African Birthing Chair
Vintage 1960s Congolese Mid-Century Modern Side Chairs
Wood
2010s American Campaign Chairs
Leather, Cord, Wenge
2010s American Campaign Chairs
Cord, Leather, Oak
21st Century and Contemporary Chairs
Ash
Vintage 1980s French Mid-Century Modern Chairs
Wood
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21st Century and Contemporary Brazilian Modern Dining Room Chairs
Wood
21st Century and Contemporary Swedish Mid-Century Modern Table Lamps
Textile
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Organic Modern Center Tables
Travertine
21st Century and Contemporary Moroccan Chairs
Rattan
Mid-20th Century North American French Provincial Dressers
Walnut
1990s Chinese French Provincial Pillows and Throws
Wool
Vintage 1970s Spanish Folk Art Chairs
Wood
Vintage 1970s Belgian Modern Chairs
Wood
Vintage 1950s American French Provincial Commodes and Chests of Drawers
Brass
Vintage 1980s Italian Mid-Century Modern Ottomans and Poufs
Leather
Antique Late 19th Century Stools
Leather, Hardwood
21st Century and Contemporary French Modern Side Tables
Travertine, Wrought Iron
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Desks and Writing Tables
Steel
Vintage 1980s Italian Post-Modern Chairs
Plywood
20th Century French Provincial Armchairs
Fabric, Wood
2010s French Stools
Oak
Recent Sales
20th Century African Tribal Art
Wood
Mid-20th Century African Armchairs
Wood
Vintage 1960s African Chairs
Hardwood
2010s Primitive Chairs
Wood, Reclaimed Wood
Vintage 1980s French Mid-Century Modern Chairs
Oak
Vintage 1920s African Tribal Chairs
Wood
Early 20th Century African Tribal Chairs
Velvet, Wood
Vintage 1960s Congolese Tribal Chairs
Wood
Vintage 1950s Primitive Chairs
Wood, Reclaimed Wood
Vintage 1950s Congolese Tribal Chairs
Wood, Reclaimed Wood
Antique Early 1900s Primitive Chairs
Reclaimed Wood, Wood
Vintage 1980s French Mid-Century Modern Chairs
Oak
20th Century African Tribal Art
Mid-20th Century African Chairs
20th Century Malian Tribal Chairs
Wood
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.
- 1stDibs ExpertApril 5, 2022An African birthing chair is a wooden seat with a sloped back and angled seat. Its original purpose was to help women maintain the proper position to deliver a baby, however many people use them for seating or decoration. On 1stDibs, shop a range of birthing chairs.
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