Kagan Cloud Directional
Vintage 1970s American Mid-Century Modern Sofas
Ultrasuede, Lucite, Wood
Vintage 1980s American Post-Modern Sofas
Fabric
1990s Modern Sofas
Mohair
1990s American Modern Sofas
Velvet
Vintage 1980s American Post-Modern Sofas
Textile
Vintage 1970s American Mid-Century Modern Sofas
Chrome
Vintage 1970s American Mid-Century Modern Sectional Sofas
Upholstery
1990s American Mid-Century Modern Sofas
Upholstery, Lucite
Vintage 1960s American Mid-Century Modern Sofas
Fabric, Lucite, Wood, Ultrasuede
Vintage 1960s American Sofas
Bouclé, Wood
Vintage 1980s American Post-Modern Swivel Chairs
Bouclé
1990s American Mid-Century Modern Sofas
Ultrasuede
Vintage 1970s American Mid-Century Modern Sofas
Fabric, Lucite, Wood
Late 20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Sofas
Fabric
20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Sofas
Upholstery, Lucite
Vintage 1980s American Mid-Century Modern Sofas
Upholstery, Lucite
Vintage 1970s Mid-Century Modern Credenzas
Chrome
Early 2000s American Modern Sofas
Suede
2010s American Modern Sofas
Ultrasuede
Late 20th Century Mid-Century Modern Sofas
Upholstery, Wood
Vintage 1970s American Mid-Century Modern Credenzas
Chrome
Vintage 1960s American Brutalist Armchairs
Bronze
Vintage 1980s American Post-Modern Sofas
Leather, Lucite
Vintage 1970s Brutalist Dry Bars
Resin, Wood
People Also Browsed
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Sofas
Velvet, Walnut
Vintage 1980s American Modern Sectional Sofas
Fabric
Late 20th Century Mid-Century Modern Sofas
Upholstery
21st Century and Contemporary American Mid-Century Modern Sofas
Fabric, Foam, Wood
Vintage 1940s American Mid-Century Modern Lounge Chairs
Fabric, Walnut
Vintage 1970s American Post-Modern Sectional Sofas
Upholstery
Vintage 1980s American Modern Lounge Chairs
Chrome
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Sofas
Steel
Vintage 1940s American Art Deco Sofas
Mohair, Wood
Vintage 1940s Danish Scandinavian Modern Sofas
Oak, Mohair
Early 2000s American Modern Sofas
Leather
Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Sofas
Linen, Mohair, Cotton, Upholstery
Vintage 1960s American Mid-Century Modern Chaise Longues
Acrylic, Mohair
2010s Danish Sofas
Sheepskin, Beech, Oak
20th Century Danish Mid-Century Modern Armchairs
Chrome
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Sectional Sofas
Brass
Recent Sales
20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Sofas
Upholstery
Vintage 1980s Modern Sofas
Chrome
Vintage 1970s American Mid-Century Modern Sofas
Upholstery, Lucite, Wood
Vintage 1980s American Mid-Century Modern Sofas
Fabric, Wood
1990s American Mid-Century Modern Sofas
Upholstery, Mohair
Late 20th Century North American Mid-Century Modern Sofas
Ultrasuede
Late 20th Century North American Mid-Century Modern Sofas
Ultrasuede
Vintage 1980s North American Mid-Century Modern Sofas
Ultrasuede, Lucite
Vintage 1970s American Mid-Century Modern Sofas
Lucite, Upholstery, Wood
20th Century American Modern Sofas
Fabric, Lucite
Vintage 1960s American Mid-Century Modern Sofas
Upholstery, Lucite
Vintage 1970s American Mid-Century Modern Sofas
Upholstery, Lucite
Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Sofas
Wool, Lucite
Vintage 1970s American Mid-Century Modern Sofas
Fabric
20th Century Post-Modern Sofas
Upholstery
Vintage 1980s American Mid-Century Modern Sofas
Ultrasuede, Lucite
1990s American Organic Modern Sofas
Lucite
Vintage 1970s American Mid-Century Modern Sofas
Chrome
Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Sofas
Bouclé, Walnut, Lucite
Late 20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Sofas
Upholstery, Acrylic
1990s American Mid-Century Modern Sofas
Upholstery, Lucite
Vintage 1970s American Modern Sofas
20th Century North American Mid-Century Modern Sofas
Leather, Lucite
20th Century North American Mid-Century Modern Sofas
Lucite, Upholstery
1990s American Mid-Century Modern Sofas
Ultrasuede, Hardwood
2010s American Organic Modern Sofas
Ultrasuede, Lucite
2010s American Organic Modern Sofas
Ultrasuede, Lucite
Late 20th Century American Post-Modern Sofas
Fabric
Vintage 1970s American Mid-Century Modern Sofas
Fabric, Bouclé, Upholstery
Vintage 1970s American Mid-Century Modern Sofas
Fabric, Wood
Vintage 1970s American Mid-Century Modern Sofas
Fabric, Wood
1990s American Post-Modern Sofas
Bouclé
Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Sofas
Mohair, Walnut
Early 2000s Mid-Century Modern Sofas
Bouclé
Late 20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Sofas
Textile
Early 2000s American Mid-Century Modern Sofas
Fabric, Lucite
Vintage 1970s American Modern Sofas
Foam, Wood
Late 20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Sofas
Fabric, Upholstery, Lucite, Wood
Late 20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Sofas
Fabric, Upholstery, Lucite, Wood
Late 20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Sofas
Fabric, Bouclé, Wood, Upholstery, Lucite
Late 20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Sofas
Fabric, Upholstery, Lucite, Wood
Late 20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Sofas
Lucite, Wood, Fabric, Bouclé, Upholstery
Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Sofas
Velvet, Lucite, Walnut
Late 20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Sofas
Fabric, Bouclé, Upholstery, Lucite, Wood
Late 20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Sofas
Fabric, Bouclé, Upholstery, Lucite, Wood
Vintage 1970s American Sofas
Vintage 1980s American Modern Sofas
Bouclé, Lucite
Vintage 1980s American Mid-Century Modern Sofas
Lucite, Ultrasuede
Vintage 1970s American Mid-Century Modern Sofas
Ultrasuede
Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Sofas
Wool, Walnut
Late 20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Sofas
Lucite, Fabric, Bouclé, Upholstery, Wood
Late 20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Sofas
Fabric, Bouclé, Upholstery, Lucite, Wood
Late 20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Sofas
Fabric, Bouclé, Upholstery, Lucite, Wood
Vintage 1970s American Sofas
Fabric
1990s American Post-Modern Sofas
Bouclé
Vintage 1970s American Mid-Century Modern Sofas
Mohair, Walnut
20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Sofas
1990s American Post-Modern Sofas
Bouclé
Vintage 1970s American Modern Sectional Sofas
Wool
Vintage 1960s American Sofas
Fabric, Wood
Kagan Cloud Directional For Sale on 1stDibs
How Much is a Kagan Cloud Directional?
Vladimir Kagan for sale on 1stDibs
The pioneers of modern furniture design in America in the mid-20th century all had their moments of flamboyance: Charles and Ray Eames produced the startling, biomorphic La Chaise; George Nelson’s firm created the Marshmallow sofa; Edward Wormley had his decadent Listen to Me chaise. But no designer of the day steadily offered works with more verve and dynamism than Vladimir Kagan. While others, it seems, designed with suburban households in mind, Kagan aimed to suit the tastes of young, sophisticated city-dwellers. With signature designs that feature sleekly curved frames and others that have dramatic out-thrust legs, Kagan made furniture sexy.
Kagan’s father was a Russian master cabinetmaker who took his family first to Germany (where Vladimir was born) and then to New York in 1938. After studying architecture at Columbia University, Kagan opened a design firm at age 22 and immediately made a splash with his long, low and sinuous Serpentine sofa. Furniture lines such as the Tri-symmetric group of glass-topped, three-legged tables and the vivacious Contours chairs soon followed.
Kagan’s choices of form and materials evolved through subsequent decades, embracing lucite, aluminum and burl-wood veneers. By the late 1960s, Kagan was designing austere, asymmetrical cabinets and his Omnibus group of modular sofas and chairs. For all his aesthetic élan, Kagan said that throughout his career, his touchstone was comfort. “A lot of modern furniture was not comfortable. And so comfort is: form follows function. The function was to make it comfortable,” he once commented. “I created what I called vessels for the human body.”
A diverse group of bodies have made themselves at home with Kagan designs. Among the famous names who commissioned and collected his designs are Marilyn Monroe, Gary Cooper, Andy Warhol, David Lynch, Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt, and firms such as Gucci and Giorgio Armani. His work is in numerous museum collections, including those of the Victoria & Albert and the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
Because of its idiosyncrasy, Kagan’s work did not lend itself to mass-production. Kagan never signed on with any of the major furniture-making corporations, and examples of his designs are relatively rare. As you will see from the offerings on 1stDibs, even decades after their conception, Kagan pieces still command the eye, with their freshness, energy, sensuality and wit.
Finding the Right sofas for You
Black leather, silk velvet cushions, breathable bouclé fabric — when shopping for antique, new or vintage sofas, today’s couch connoisseurs have much to choose from in terms of style and shape. But it wasn’t always thus.
The sofa is typically defined as a long upholstered seat that features a back and arms and is intended for two or more people. While the term “couch” comes from the Old French couche, meaning to lie down, and sofa has Eastern origins, both are forms of divan, a Turkish word that means an elongated cushioned seat. No matter how you spell it, sofa just means comfort, at least it does today.
In the early days of sofa design, upholstery consisted of horsehair or dried moss. Sofas that originated in countries such as France during the 17th century were more integral to decor than they were to comfort. Like most Baroque furnishings from the region, they frequently comprised heavy, gilded mahogany frames and were upholstered in floral Beauvais tapestry. Today, options abound when it comes to style and material, with authentic leather offerings and classy steel settees. Plush, velvet chesterfields represent the platonic ideal of coziness.
Vladimir Kagan’s iconic sofa designs, such as the Crescent and the Serpentine — which, like the sectional sofas of the 1960s created by furniture makers such as Harvey Probber, are quite popular among mid-century modern furniture enthusiasts — showcase the spectrum of style available to modern consumers. Those looking to make a statement can turn to Studio 65’s lip-shaped Bocca sofa, which was inspired by the work of Salvador Dalí. Elsewhere, the furniture of the 1970s evokes an era when experimentation ruled, or at least provided a reason to break the rules. Just about every area of society felt a sudden urge to be wayward, to push boundaries — and buttons. Vintage leather sofas of that decade are characterized by a rare blending of the showy and organic.
With so many options, it’s important to explore and find the perfect furniture for your space. Paying attention to the lines of the cushions as well as the flow from the backrest into the arms is crucial to identifying a cohesive new piece for your home or office.
Fortunately, with styles from every era — and even round sofas — there’s a luxurious piece for every space. Deck out your living room with an Art Deco lounge or go retro with a nostalgic '80s design. No matter your sitting vision, the right piece is waiting for you in the expansive collection of unique sofas on 1stDibs.