White Alligator Throne
21st Century and Contemporary French Armchairs
Bronze
People Also Browsed
21st Century and Contemporary French Aviation Objects
Aluminum
20th Century Russian Neoclassical Vases
Malachite, Ormolu
Antique 15th Century and Earlier Canadian Natural Specimens
Stone
20th Century French Art Deco Table Clocks and Desk Clocks
Lapis Lazuli, Quartz
Antique 1810s French Empire Daybeds
Linen, Walnut, Wood
2010s American Animal Sculptures
Feathers
20th Century African British Colonial Taxidermy
Iron
Antique Mid-19th Century English Late Victorian Decorative Boxes
Mother-of-Pearl, Paper
Antique 15th Century and Earlier Uruguayan Natural Specimens
Agate, Amethyst, Quartz
Antique Late 19th Century French Art Nouveau Table Clocks and Desk Clocks
Jade, 18k Gold, Bronze
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Animal Sculptures
Crystal, Gold Plate, Brass
20th Century English Art Deco Tableware
Silver, Sterling Silver
Antique 19th Century English Victorian Vases
Silver
Antique 15th Century and Earlier American Natural Specimens
Multi-gemstone, Quartz, Rock Crystal
Antique Early 19th Century Italian Empire Screens and Room Dividers
Bronze, Ormolu
Antique Late 19th Century Chinese Qing Porcelain
Porcelain
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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