One of the most fascinating contradictions of the modern office is that despite every person having different ergonomic needs, they are expected to use the same uniform pieces of furniture.

There have been a lot of attempts to find an innovative way around this conflict and bespoke office furniture often finds ways to maintain a relatively standardised look whilst taking into account how people actually use their seats and desks.

With that in mind, here are some of the most unusual pieces of office furniture ever made, and the ideas and ambitions that drove them forward.

Wiggle Side Chair

Frank Gehry is a man that is typically far more associated with architecture than furniture design, to the point that he even makes an appearance in an episode of The Simpsons.

However, this is quite the shame, as the creator of the Guggenheim Museum Bilbao and Walt Disney Concert Hall also made a unique, aesthetic and exceptionally unusual Wiggle Chair.

Made from cardboard, the chair is beautiful, unusual, simple and yet exceedingly sturdy, and befitting of a person who designs landmarks in a very similar way.

Koleksiyon Cap

Whilst we are on the subject of contradictions, alongside uniformity amongst a diverse workforce, the other major conflict is between the collaborative nature of open-plan offices against the need for a space of one’s own to focus.

One attempt to get around this was simply known as the Cap, an open “personal work zone”, that that essentially works as a person divider and allows people a space where they can focus purely on their own workload.

The Last Writing Desk

Taking the notion of uniformity and minimalist design to its logical extremes, Frans Willigers created The Last Writing Desk, which strips away every other part of a typical desk setup aside from a rudimentary seat and a surface to place your laptop.

It may not appeal to everyone, but it does have an appeal for people who want to have an efficiently designed small space. Although it may be worth bringing a support cushion with you.