Charles Pollock, an industrial designer whose vision of “a simple line in space” led him to develop sleek, functional chairs that became a hallmark of executive suites in the latter 20th century, died on Tuesday in a fire in South Jamaica, Queens. He was 83.

The fire, in the apartment he used as a work studio, was reported around 7 a.m., said Michael Parrella, a spokesman for the New York City Fire Department. Firefighters found his body, he said, adding that the cause of the blaze had not been determined.

Mr. Pollock’s partner, Sheryl Fratell, said he had left their Manhattan apartment on Sunday to work in the studio, where he often stayed overnight.

Mr. Pollock’s crowning achievement was an office chair characterized by a single aluminum band around its perimeter that held it together, structurally and visually. Massive numbers of the chairs have been sold since its introduction in 1963, and it remains a major piece of the prestigious Knoll Collection. Often simply called the Pollock chair, it has been displayed at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Smithsonian Institution and the Louvre, and has made millions in royalties for Mr. Pollock.