Designer Frederic Sofia put together his 35H Relaxation Armchair with cast aluminum, adding high-tech pneumatic springs to coordinate the seat, back and headrest for ultimate comfort. Somehow, all these fine adjustments are controlled from the arms. Choose leather or fabric seating, and then wonder along with us if those odd exposed cables were really necessary.

We're big fans of techno-seating, but not so much if it's better to look at than sit in. This must be an exorbitantly costly chair — no pricing is mentioned anywhere — so you'd think with all this dedication to comfort, someone would have wanted to put a bit of padding on the armrests. Why do so many of these chichi designers forget that human beings have arms?

Sofia Design, via Ligne Roset and Yanko Design