We now know who makes the $14,000 chairs on Apple's new campus

Advertisement
We now know who makes the $14,000 chairs on Apple's new campus

Apple Park Steve Jobs Theater

Steve Kovach

Advertisement

Apple spared no expenses on its new campus, Apple Park, which reportedly cost around $5 billion to construct. Its visitor center opens to non-Apple employees later this month.

For example, the on-campus theater where it unveiled the iPhone 8 and X, the Steve Jobs Theater, was equipped with seats that cost $14,000, according to an engineer who worked on the project.

Complimentary Tech Event
Transform talent with learning that works
Capability development is critical for businesses who want to push the envelope of innovation.Discover how business leaders are strategizing around building talent capabilities and empowering employee transformation.Know More

Behold what $14,000 of seat looks like:

Apple Park Steve Jobs Theater Chair

Steve Kovach

Advertisement

Thanks to a new story in Wallpaper about Apple Park and Jony Ive, Apple's chief designer who worked on it, we now know who makes those pricey seats - although we can't tell if the price tag is for a single seat or an entire row.

The seats are made by Poltrona Frau, an Italian company that says it is a "leader in top of the range furniture." Its website puts a heavy emphasis on craft and materials, so it's easy to see why the design-obsessed Ive and his team chose the furniture maker.

There isn't an exact match for Apple's seats on the Poltrona Frau website, although it sells other expensive chairs - like this $12,000 dining room set. It's completely possible that the Steve Jobs theater design was custom for Apple, like the extra-long tables for other parts of the park, or the custom finishes on the chairs made by Maruni for the campus cafeteria.

The chairs in the theater aren't the only fancy seats at Apple Park. Wallpaper also reported that the office space on the campus is dotted with iconic "womb" chairs designed by Eero Saarinen.

Eero Saarinen Womb Chair

Knoll

A Womb chair designed by Eero Saarinen.

Advertisement