TL;DR
Get furniture and decor delivered free with Prime
- Fast, free delivery on millions of items
- Prime Video, Amazon Music and more included
- Member-only deals all year
Eileen Gray’s Bibendum chair, designed in 1926, reaches its centenary in 2026. Aram is marking the anniversary with a special edition in a gold leather textile; the chair’s rounded upholstery and tubular steel frame continue to feature in contemporary interiors.
Eileen Gray’s Bibendum chair, designed in 1926, reaches its 100th anniversary in 2026, and furniture company Aram is marking the centenary with a special edition in a gold leather textile. The chair’s distinctive upholstered rings and tubular steel frame remain in production and continue to appear in contemporary interiors, a rare long-running example of a modernist design retaining both its visual identity and practical use.
The Bibendum is built from thick, rounded bands of upholstery arranged around a gleaming tubular steel frame. Its name and silhouette refer to the Michelin Man, whose official name is Bibendum. The effect is both soft and sculptural: a generous seat sits above a narrow metal base that gives the chair a lighter, more architectural appearance than a traditional club chair.
The 2026 anniversary edition adds a gold leather textile, according to the source report, which credits the product image to Aram. The report does not give details about the edition’s price, production quantity, release date or availability. Aram has made the chair since securing a licence to Gray’s designs in 1973; it remains the exclusive UK supplier, while ClassiCon holds a sublicense outside the UK.
Designers cited in the report describe the chair as balancing comfort with a strong visual presence. Iain Watson, CEO and founder of David Collins Studio, said he had lived with a pair and admired “their balance of sensuality and modernity.” Agnes Rudzite said it can function as both “an inviting chair to sit in and a sculptural object in its own right.” Those observations are assessments by the designers, rather than specifications about the chair’s construction or performance.
Why the Bibendum Still Fits Modern Rooms
The centenary puts a spotlight on a design that has remained recognizable across changing interior styles. Its continued production means the Bibendum is not only a historical object: buyers and designers can still encounter it as a usable chair. The anniversary edition also shows how a familiar design can be presented in a new material or finish without changing its defining form.
Its significance rests partly on the contrast Gray established between rounded upholstery and a precise metal frame. Rudzite told Livingetc that the chair’s geometry feels contemporary and can make a room’s focal point without extra decoration. That is a designer’s view, but it helps explain why the chair is still specified for projects: it can add a distinct shape to a room while serving as seating.
The chair’s commercial history also illustrates how design legacies can depend on later production and licensing. Gray’s designs returned to wider circulation after Zeev Aram secured the licence in 1973. The centenary is thus a milestone both for Gray’s design and for the production arrangement that has kept the Bibendum available to modern audiences.
As an affiliate, we earn on qualifying purchases.
From Gray’s 1920s Interiors to Production
Gray, an Irish-born designer and architect, used the Bibendum in interiors during the 1920s and 1930s. The source report identifies Juliette Mathieu-Lévy’s Paris apartment on Rue de Lota and Gray’s own Villa E-1027, completed in 1929, as notable examples. A reconstruction of the villa can still be seen at the site, according to the report.
The design departed from familiar club-chair construction. Instead of traditional wooden legs, Gray used a slender tubular steel base, setting it against a heavily padded body. The source says early examples were upholstered in fabric or skai, a vinyl made to resemble leather, and that surviving early chairs are scarce. Limited production and Gray’s relatively modest profile at the time contributed to the design fading from view before Aram’s licensing agreement brought it back into production.
The chair’s name reaches further back than Gray’s design. Michelin’s mascot was first illustrated by cartoonist O’Galop in 1898, and Bibendum draws on the Latin phrase “Nunc est bibendum,” used by the company as an advertising slogan. Gray’s use of the name and rounded shape turned that reference into a piece of furniture, combining a recognizable cultural allusion with the modern materials and forms of her work.
““I lived with a pair of Bibendum chairs for many years and have always admired their balance of sensuality and modernity.””
— Iain Watson, CEO and founder of David Collins Studio
Edition Details Still Unreported
The available report identifies the anniversary finish as a gold leather textile, but does not specify the edition’s price, number of chairs, ordering date or whether it will be available in every market. It also does not clarify whether the material is leather or a textile designed to resemble leather; the reported wording is “gold” leather textile.
The centenary date is tied to Gray’s 1926 design. The source does not identify a precise day of completion or establish that the chair was first sold or publicly shown in that same year. Information on how many Bibendum chairs are currently produced or sold is also not provided, so the scale of its present-day market cannot be assessed from the report.
Availability and Centenary Plans
Aram’s anniversary edition is the confirmed centenary development described in the source report. Prospective buyers will need details from the company or its retailers on pricing, stock and ordering, which were not included in the report. ClassiCon’s role as sublicense holder outside the UK may also shape where the chair and anniversary version are sold, but specific distribution plans for the gold finish have not been stated.
Further information from Aram or the relevant retailers would clarify whether the special edition is a limited run and how long it will be available. Until those details are published, the confirmed news is the chair’s 100-year milestone and the introduction of the new finish, not the edition’s commercial scale.
Key Questions
Who designed the Bibendum chair?
Eileen Gray designed the Bibendum chair in 1926. She was an Irish-born designer and architect whose work also included the E-1027 villa and other furniture designs.
Why is the chair called Bibendum?
The name refers to Bibendum, the Michelin Man. The chair’s rounded, stacked upholstery also recalls the mascot’s familiar shape.
What is new for the chair’s 100th anniversary?
For 2026, Aram is marking the centenary with a special edition in a gold leather textile, according to the source report. Price, production quantity and availability were not provided.
Who makes or sells the Bibendum chair today?
Aram has produced the chair since securing a licence to Gray’s designs in 1973 and remains the exclusive UK supplier. ClassiCon holds a sublicense outside the UK, according to the report.
Where did Gray use the Bibendum chair?
The report identifies the Paris apartment of fashion entrepreneur Juliette Mathieu-Lévy and Gray’s Villa E-1027, completed in 1929, among the settings where she used the chair.
Source: rss
Fall Picks
fall essentials
As an affiliate, we earn on qualifying purchases.
