Chairs of the decade

I grouped together some of the most prominent chairs of the decade thus far to try and see if any obvious patterns or trends emerged. I realize this exercise is more than premature not only because the decade isn't over, but because it often takes multiple decades to really fully understand history. With that in mind I found that the collection I put together (which is by no means complete) made me think that design today is hesitant to move forward. For the first decade of the millennium, it's interesting that design has been more focused on the past than the future. Maybe because the future, with its threats of terror and global climate change, seems more scary than it did during the optimistic Space Age and Jet Age of the 50's and 60's. Several of the chairs in this grouping are riffing from that era. The result, in my opinion, is an aesthetic that ultimately looks futuristic but simultaneously seems, well, dated.

Top image from left to right:
x3 stacking chair ($356) 2005
icon chair ($370) 2006
ultra bellini chair ($250) 2006
vignelli chair ($400) 2006
20-06 stacking chair ($440) 2006
street stacking chair (441) *wrong photo shown* 2002
gigi stacking chair ($188) 2002
air arm chair ($592 for four) 2006
ice side chair ($470) 2005
Bottom image:
chair one ($376) 2003
mademoiselle printed ($860) 2003
real good chair ($99) 2006
spoon chair ($685) 2005
butterfly chair ($300) 2003
maui side chair ($220) 2005
deja vu chair ($750) 2005
ero|s| castors ($620) 2001
louis ghost chair ($410) 2002