I’ve definitely got my eye on Itoki Design’s new DP Chair. In fact I’m resolved (budget permitting) to own at least a duo of these handsome new multi-purpose numbers—perhaps even a quartet. My enthusiasm definitely relates to the company’s stateside manufacturing, and equally so to their use of recycled polyester, and especially to the chair’s nifty two-toned design, but most of all to its cross-over functionality.

DP Chair. Designed by Itoki Design.

Itoki describes this last aspect thusly: “At once classic and contemporary, this meeting chair of generous proportion joins two plyform shells for great comfort. Equally functional as it is elegant, the DP chair is a distinct design that feels right in a multitude of settings.” Itoki offers the piece in a variety of incarnations (mix and match outer shell and seat colors, fixed or swivel base with casters or feet, smooth or cushioned back rests), which certainly contributes to the versatility quotient, but it’s not the whole story. In fact, the very aesthetic of DP synthesizes aspects of traditional “office” and traditional “residential” designs: the cupped profile of seat and back offer ergonomic support while making a stylish and contemporary statement, evoking all manner of classic modern motifs, from Eames’ LCW to Thomas Pedersen’s Stingray Rocker.

The above is all well and good—and certainly reason enough to consider DP right here and now—but my particular attachment to it is of a more personal sort. Situated, as I am at the moment, in a temporary living situation, I found myself in desperate need of a decent chair (and procured one in the form of a used Knoll for About $40). Since this is the one and only chair in the house that my back can handle, I’m perpetually scooting it across the floor—from desk to kitchen table to TV and back.

I envision something of the same multi-usage capacity for DP. The bonus, of course, is that DP’s optional shells in walnut, maple, or painted veneer, and cushions in eight different colored fabrics or leather make it an aesthete’s boon (unlike my used affair, which rather resembles Martin Crane’s old reliable from the TV show Frasier). Just so, with DP, not only can you have a comfy and contemporary office/dining/living chair, you can specify your ideal combination of luxurious materiality and vibrant color.