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Africa Palaver Chair

Rustic African Tribal Hand Carved Folding Palaver Chair, Wabi Sabi, 1970s
Rustic African Tribal Hand Carved Folding Palaver Chair, Wabi Sabi, 1970s

Rustic African Tribal Hand Carved Folding Palaver Chair, Wabi Sabi, 1970s

Located in Odense, DK

Gorgeous unique African hand carved folding chair in solid wood. Also named the palaver chair as a traditional African furniture type.

Category

Mid-20th Century African Tribal Side Chairs

Materials

Wood

20 Century Hand Carved Folding Palaver Wooden Chair in African Style, circa 1930
20 Century Hand Carved Folding Palaver Wooden Chair in African Style, circa 1930

20 Century Hand Carved Folding Palaver Wooden Chair in African Style, circa 1930

Located in Sofia, BG

This foldable chair is made of solid wood and can easily be disassembled in two parts. The model is known as a "palaver" chair. It is handcrafted and elegantly decorated with small g...

Category

Early 20th Century French Chairs

Materials

Wood

Hand-Carved Ebony Makonde Palaver Chair, Tribal Style, Ghana, 1970
Hand-Carved Ebony Makonde Palaver Chair, Tribal Style, Ghana, 1970

Hand-Carved Ebony Makonde Palaver Chair, Tribal Style, Ghana, 1970

Located in Hopewell, NJ

Wonderful hand carved ebony Makonde Palaver African birthing chair with delightful sea creatures.

Category

Vintage 1970s Ghanaian Tribal Chairs

Materials

Wood

Alain Gaubert Oak "Africanist" Chair, France, 1980s
Alain Gaubert Oak "Africanist" Chair, France, 1980s

Alain Gaubert Oak "Africanist" Chair, France, 1980s

By Alain Gaubert

Located in Utrecht, NL

The exquisitely spare design of this “Africanist” chair is inspired by (as the name suggests) the “African Guardian” or “Tribal Palaver Chairs”, predominantly from the continent’s we...

Category

Vintage 1980s French Mid-Century Modern Chairs

Materials

Wood

Recent Sales

Rare Antique African Palaver Chair
Rare Antique African Palaver Chair

Rare Antique African Palaver Chair

Sold

H 35 in W 16 in D 30 in

Rare Antique African Palaver Chair

Located in New York, NY

Also called guard chair, the palaver chair is a traditional African furniture, once reserved for the African elite.

Category

Vintage 1950s African Primitive Chairs

Materials

Wood, Reclaimed Wood

Rare Antique African Palaver Chair
Rare Antique African Palaver Chair

Rare Antique African Palaver Chair

Sold

H 39 in W 14.5 in D 35 in

Rare Antique African Palaver Chair

Located in New York, NY

Also called guard chair, the palaver chair is a traditional African furniture, once reserved for the African elite.

Category

Vintage 1950s African Primitive Chairs

Materials

Wood, Reclaimed Wood

Vintage Tribal Palaver Chair
Vintage Tribal Palaver Chair

Vintage Tribal Palaver Chair

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H 44.095 in W 14.961 in D 29.528 in

Vintage Tribal Palaver Chair

By Marcel Ramond

Located in Catania, IT

This chair consists of two separate sections of solid wood that hook to form a chair. The chair is surprisingly comfortable.

Category

Vintage 1950s African Chairs

Materials

Hardwood

Pair of Alain Gaubert “Africanist” Chairs, France, 1980s
Pair of Alain Gaubert “Africanist” Chairs, France, 1980s

Pair of Alain Gaubert “Africanist” Chairs, France, 1980s

By Alain Gaubert

Located in Utrecht, NL

The exquisitely spare design of these “Africanist” chairs is inspired by (as the name suggests) the “African Guardian” or “Tribal Palaver Chairs”, predominantly from the continent’s ...

Category

Vintage 1980s French Mid-Century Modern Chairs

Materials

Oak

Alain Gaubert “Africanist” Chair, France, 1980s, For Tamir.
Alain Gaubert “Africanist” Chair, France, 1980s, For Tamir.

Alain Gaubert “Africanist” Chair, France, 1980s, For Tamir.

By Alain Gaubert

Located in Utrecht, NL

The exquisitely spare design of this “Africanist” chair is inspired by (as the name suggests) the “African Guardian” or “Tribal Palaver Chairs”, predominantly from the continent’s we...

Category

Vintage 1980s French Mid-Century Modern Chairs

Materials

Oak

African Palaver Child's Folding Chair
African Palaver Child's Folding Chair

African Palaver Child's Folding Chair

Sold

H 21 in W 9 in D 15 in

African Palaver Child's Folding Chair

Located in Oakland Park, FL

African palaver child's folding chair. Hand carved chair depicting women at work in the back.

Category

20th Century South African Tribal Chairs

Materials

Wood

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Category

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Located in Paris, FR

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Located in Lewes, East Sussex

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Africa Palaver Chair For Sale on 1stDibs

Find many varieties of an authentic Africa palaver chair available at 1stDibs. Each Africa palaver chair for sale was constructed with extraordinary care, often using wood, hardwood and reclaimed wood. Whether you’re looking for an older or newer Africa palaver chair, there are earlier versions available from the 20th Century and newer variations made as recently as the 20th Century. A Africa palaver chair is a generally popular piece of furniture, but those created in mid-century modern styles are sought with frequency. Many designers have produced at least one well-made Africa palaver chair over the years, but those crafted by Alain Gaubert and Marcel Ramond are often thought to be among the most beautiful.

How Much is a Africa Palaver Chair?

A Africa palaver chair can differ in price owing to various characteristics — the average selling price 1stDibs is $937, while the lowest priced sells for $754 and the highest can go for as much as $4,852.

Finding the Right Chairs for You

Chairs are an indispensable component of your home and office. Can you imagine your life without the vintage, new or antique chairs you love?

With the exception of rocking chairs, the majority of the seating in our homes today — Windsor chairs, chaise longues, wingback chairs — originated in either England or France. Art Nouveau chairs, the style of which also originated in those regions, embraced the inherent magnificence of the natural world with decorative flourishes and refined designs that blended both curved and geometric contour lines. While craftsmanship and styles have evolved in the past century, chairs have had a singular significance in our lives, no matter what your favorite chair looks like.

“The chair is the piece of furniture that is closest to human beings,” said Hans Wegner. The revered Danish cabinetmaker and furniture designer was prolific, having designed nearly 500 chairs over the course of his lifetime. His beloved designs include the Wishbone chair, the wingback Papa Bear chair and many more.

Other designers of Scandinavian modernist chairs introduced new dynamics to this staple with sculptural flowing lines, curvaceous shapes and efficient functionality. The Paimio armchair, Swan chair and Panton chair are vintage works of Finnish and Danish seating that left an indelible mark on the history of good furniture design.

“What works good is better than what looks good, because what works good lasts,” said Ray Eames

Visionary polymaths Ray and Charles Eames experimented with bent plywood and fiberglass with the goal of producing affordable furniture for a mass market. Like other celebrated mid-century modern furniture designers of elegant low-profile furnishings — among them Ludwig Mies van der Rohe and Finn Juhl — the Eameses considered ergonomic support, durability and cost, all of which should be top of mind when shopping for the perfect chair. The mid-century years yielded many popular chairs.

The Eameses introduced numerous icons for manufacturer Herman Miller, such as the Eames lounge chair and ottoman, molded plywood dining chairs the DCM and DCW (which can be artfully mismatched around your dining table) and a wealth of other treasured pieces for the home and office. 

A good chair anchors us to a place and can become an object of timeless appeal. Take a seat and browse the rich variety of vintage, new and antique chairs on 1stDibs today.