You know those green folding chairs in Bryant Park that, if you were so inclined, you could probably walk right out of there with? They're for sale! According to the park's online shop, you can "bring home the most cherished and iconic element of Bryant Park, the signature bistro chair. Your Vintage Bryant Park Chair will be selected from the park’s collection of distinctive furniture, greatly coveted and used daily by Midtown professionals and Manhattan dwellers alike." more ›

Starting Tuesday, the windows at Barney's are getting a makeover courtesy of 20 of the city's street artists and one iconic chair. The Eames Foundation, Eames Office and Herman Miller have teamed up with the Public Works Department of New York to present 20 Eames® Molded Plywood Chairs designed by graffiti and street artists like Peru Ana Ana Peru and Billi Kid. They'll be on display next week through the end of the month in Barney's windows. The chairs will simultaneously be auctioned off online through June 1st to benefit Operation Design, a mentorship program that matches creative professionals with public school students to work on artistic projects. Too bad Shepard Fairey was a little busy. more ›

What's the strangest thing you've ever put in storage? One man sent Curbed some photos from his Brooklyn storage locker, which contains 10 chairs adorned with some of the city's landmark buildings. He says they were created by Frank Peter Siciliano in the late '70s (though some say they're from the '80s). Together, the piece is called "Manhattan Suite" and it used to be owned by Automotive Tycoon Malcolm Bricklin, who purchased it for $250K a few decades ago. The current owner says he hopes to get the pieces into a museum—though they would make a pretty sweet conversation piece for the dining room. more ›

Here's your hotly-anticipated first look at the new permanent tables and chairs in the probably-permanent Broadway pedestrian plazas. Yesterday we showed you the funny installation art created out of the controversial old chairs, which were turned into a mountain of colorful plastic by sculptor Jason Peters. The 400 brand-new metal seats were unfolded this morning by the Times Square Alliance, and surely all will agree that they're a welcome addition to this urban oasis. Still, he world awaits the final verdict from NY Post columnist Andrea Peyser, who hated the plastic chairs with a town hall passion. more ›

Mayor Bloomberg says those down-market beach chairs in the new car-free sections of Broadway have got to go. Speaking about the new pedestrian plazas on his weekly radio show, Bloomberg revealed his disdain for the inexpensive chairs, which have been subjected to savage criticism from the likes of cranky Post columnist Andrea Peyser, who derided them as "flimsy furniture that littered the streets like a going-out-of-business sale." Hizzoner has sided with the haters, and wants everyone to know that once work on the pedestrian plazas is complete, "there will not be those kinds of lounges." Street furniture controversy aside, the mayor declared the experiment, which reroutes southbound traffic to Seventh Avenue in an attempt to reduce congestion, an overwhelming success: "So far, it is working exactly as the computer modeling says it will." Of course, not even the most powerful computer in the world can accurately gauge New Yorkers' capacity for complaining. more ›

The guy behind the Take a Seat project has spoken out against his criticizers (ahem). Listen up, haters: just because the chairs are found as curbside trash, doesn't mean they are no longer functional, and it certainly doesn't mean they're infested with bedbugs. However, the point about taking up space on already overcrowded platforms was a good one, he admits, although he notes that the stations are chosen with that in mind (here's a map of where there are currently chairs). As for crowd reactions, he says, "I've never stuck around to watch riders' reactions, I imagine the chairs are often greeted with skepticism - 'Who's chair is this? Why is it here? Is there something wrong with it?' - and only utilized by people who just really need to take a load off." C'mon, fess up, who's had a seat in one of the trash chairs? more ›

While the MTA starts taking seats out of the subway cars, the Take a Seat project is continuously building up their public furniture installation which brings in more seats to subway stations. "Perfectly functional chairs are rescued from trash piles and reassigned to stations where limited seating options leave subway patrons no choice but to stand for extended periods of time." Great idea as long as the rescued furniture isn't infested with bed bugs (like some street finds and subway benches can be)! more ›