Preferred seating

RESERVE your seats now: Two major manufacturers are releasing new editions of classic modernist chairs from the 1950s. The 2006 Pritzker Prize-winning architect Paulo Mendes da Rocha designed the Paulistano armchair made of a single steel bar and a leather seat in 1957 for the Sao Paulo Athletic Club. Its latest incarnation, below, is made from stainless steel and offered with a reversible Missoni fabric sling that is striped on one side and floral on the opposite. It’s available for $1,500 through Design Within Reach studios or at www.dwr.com. Midcentury modern manufacturer Herman Miller celebrates the 50th anniversary of the Eames Aluminum Group with a special option: Throughout 2008, the Thin Pad version of the iconic metal chair created by Charles and Ray Eames can be upholstered in pearly white leather. This lounge chair with headrest and ottoman is $3,328; the chair alone is $2,299. It’s available through Jules Seltzer and Associates, 8833 Beverly Blvd., Los Angeles; (310) 274-7243, www.seltzerdirect.com.