The Poäng (, ) is a wooden

cantilever A cantilever is a rigid structural element that extends horizontally and is unsupported at one end. Typically it extends from a flat vertical surface such as a wall, to which it must be firmly attached. Like other structural elements, a cantilev ...

armchair that has been sold by the Swedish furniture retailer

IKEA IKEA ( , ) is a Multinational corporation, multinational conglomerate (company), conglomerate founded in Sweden that designs and sells , household goods, and various related services. IKEA is owned and operated by a series of not-for-profit an ...

since 1992. As of 2016, about one-and-a-half million Poängs are sold annually, and a total of 30 million have been produced. Japanese designer created the original chair, then called the "Poem", in 1975 in collaboration with product manager Lars Engman, who later headed up the IKEA design team. The design of both the Poem and Poäng chairs resemble that of the 'Armchair 406', created by the Finnish designer

Alvar Aalto Hugo Alvar Henrik Aalto (; 3 February 1898 – 11 May 1976) was a Finnish architect and designer. His work includes architecture, furniture, textiles and glassware, as well as sculptures and paintings. He never regarded himself as an artist, see ...

in 1939, as well as the ‘Pernilla’ armchair designed by Swedish architect

Bruno Mathsson Bruno Mathsson (13 January 190717 August 1988) was a Swedish architect and furniture designer whose ideas aligned with functionalism, modernism, as well as the Swedish crafts tradition. Biography Mathsson was raised in the town of Värnamo in ...

in 1944. The IKEA chair features thin

upholstery Upholstery is the work of providing furniture, especially seats, with padding, springs, webbing, and fabric or leather covers. The word also refers to the materials used to upholster something. ''Upholstery'' comes from the Middle English wor ...

instead of the 406's webbed seat. Its molded

plywood Plywood is a composite material manufactured from thin layers, or "plies", of wood veneer that have been stacked and glued together. It is an engineered wood from the family of manufactured boards, which include plywood, medium-density fibreboa ...

frame swings slightly when a person sits in it, giving the impression of a

rocking chair A rocking chair or rocker is a type of chair with two curved bands (also known as rockers) attached to the bottom of the legs, connecting the legs on each side to each other. The rockers contact the floor at only two points, giving the occupant ...

; Nakamura intended this to evoke a relaxing feeling. The chair was first launched in 1976 under the name "Poem". Since then, its design has been changed several times. It was renamed to "Poäng" in 1992, and the seat frame was changed from tubular steel to wood, which allowed the chair to be flat-packed and led to a price reduction of 21%. The color, pattern, and material of the upholstery have also been updated to account for changing customer preferences. The Poäng's price has decreased markedly since its introduction. In 1990, it was sold for up to $350 in the United States, compared to a 2016 price of $79. In its post-1990s form, the Poäng is composed of a frame of bent, glued beechwood veneers and solid wooden rails, finished with clear lacquer and available in various colors. The seating material consists of

polypropylene Polypropylene (PP), also known as polypropene, is a thermoplastic polymer used in a wide variety of applications. It is produced via chain-growth polymerization from the monomer Propene, propylene. Polypropylene belongs to the group of polyolefin ...

support fabric and cushions made of leather or fabric filled with

polyurethane Polyurethane (; often abbreviated PUR and PU) is a class of polymers composed of organic chemistry, organic units joined by carbamate (urethane) links. In contrast to other common polymers such as polyethylene and polystyrene, polyurethane term ...

foam. A matching ottoman footstool is also sold. IKEA founder

Ingvar Kamprad Feodor Ingvar Kamprad (; 30 March 1926 – 27 January 2018) was a Swedish billionaire who founded IKEA in 1943 and grew into a multinational retail company that became the world's largest furniture seller in 2008. He moved to Switzerland w ...

expressed an affinity for the Poäng, and said in 2006 that he had owned the same one for 32 years.1974 IKEA chair, one careful owner, not for sale
Luke Harding for ''

The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in Manchester in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'' and changed its name in 1959, followed by a move to London. Along with its sister paper, ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardi ...

'' Wednesday 20 December 2006

References

{{IKEA Chairs Flatpack furniture IKEA products Individual models of furniture Products introduced in 1976 Japanese inventions