Going Clear: Modern Transparent Chairs You Can Actually Afford

Clear, plastic furniture is not a concept that I was immediately warm to. The hyper-modern aesthetic just wasn’t cute to me. It felt contrived, overly ironic, and challenging for my design imagination to work with. It wasn’t until several years after I saw my first Ghost Chair – a now-historical piece of functional art by Phillipe Starcke, and the OG see-through furniture – that I finally understood my problem: I was viewing clear furniture as a theme instead of an accent. You don’t fill an entire room with see-through furniture! They’re for adding some interesting, contrasting vibes to an otherwise logical and beautiful – perhaps even traditional – space.

And I really should have known, too. The Ghost Chair that Phillipe Starcke created was inspired by and crafted after a chair that belonged to King Louis XVI. Um, that’s not modern at all! And the shape of it doesn’t try to hide its origin, either. The shape and silhouette (were it to have one) are unarguably old-school, when Starcke replicated the shape with crystal-clear lucite, it was a pretty genius move.

Cleverly combining super-old with super-new is never going to be boring, and when that thing happens to be a chair made out of polycarbonate plastic, that makes a high end design idea an option for strict-budget shoppers. Plus, you couldn’t ask for a chair that was easier to clean. Some, including the original, are even meant to be used both indoors and outdoors!

Dining room design by Ann Lowengart Interiors

Living room design by Red Egg Design Group

Office design by Folding Chair Design | Nook design by Jess Weeks Interiors

Dining room design by Ana Donahue Interiors

Office design by Maria Causey Interior Design

The thing about clear furniture like this, though, is that it kinda has to be plastic. Glass stuff just doesn’t have the same effect as crystalline polycarbonate, lucite, or acrylic. Besides, you don’t want a freaking glass chair in your house – that’s recipe for disaster.

As for how to mesh a clear, modern-art chair into your hand-me-down furniture and IKEA stuff? Just try things! Like we discussed before, tossing one of these futuristic chairs next to an antique desk or rustic farm table is a great place to start. Or, if you’re into a more minimalist vibe, planing one of these nest to an angular, boxy table would give a little curve and motion to the scene. Don’t worry, it will make way more sense to your eyes than it does to your brain, so keep your adventure hat strapped on tight, and go by what you think looks good and brings you joy.

Best Budget-Friendly Clear Chairs

Transparent Dining Chair, $129 $76.99 | Clear Molded Evie Chairs (Set of 2), $159.98 $79.98

Riverstone Chiavari Chair, $99 $84.99 | Nesting Series Transparent Stacking Chairs, $75.99

Acrylic Folding Chair, $101.29 $86.10 | Modway Casper Clear Dining Chair, $80.94

Do you have one of these ethereal, clear chairs in your house? If so, how did you style it? Do you use anything as a cushion, or drape anything over it to signify to other people that there is an invisible chair there? Leave your tips to owning see-through furniture in the comments!

Header photo by Michael J. Lee, design by Ana Donahue Interiors

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