Burke 103 Chair

In the world of furniture design a few pieces stand out not just for their aesthetics, but for the story they tell. The Burke 103 Chair is one of them. Designed in the 1960s by Canadian-born Maurice Burke, the 103 blends Bauhaus sensibilities with Space Age optimism, resulting in a silhouette that still feels ahead of its time.

If the shape looks familiar, that’s no accident. The Burke 103 was a more affordable response to Eero Saarinen’s iconic Tulip chair. While it shares Saarinen’s sculptural, pedestal-inspired form, Burke swapped the singular stem base for a distinctive X-shaped aluminum pedestal known as the “starburst” base. This wasn’t just a stylistic pivot, it was a clever design workaround that resolved a legal dispute with Knoll and ultimately became Burke Inc.’s signature look.

The chair quickly made its way to Hollywood, appearing aboard the USS Enterprise in the original Star Trek series—proof that Burke’s vision didn’t just look modern, it looked otherworldly. At its core, the 103 is a molded fiberglass shell chair: lightweight, durable, and ergonomically shaped to cradle the body. Originally offered in a range of colors and finishes, it brought a futuristic edge to spaces.

Maurice Burke, a former Canadian tank commander turned furniture designer, launched Burke Inc. in Dallas in 1959. His Star Collection, anchored by that iconic pedestal, quickly found success across the U.S., with showrooms in nearly every major city. Later, Burke would go on to establish new ventures in the U.K. and Europe, including Arkana and Vecta, but the 103 remains one of his most beloved and enduring designs.

Like so many mid-century pieces, Burke's iconic 103 is rooted in simplicity and function. But what sets it apart is its playful confidence. It’s a chair that doesn’t take itself too seriously, even as it stakes a firm place in design history. Today, it’s more than a piece of furniture. It’s a cultural artifact from a time when modernism met imagination and took off.