Black Shell Armchairs
Early 20th Century Italian Renaissance Armchairs
Mother-of-Pearl, Wood
Antique 1870s English Victorian Armchairs
Mother-of-Pearl
Antique 1870s English Victorian Armchairs
Mother-of-Pearl
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Antique 19th Century English Chinese Chippendale Vitrines
Glass, Mahogany
2010s French Modern Chairs
Oak
20th Century Indian Moorish Decorative Boxes
Wood
Antique Late 19th Century British Edwardian Corner Chairs
Mahogany
21st Century and Contemporary French Art Deco Chairs
Brass
21st Century and Contemporary French Art Deco Chairs
Brass
Antique Late 19th Century Italian Renaissance Revival Chairs
Walnut
Antique Late 19th Century Asian Moorish Floor Lamps
Brass
Antique Mid-19th Century Chairs
Oak, Walnut
20th Century Chinese Side Tables
Mother-of-Pearl, Wood
20th Century Chinese Chinoiserie Corner Chairs
Mother-of-Pearl, Padouk
Antique 19th Century Egyptian Moorish Table Lamps
Brass
Antique Early 1900s French Louis XVI Bergere Chairs
Ormolu
Antique 19th Century Renaissance Armchairs
Walnut
Antique 19th Century English Chairs
Lacquer, Mother-of-Pearl
20th Century Anglo Raj Armchairs
Leather, Mother-of-Pearl, Wood
Recent Sales
Late 20th Century Armchairs
Shell
Antique 19th Century Egyptian Moorish Armchairs
Shell, Abalone, Mother-of-Pearl, Wood
Vintage 1970s American Mid-Century Modern Armchairs
Mother-of-Pearl
Mid-20th Century Italian Mid-Century Modern Armchairs
Abalone
Antique 1870s English Victorian Armchairs
Mother-of-Pearl
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.
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