Gallery: The Bachelor Chair is a Step ...

It’s a step stool! It’s an ironing board! No, it’s a chair! Actually the humorously named Bachelor Chair is all three. Conceived in the 18th century, the wooden, nearly all-purpose piece of furniture was designed to help single men who couldn’t land a wife to maintain a proper home. Some believe the chair was one of Thomas Jefferson’s many inventions, dubbing it the “Jefferson Chair,” but it’s better known as the Bachelor Chair. Whatever ya call it, anyone who’s lived in a NY apartment will agree that this multi-use piece is a space saving godsend.

Storage is often a huge issue in urban areas (I hear of girls using their ovens for shoe storage all the time), the Bachelor chair would be most accommodating. Trouble changing that light bulb without a ladder and your super won’t answer his calls? No problem. Tired of ironing your clothes on your bed (I’m guilty of that)? Did an extra guest drop by, and there’s no more room on the futon? The Bachelor is at your service.

Other similar transformative pieces of furniture combine chairs and tables with ladders, which would be great for any kitchen. But the Bachelor Chair wins out. An ironing board is a luxury that most single men – and women -  in New York don’t have. Ahem, IKEA, can we request an inexpensive, sustainable version on the market, pronto?

Via Treehugger