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Africa Palaver Chair

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
Category

Mid-20th Century African Tribal Side Chairs

Materials

Wood

20 Century Hand Carved Folding Palaver Wooden Chair in African Style, circa 1930
Located in Sofia, BG
known as a "palaver" chair. It is handcrafted and elegantly decorated with small geometric figures
Category

Early 20th Century French 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
$1,689 Sale Price
35% Off
H 31.5 in W 15.36 in D 39.38 in
Alain Gaubert Oak "Africanist" Chair, France, 1980s
By Alain Gaubert
Located in Utrecht, NL
this “Africanist” chair is inspired by (as the name suggests) the “African Guardian” or “Tribal Palaver
Category

Vintage 1980s French Mid-Century Modern Chairs

Materials

Wood

Alain Gaubert Oak "Africanist" Chair, France, 1980s
Alain Gaubert Oak "Africanist" Chair, France, 1980s
$2,200
H 35.63 in W 15.56 in D 36.23 in

Recent Sales

Rare Antique African Palaver Chair
Located in New York, NY
called guard chair, the palaver chair is a traditional African furniture, once reserved for the African
Category

Vintage 1950s African Primitive Chairs

Materials

Reclaimed Wood, Wood

Rare Antique African Palaver Chair
Rare Antique African Palaver Chair
H 39 in W 14.5 in D 35 in
Rare Antique African Palaver Chair
Located in New York, NY
called guard chair, the palaver chair is a traditional African furniture, once reserved for the African
Category

Vintage 1950s African Primitive Chairs

Materials

Reclaimed Wood, Wood

Rare Antique African Palaver Chair
Rare Antique African Palaver Chair
H 35 in W 16 in D 30 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
Category

Vintage 1950s African Chairs

Materials

Hardwood

Vintage Tribal Palaver Chair
Vintage Tribal Palaver Chair
H 44.095 in W 14.961 in D 29.528 in
Primitive African Tribal Hand Carved Folding Palaver Chair, Wabi Sabi, 1970s
Located in Odense, DK
A fine unique African hand carved folding children chair in solid wood. Also named the palaver
Category

Mid-20th Century African Tribal Side Chairs

Materials

Wood

Pair of Alain Gaubert “Africanist” Chairs, France, 1980s
By Alain Gaubert
Located in Utrecht, NL
design of these “Africanist” chairs is inspired by (as the name suggests) the “African Guardian” or
Category

Vintage 1980s French Mid-Century Modern Chairs

Materials

Oak

Alain Gaubert “Africanist” Chair, France, 1980s, For Tamir.
By Alain Gaubert
Located in Utrecht, NL
” chair is inspired by (as the name suggests) the “African Guardian” or “Tribal Palaver Chairs
Category

Vintage 1980s French Mid-Century Modern Chairs

Materials

Oak

Very Rare Pair of Art Deco Chairs from the Paris Colonial Exhibition in 1931
Located in Paris, FR
chairs are inspired by the "Tribal Palaver Chairs" or "African Guardian Chairs".
Category

Vintage 1930s French Art Deco Chairs

Materials

Wood

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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Japanese Antique Wabi Sabi Small Drawer 1860s-1900s
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$800
H 14.97 in W 17.92 in D 12.01 in
Mid Century Brutalist Sideboard in Solid Oak, Danish Cabinetmaker, Made in 1950s
Located in Odense, DK
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Materials

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Located in Tokyo, Tokyo
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Category

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Japanese Large Cabinet, Wabi Sabi, Japan
Japanese Large Cabinet, Wabi Sabi, Japan
On Hold
$3,000
H 66.74 in W 65.36 in D 21.46 in
Wabi Sabi French Wooden Carved Tripod Chair, Early 20th Century
Located in Odense, DK
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Early 20th Century French Baroque Chairs

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Bespoke Handmade Belgian Linen Sofa
Bespoke Handmade Belgian Linen Sofa
$10,042 / item
H 31.5 in W 106.3 in D 39.38 in
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Located in Tokyo, Tokyo
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Category

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Japanese Tansu, Wabi-sabi, 1920s, Japan
Japanese Tansu, Wabi-sabi, 1920s, Japan
$300
H 13.98 in W 12.6 in D 7.88 in
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By Axel Einar Hjorth
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4 Brutalist Oak Dining Wabi Sabi Room Chairs
4 Brutalist Oak Dining Wabi Sabi Room Chairs
$359 / item
H 38.59 in W 20.08 in D 21.66 in
Senoufo African Folding Chair Fish Pattern on the Back Ivory Coast.
Located in Linkebeek, BE
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Category

Early 20th Century African Brutalist Chairs

Materials

Wood

Vintage Hand Carved African Baule Primitive Tribal Chair
By Baule Tribe
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Category

Early 20th Century African Tribal Chairs

Materials

Wood

African Ceremonial Chief Chairs Hand Carved Wood 1960s
Located in Chula Vista, CA
For your consideration, High Quality Pair of Sculptural Form African Chief Ceremonial Folding , Circa the 1960s . Chairs Geometric Carved Back Rest Dimensions: 29 tall x 35 d x 13.7...
Category

Vintage 1960s African Tribal Chairs

Materials

Wood

African Ceremonial Chief Chairs Hand Carved Wood 1960s
African Ceremonial Chief Chairs Hand Carved Wood 1960s
$1,800 / set
H 29 in W 13.75 in D 35 in
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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.