Otto Schulz Stool

Throughout his career as an interior and furniture designer, publisher and founder of the Swedish furniture company Boet, Otto Schultz was a key figure in promoting mid-century modern Scandinavian design.

Born in Germany in 1882, Schultz moved to Sweden in 1907, where he became interested in designing furniture and interiors. In 1920, Schultz founded his furniture company Boet in Gothenburg, where he created functional and traditional designs featuring quintessential elements of Scandinavian furnishings. Around the same time, Schultz started the design and living magazine Boet, which published articles and profiles highlighting Sweden’s most influential architects and designers. He served as Boet’s publisher and editor until 1938.

During the 1930s, Schultz created a range of opulent Scandinavian modern and neoclassical furniture, including cabinets, secretaires and side tables, using fine woods like elm, birch, mahogany and walnut. Many of his pieces showcased his patented use of decorative nails called Bopoint. 

He was best known for the Schultz lounge chair, which he designed in 1936. Its voluptuous design featured a generous seat and a large, curved backrest and it was upholstered with a luxurious blend of alpaca and wool. The Schultz chair was highly popular in Sweden in the 1940s. While Boet originally produced it, Swedish furniture manufacturer Jio Möbler took over its production in 1941.  

Schultz operated Boet until his retirement in 1950. He died in 1970. Today, Schultz’s pieces are favorites among interior designers and collectors seeking a mix of modern Scandinavian simplicity and lavish decorative style.

On 1stDibs, discover vintage Otto Schultz seating, storage cabinets and case pieces, tables and more.

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.