Antique Carved Armchair Eagle Head
Antique 19th Century Greek Victorian Armchairs
Beech, Leather
Antique Late 19th Century Swedish Empire Armchairs
Wood
Antique 1750s Irish George III Armchairs
Leather, Walnut
Antique 1870s Armchairs
Ormolu
Vintage 1920s American Federal Living Room Sets
Leather, Wood
People Also Browsed
Antique 19th Century British Georgian Sofas
Leather, Hardwood
Antique Mid-18th Century Irish George II Side Tables
Breccia Marble
Antique 18th Century Irish George II Desks and Writing Tables
Mahogany
Antique Late 19th Century Swedish Rococo Dining Room Chairs
Linen, Wood, Paint
Antique Late 19th Century English Chippendale Chairs
Mahogany
Antique 19th Century English Georgian Dessert Tables and Tilt-top Tables
Hardwood
Antique 19th Century English Victorian Sofas
Leather, Hardwood
Antique Late 19th Century English Victorian Taxidermy
Brass
Mid-20th Century North American Chippendale Console Tables
Mahogany
Antique 1780s English Georgian Wingback Chairs
Hardwood
Antique 19th Century Georgian Dining Room Chairs
Mahogany
Late 18th Century Figurative Sculptures
Bronze
20th Century Russian Neoclassical Natural Specimens
Stone, Malachite
16th Century Old Masters Figurative Paintings
Oil
Antique Early 1900s German Hollywood Regency Jewelry Boxes
Ormolu
17th Century Old Masters Portrait Paintings
Oil
Recent Sales
Antique Late 19th Century English Queen Anne Armchairs
Fabric, Wood
Antique 1870s Empire Revival Armchairs
Ormolu
Antique Mid-19th Century Irish Georgian Armchairs
Leather, Oak
Antique Early 1900s English George I Office Chairs and Desk Chairs
Leather, Walnut
Antique Late 19th Century Irish George III Armchairs
Mahogany
Antique Mid-19th Century French Neoclassical Armchairs
Antique 1810s French Empire Armchairs
Ormolu
Antique 1870s Sofas
Mahogany
Antique 19th Century English George II Chairs
Walnut
Antique 1890s English George I Armchairs
Walnut
Antique 19th Century European Victorian Armchairs
Walnut
Finding the Right armchairs for You
Armchairs have run the gamut from prestige to ease and everything in between, and everyone has an antique or vintage armchair that they love.
Long before industrial mass production democratized seating, armchairs conveyed status and power.
In ancient Egypt, the commoners took stools, while in early Greece, ceremonial chairs of carved marble were designated for nobility. But the high-backed early thrones of yore, elevated and ornate, were merely grandiose iterations of today’s armchairs.
Modern-day armchairs, built with functionality and comfort in mind, are now central to tasks throughout your home. Formal dining armchairs support your guests at a table for a cheery feast, a good drafting chair with a deep seat is parked in front of an easel where you create art and, elsewhere, an ergonomic wonder of sorts positions you at the desk for your 9 to 5.
When placed under just the right lamp where you can lounge comfortably, both elbows resting on the padded supports on each side of you, an upholstered armchair — or a rattan armchair for your light-suffused sunroom — can be the sanctuary where you’ll read for hours.
If you’re in the mood for company, your velvet chesterfield armchair is a place to relax and be part of the conversation that swirls around you. Maybe the dialogue is about the beloved Papa Bear chair, a mid-century modern masterpiece from Danish carpenter and furniture maker Hans Wegner, and the wingback’s strong association with the concept of cozying up by the fireplace, which we can trace back to its origins in 1600s-era England, when the seat’s distinctive arm protrusions protected the sitter from the heat of the period’s large fireplaces.
If the fireside armchair chat involves spirited comparisons, your companions will likely probe the merits of antique and vintage armchairs such as Queen Anne armchairs, Victorian armchairs or even Louis XVI armchairs, as well as the pros and cons of restoration versus conservation.
Everyone seems to have a favorite armchair and most people will be all too willing to talk about their beloved design. Whether that’s the unique Favela chair by Brazilian sibling furniture designers Fernando and Humberto Campana, who repurposed everyday objects to provocative effect; or Marcel Breuer’s futuristic tubular metal Wassily lounge chair; the functionality-first LC series from Charlotte Perriand, Le Corbusier and Pierre Jeanneret; or the Eames lounge chair of the mid-1950s created by Charles and Ray Eames, there is an iconic armchair for everyone and every purpose. Find yours on 1stDibs right now.
Read More
The 21 Most Popular Mid-Century Modern Chairs
You know the designs, now get the stories about how they came to be.
Fred Rigby’s Modular Seating Can Be Configured in So Many Handy Ways
The plush Cove Slipper 2.5 Seater sofa is just one of many convenient combinations from the London-based maker.
This Chubby-Chic Quilted Stool Stands on Its Own Two Feet
Sam Klemick's cool stool is edgy, cozy and environmentally sustainable all at once.
Riotous Shapes and Colors Have Made Uchronia’s Designs the Toast of Paris
Julien Sebban’s energetic design collective is radically reshaping the look of 21st-century European furniture and interiors.
Is Lionel Jadot the Willy Wonka of Upcycled Belgian Design?
From his massive collaborative workshop in a former paper factory, the designer concocts funky furniture from disused materials, as well as luxe hotel interiors like the new Mix Brussels.
Rock Your Cares Away on This Sunny Hand-Crocheted Swing
The boho-chic Enchanted Forest Swing, handmade by marginalized women from Turkey and Syria, is uplifting in every way.
Learn Why Designer Maarten Baas Set This Charles Rennie Mackintosh Chair on Fire
What happens when you do something to a piece of furniture that you shouldn’t? It becomes an entirely new object.
Eileen Gray’s Famed Cliffside Villa in the South of France Is Returned to Its Modernist Glory
After years of diligent restoration, E-1027, the designer-cum-architect’s marriage of romance and modernism, is finally complete.