neck, so you can lean back in comfort. Just choose the frame you like and the fabric or leather cover that suits your style to get started on all that lounging.It's been 30 years since Ikea, beloved, low-cost furniture retailer to the masses, opened in the United States. While many of the designs look freakishly similar to those of decades past, a few key elements have changed, namely the retailer's ability to offer customers furniture for even lower prices. On June 12, 1985, the Swedish store opened its doors in America for the first time in Plymouth Meeting, Pennsylvania. Today, there are 40 Ikea stores nationwide. Among all of the changes, Ikea has managed to keep certain iconic products --like the BILLY bookcase, POÄNG chair, LACK table, KLIPPAN loveseat -- at pretty affordable prices.
In fact, Ikea says the cost of making these products has actually decreased since 1985, making them less expensive for customers, as well. Marty Marston, Ikea U.S. Product PR Manager told The Huffington Post that Ikea's emphasis on "democratic design" (form, function, quality, sustainability and price) has had a huge impact on price. Marston said that around 2001-2002, Ikea stopped making certain furniture items out of solid wood, which decreased the price for customers. "In 2001-2002, we went with this new, innovative method of creating the look of solid wood products, without using all of the precious resources of trees," Marston said (Ikea famously uses nearly one percent of the world's wood). "So while the legs of the LACK table used to be made of solid wood, they were now hollow." The product manager added that the inside of the LACK table employs a concept called Board on Frame. "The inside of the table is expandable, with heavy cardboard that looks like a honeycomb.
It fills up the empty space with the cardboard accordion inside and it gives the table incredible strength." In addition to the Board on Frame concept lowering prices, Marston added that Ikea's way of packing and shipping items, called "flat packing," also helped lower prices for customers. So while those large boxes might be heavy and cumbersome, you can credit them for those affordable furniture prices. Follow Us On Pinterest | Like Us On Facebook | Follow Us On TwitterWith its bentwood frame, cantilevered seat, and curved backrest, the Poäng chair is one of Ikea's most recognizable pieces. The Swedish furniture maker has produced over 30 million Poäng chairs since it debuted in 1976, and it continues to sell about 1.5 million every year—the company's bestselling armchair—not bad for a design that's settling squarely into middle age. So what, exactly, made the Poäng a commercial success and an instant icon for Ikea? The secret lies in a genius concept that's been gently updated with the times.
The company doesn't normally put individual designers in the spotlight, but for the Poäng's 40th birthday, it did. Japanese designer Noboru Nakamura is the creator of the Poäng. He came to Ikea in 1973 to learn more about Scandinavian furniture—and there, he collaborated with Lars Engman, the director of design at the company, on a chair that would use plywood veneer construction. In a video interview, Nakamura, who left Ikea in 1978 to start his own furniture company, describes how the chair came about. "I learned by experience that a cantilever consisting of a U-shaped structure could, with a person, swing to some extent with the use of molded plywood, and I wanted it to swing in an elegant way, which triggered me to imagine Poäng," he says. "A chair shouldn't be a tool that binds and holds the sitter; it should be a tool that provides us emotional richness. [Poäng] creates an image where we let off stress or frustration by swinging. Such movement has meaning and value."
The final silhouette resembled Alvar Aalto's Model 406 chair of 1939, but in lieu of a webbed or caned seat, the Poäng sported thin upholstery. "While the design has remained largely unchanged since its inception, this iconic product has undergone some alterations to make it more accessible, more affordable, more relevant, and to increase the quality," says Mark Bond, deputy range manager of living rooms at Ikea. There have been tweaks to the upholstery color and pattern to keep the chair relevant with consumer tastes, but the biggest change happened in 1992. The chair's seat was originally made from tubular steel, but in the early '90s, the company switched to an all-wood frame and also narrowed the size. This allowed the chair to be flat packed—a move that reduced the price by 21% for customers (it's actually less expensive now than it was when it launched). That same year, Ikea changed the chair's original name, Poem, to Poäng. "The evolution has always been design-focused, thinking of this product not as a fashion item but rather adhering to and improving upon the classic design," Bond says.