Masanori Umeda For Edra

The name Edra is derived from the Greek word exedra, meaning a space for conversation and socialization. True to its name, the Italian furniture manufacturer creates beautiful seating like sofas and armchairs, as well as coffee tables and end tables to go with them. Its unique and heritage-quality modern pieces are sure to become the classics of tomorrow. 

Edra was established in 1987 in Tuscany with the goal of combining traditional craftsmanship and technological innovation into a new style of collectible design. The company wanted to challenge established ideas about how living room furniture such as chairs, tables and cabinets are to look and function, deploying cutting-edge materials and working with unique shapes to produce exciting designs that disrupted the design world.

Part of Edra’s success has been due to its fruitful collaborations with acclaimed designers. The company has worked with Italian designer Francesco Binfare since 1992, producing the iconic Tangeri, Angels, Flap and Essential seating collections. Jacopo Foggini, known for his own innovative designs, is another frequent Edra collaborator. In 2022, Edra and Foggini released the sea-inspired A'mare collection of translucent blue outdoor furniture made from polycarbonate.

Edra has also represented Italy on several international sporting stages. The company was an official furniture supplier for the 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, the 2018 Olympics in Pyeongchang and the 2022 Alpine Skiing World Championships in Cortina d'Ampezzo.

Since its founding, the company's contemporary furniture has been added to museums around the world. Today, Edra's designs are held in the collections of New York City’s Museum of Modern Art, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art and Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum.

In 2022, Edra also exhibited at the Salone Del Mobile, where the brand debuted a chic, pebble-inspired sofa — On the Rocks — that demonstrates the company's continued commitment to originality and ingenuity.

On 1stDibs, find Edra seating, tables and case pieces.

With entire areas of our homes reserved for “sitting rooms,” the value of quality antique and vintage seating cannot be overstated.

Fortunately, the design of side chairs, armchairs and other lounge furniture — since what were, quite literally, the early perches of our ancestors — has evolved considerably.

Among the earliest standard seating furniture were stools. Egyptian stools, for example, designed for one person with no seat back, were x-shaped and typically folded to be tucked away. These rudimentary chairs informed the design of Greek and Roman stools, all of which were a long way from Sori Yanagi's Butterfly stool or Alvar Aalto's Stool 60. In the 18th century and earlier, seats with backs and armrests were largely reserved for high nobility.

The seating of today is more inclusive but the style and placement of chairs can still make a statement. Antique desk chairs and armchairs designed in the style of Louis XV, which eventually included painted furniture and were often made of rare woods, feature prominently curved legs as well as Chinese themes and varied ornaments. Much like the thrones of fairy tales and the regency, elegant lounges crafted in the Louis XV style convey wealth and prestige. In the kitchen, the dining chair placed at the head of the table is typically reserved for the head of the household or a revered guest.

Of course, with luxurious vintage or antique furnishings, every chair can seem like the best seat in the house. Whether your preference is stretching out on a plush sofa, such as the Serpentine, designed by Vladimir Kagan, or cozying up in a vintage wingback chair, there is likely to be a comfy classic or contemporary gem for you on 1stDibs.

With respect to the latest obsessions in design, cane seating has been cropping up everywhere, from sleek armchairs to lounge chairs, while bouclé fabric, a staple of modern furniture design, can be seen in mid-century modern, Scandinavian modern and Hollywood Regency furniture styles.

Admirers of the sophisticated craftsmanship and dark woods frequently associated with mid-century modern seating can find timeless furnishings in our expansive collection of lounge chairs, dining chairs and other items — whether they’re vintage editions or alluring official reproductions of iconic designs from the likes of Hans Wegner or from Charles and Ray Eames. Shop our inventory of Egg chairs, designed in 1958 by Arne Jacobsen, the Florence Knoll lounge chair and more.

No matter your style, the collection of unique chairs, sofas and other seating on 1stDibs is surely worthy of a standing ovation.