Native American Contemporary Art
Native American broadly describes any Indigenous people in North America and encompasses hundreds of tribes and groups, all with distinct cultures. Native American–style furniture and decor likewise varies widely, from pieces created by Indigenous people to those appropriated by non-native designers.
Indigenous furniture’s rich heritage includes the bentwood boxes of the Northwest Coast carved from cedar for storing household or ceremonial objects. Generations of Native American people have made baskets for holding household items, with those in the Northeast using sweetgrass and those in the Southeast using pine needles and wicker. Artisans in the Plateau region wove watertight pieces like cradles from plant materials. Although these objects were intricately made, they were usually utilitarian rather than decorative.
The colonization of North America and the removal of Indigenous people from their lands led to the suppression of these practices. Many styles that used Native American motifs — such as Southwestern style, which was heavily influenced by the geometric patterns of Navajo textiles — have historically not involved Indigenous creators and, instead, have taken their traditions without their tribal context.
When decorating a home with Native American–style furniture, it is important to do so respectfully, by understanding the origins of motifs and objects and examining who profits from their sale. There are now Indigenous-led companies, such as Cherokee designer Cray Bauxmont-Flynn’s Amatoya and Totem House Design, promoting Indigenous work in furniture and home decor. Supporting Indigenous artists and artisans is essential to confronting the still pervasive issue of cultural appropriation in design.
Find a collection of Native American living room furniture, folk art, rugs and carpets, decorative objects and other items on 1stDibs.
2010s American Native American Contemporary Art
Paint, Paper, Feathers
1980s American Vintage Native American Contemporary Art
Canvas
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Native American Contemporary Art
Art Glass, Murano Glass, Glass
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Native American Contemporary Art
Glass, Art Glass, Murano Glass
Mid-20th Century North American Native American Contemporary Art
Canvas, Wood, Paint
20th Century American Native American Contemporary Art
Canvas, Wood, Paint
21st Century and Contemporary Russian Native American Contemporary Art
Canvas, Glass, Wood, Paint
1950s American Vintage Native American Contemporary Art
Canvas
Mid-20th Century American Native American Contemporary Art
Canvas, Paint
2010s American Native American Contemporary Art
Paint
21st Century and Contemporary Native American Contemporary Art
Ceramic
20th Century American Native American Contemporary Art
Canvas, Wood
1990s American Native American Contemporary Art
Acrylic
2010s English Native American Contemporary Art
Silk
1980s Vintage Native American Contemporary Art
Acrylic
1920s American Vintage Native American Contemporary Art
Wool
1920s American Vintage Native American Contemporary Art
Wool