Pianists, film directors, tennis referees, Formula drivers—each has a purpose-designed chair. An object that becomes the pillar of a practice: Linus’s blanket, Miles’s trumpet, Montgomery’s Smithers. What do other creators sit on?

I sent 68 proposals to selected designers, type foundries, publishers, artists, and studios, asking for: (a) a photograph of a chair from their workspace, (b) a sentence or two—a fact or personal story about it, and (c) the model and designer of the chair, if known. Of those, 28 replied, resulting in 15 contributions.

With their permission, you can now see what these contributors—my personal superheroes—sit on while creating.