The Plastic Monobloc Chair

The Monobloc chair is a lightweight stackable polypropylene chair, usually white in color, often described as the world's most common plastic chair. [1] The name comes from mono - ("one") and bloc ("block"), in this case referring to an object injection moulded in a single piece. There is one chair that connects the most diverse places on the planet.

Made from a single block of plastic, it is durable, easy to clean, and, above all, cheap. Come with Elle Decor to explore the sentimental story behind the Monobloc, an immortal plastic chair produced in a single mold. Indeed, the Monobloc is not only a symbol of democratic, affordable design, but also synonymous with a culture of disposable consumption: when a white plastic chair breaks, its not repairedits thrown away and replaced, endlessly.

Conceived in the fifties at a crucial moment in design history, this white piece of plastic was hailed as chair for the world, afforded global success thanks to production methods that today make it as problematic as it is iconic. You might not know its name, but when you see it, youll recognize the Monobloc chair. In this animated explainer, MoMA curator Paola Antonelli explores why the Monobloc chair embodies a paradox in the history of design.