What is a Chair?

A consideration of democracy & seating in public spaces.

Take a moment to think about what a simple chair does.

At its core, a chair is an object—four legs, a seat, and a back. It’s a tool, a piece of furniture, something we rarely think twice about.

Inside a home, a chair serves a familiar set of functions. It lets someone sit at the table and share a meal with family. It offers a spot to doze off during the latest reality TV episode. It provides a perch for watching the YouTube. And for those of us who aren’t quite tall enough, it’s an essential step up to reach that high shelf.

Now, take that same chair and place it outside in a city. What happens?

Suddenly, it’s no longer just an object. It becomes an enabler— an instigator of interaction, a catalyst for connection.

“I had three chairs in my house; one for solitude, two for friendship, three for society.”

Henry David Thoreau, Walden

A single chair in an urban setting transforms the experience of the space. It gives someone the chance to sit and watch the world go by. It offers a resting place for a passerby, young or old, to pause and catch their breath. It creates a dining spot for someone enjoying a slice of pizza from the corner shop. It serves as an impromptu outdoor office, a place to tap into free Wi-Fi. It becomes the setting where a mother teaches her son how to tie his shoes.

A chair lets someone shift from merely passing through a space to belonging in it.

Now, add a second chair.

Suddenly, a space is created. Two friends can sit and catch up. Two strangers can observe the world together. A makeshift lounge emerges where someone can put up their feet. A workspace expands from just a chair to a chair and a desk.

But the real magic? That happens when you add a third chair.

Three chairs change the way people interact— not just with the space, but with each other.

With three chairs, a public square becomes a dining room for a couple sharing a meal. A few chairs in a row create the perfect setting for the next great chess rivalry between two old friends. They form the foundation for a poetry reading, an impromptu theatre performance, or an unpredictable game of musical chairs.

But what about benches? Don’t they serve the same function?

Not quite. Let’s talk about democracy, choice, and participation when it comes to seating in public spaces.

A bench, especially one bolted to the ground, comes with an unspoken command:

“Sit here. Face this way.” 👀

That’s it. That’s the extent of the choice offered.

With a bench, a person decides only whether to sit or not. They don’t get to choose their view. They don’t get to shift to avoid the glare of the sun or the oncoming rain. A bench is static.

A chair, however, offers agency. It hands control over to the individual. It invites participation in the life of the street.

With a chair, someone can choose to sit close to others or find some space. They can turn to face the sun or seek out shade. They can shift, even slightly, to find a more comfortable position.

“This might not strike you as an intellectual bombshell, but people like to sit where there are places for them to sit.”

William H. Whyte

Think about the last time you sat down in a chair.

Whether it was a stool, an office chair, or a seat at your favorite restaurant, chances are, you adjusted it— moved it closer, angled it just right. Now, imagine if that chair had been bolted in place. How uncomfortable would that feel? How limiting?

That same principle applies to our streets.

When cities choose chairs over benches, they give people ownership of public space. A simple chair transforms passersby into participants, visitors into residents, strangers into citizens of the space they occupy.

At a glance, it might seem like all seating is the same. But when we pause and consider the choices they enable (or restrict), it becomes clear—there’s an underlying, often invisible, democracy in how we design places for people to sit.