Polypropylene (molded plastic) seats and stainles

A chair may or may not have armrests; chairs with armrests are termed armchairs. In French, a distinction is made between fauteuil and chaise, the terms for chairs with and without armrests, respectively. If present, armrests will support part of the body weight through the arms if the arms are resting on the armrests. Armrests further have the function of making entry and exit from the chair easier (but from the side it becomes more difficult). Armrests should support the forearm and not the sensitive elbow area. Hence in some chair designs, the armrest is not continuous to the chair back, but is missing in the elbow area.
A couch, bench, or other arrangement of seats next to each other may have armrest at the sides and/or arm rests in between. The latter may be provided for comfort, but also for privacy e.g. in public transport and other public places, and to prevent lying on the bench. Arm rests reduce both desired and undesired proximity. A loveseat in particular, has no armrest in between.
See also seats in movie theaters, and pictures of benches with and without arm rests.
Seats[edit source | editbeta]


Polypropylene (molded plastic) seats and stainless steel legs in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. This type of material is very useful in seaside areas
Chair seats vary widely in construction and may or may not match construction of the chair's back (backrest).
Some systems include:
center seats where a solid material forms the chair seat.
Solid wood, may or may not be shaped to human contours.
Wood slats, often seen on outdoor chairs
Padded leather, generally a flat wood base covered in padding and contained in soft leather
Stuffed fabric, similar to padded leather
Metal seats of solid or open design
Molded plastic