The incessant comings and goings of trends can sometimes make purchasing a piece of furniture an utterly agonizing experience. There is at least one simple solution: opt for some midcentury classics. We are by no means implying a home need be festooned "Mad Men"-style but rather a piece here or there to help weather the style storm.

Icons of this stature are easy to come by, especially in the chair department. Among those that mark the era: Charles Eames' manly lounge, Arne Jacobsen's Egg Chair, Bertoia's Diamond Chair and Eero Aarnio's Bubble Chair. Of course, Eero Saarinen's unforgettable crimson boucle Womb Chair has an undeviating place on the list of long-celebrated chairs.