$1,626
Sofa, Historismus, 1880s
Located in Praha, CZ
- Made in Czechoslovakia - Made of wood, fabric - Original upholstery - Wooden parts has some signs use - Good, original condition.
Fabric, Wood
$900Sale Price|50% Off
Antique Duncan Phyfe Style Sofa
By Duncan Phyfe
Located in Trenton, NJ
nfuse your home with timeless sophistication with this Antique Duncan Phyfe Style Sofa. Its ebonized wood frame features exquisite carvings that highlight the skill and craftsmanship...
Upholstery, Wood
19th century Swedish carved birch sofa
Located in Debenham, Suffolk
19th century swedish carved birch sofa circa 1880. Elegant Swedish formal sofa which seats a comfortable 3. Straight back with shaped birch border. Roll top arms with carved acant...
Fabric, Birch
Swedish Empire Painted Parcel Gilt Settee
Located in Baton Rouge, LA
A glamorous Swedish Empire style settee from the early 19th century (circa 1820) as a painted wood frame sheltering the fully upholstered interior of a single bench cushion, three ba...
Gold
$2,695Sale Price|20% Off
Empire Settee, France 1810, Manner of Jacob Desmalter (1770-1841)
Located in Leimen, DE
Empire Settee, France 1810 Step back in time to the opulent era of 19th-century France with the exquisite Elegant Empire Settee, crafted in 1810.
Bronze
French 19th century Empire st. patinated wood and Giltwood settee
Located in West Palm Beach, FL
A handsome and large scale French 19th century Empire st. patinated wood and Giltwood settee. This exceptional settee is raised by seven supports, with four being circular front legs...
Upholstery, Giltwood
Bellanger French Empire Mahogany Pink and Red Stripe Upholstered Settee
By Bellanger
Located in Queens, NY
French Empire-style mahogany settee with a carved frame and striped blush pink and red upholstered seat, arms and back. (BELLANGER).
Wood, Fabric, Upholstery, Mahogany
Folk Art Oil on Canvas, circa 1830 Attributed to S.V.D. Schans, Unsigned
By S.V.D. Schans
Located in Incline Village, NV
The oil on canvas has so many attributes; it is quite an early picture (1825-1835), as is evidenced by the pleated upholstered skirt on the Empire sofa with rolled pillows on the end...
Canvas
Early 19th Century Swedish Gustavian Sofa, c. 1815
Located in Houston, TX
Dating to the transitional period between high Gustavian and early Swedish Empire styles, the sofa retains the graceful lines of the former while showing a slightly more architectura...
Upholstery, Wood, Paint
Empire Banquette or Window Seat in Birch with Marquetry Inlays, circa 1800
Located in INTERLAKEN, NY
A Swedish Empire banquette/sofa in birch with marquetry embellishments which include foliage and urns and line-inlaid figures of the four cardinal virtues: Prudence, Justice, Fortitu...
Birch
$2,224Sale Price|20% Off
Second Empire Fine Mahogany & Gilt Bronze Canapé—Napoleon III, 1860
Located in Brooklyn, NY
A fine and well preserved mahogany & gilt bronze canapé from the Second Empire Period under the reign of Napoleon III. Absolutely wonderful condition, seat cushion has been redone in...
Bronze
Round walnut coffee table with a drawer, 19th century
Located in Vicenza, IT
An elegant round coffee table made of solid walnut, from the Veneto region, dating from the 19th century. The circular top, compact yet well-proportioned, highlights the wood’s beaut...
Wood, Nutwood, Walnut
Romantic Canape French, 19th Century in Oilwood
Located in Madrid, ES
romantic canape French, 19th century in Oilwood. Upholstered seat and back, decorated with floral motifs. Usage signs. Dimensions: 104 x 235 x 64 cm good conditions
Wood
Venetian lacquered and gilded gold leaf drawing room, late 18th century
Located in Vicenza, IT
Refined Venetian drawing room dating from the latter part of the 18th century, consisting of a sofa, two armchairs, two chairs, and an elegant coffee table with a green marble top. T...
Fabric, Wool, Wood
19th Century Architectural Empire Salon-Sofa Superstructure, circa 1890
Located in Berlin, DE
Mahogany on solid wood. Architecturally designed body flanked by solid columns. Facet-ground mirror and glass panes. Gilded bronze fittings. In the middle a two-seat sofa. (O-...
Bronze
Rare Needlepoint Empire Salon (One Sofa and Two Armchairs)
Located in Paris, FR
Sofa and two armchairs in mahogany. The armrest is adorned with dolphins and saber-shaped legs. Circa, 1830. Rare upholstery of complete needlepoint in the neoclassical style. A rea...
Mahogany
Antique French Empire Style Mahogany and Gilt Bronze Couch
Located in London, GB
Antique French Empire style mahogany and gilt bronze couch French, late 19th century Dimensions: Height 107cm, width 192cm, depth 72cm This beautiful canapé style couch is craft...
Ormolu
19th Century Empire Style Gilt Bronze Mounted Settee / Sofa
Located in Tarry Town, NY
19th century French Empire style handcrafted gilt bronze mahogany framed upholstered settee / sofa.
Bronze
Antique 19th Century French Empire Flame Mahogany Sofa with Carved Details
Located in King's Lynn, GB
A superb example of antique French Empire craftsmanship, this early 19th-century carved flame mahogany sofa showcases the strong, symbolic design language of the period.
Fabric, Mahogany
19th Century French Napoleon III Period Empire Style Painted Sofa ~ Canape
Located in Dallas, TX
19th Century French Napoleon III Period Empire Style Painted Sofa ~ Canape with cut silk velvet recalls the glory days of Napoleon and Josephine creating what many experts consider t...
Silk, Walnut, Paint
19th Century French Empire Ormolu Sphinx Egyptian Hardwood Suite Sofa Armchairs
Located in West Sussex, Pulborough
We are delighted to this very decorative collectable suite of mahogany with ornate Sphinx & Griffon ormolu mounted French Empire Egyptian revival salon seating A very good looking...
Ormolu
Empire Writing or Sofa Table in Mahogany with Satinwood Inlays, circa 1815
Located in INTERLAKEN, NY
A very handsome Swedish Empire, Karl Johan salon table of fine Cuban mahogany with satinwood banding, carved and ebonized center pillar on quatre-form base ending in saber feet, with...
Ormolu
Restoration Period Turkish Sofa With Swan Neck
Located in Charmes, FR
Turkish or billiard sofa, restoration period, swan neck decoration, discolored and stained fabric on the cushion as well as a small, unusual and decorative acro model
Wood
Antique French Recamier Sofa Bench, Ebonized Mahogany, Circa 1820
Located in West Palm Beach, FL
A black, antique French sofa bench-recamier made of hand crafted ebonized Mahogany, in good condition.
Fabric, Cotton, Upholstery, Ebony, Mahogany
Elegant French Empire Five Piece Mahogany Salon Set with Bronze Swan Decoration
Located in Hopewell, NJ
Stunning parlor set of antique French Empire mahogany and bronze upholstered sofa or loveseat, two armchairs and two side chairs.
Ormolu
$185Sale Price|20% Off
Pl. 17 Antique Print of a Sofa and Furniture by Kramer 'circa 1910'
Located in Langweer, NL
Antique print titled 'Sofa Etablissement im Empire Karakter'. Lithograph of a sofa and furniture.
Paper
19thC American Folk Art Portrait Painting Of A Young Girl Seated Beside Her Dog
Located in Incline Village, NV
Note the gorgeous furniture with a red empire style rolled and tufted couch and cushion with a green curtain linen background.
Canvas
Black leather, silk velvet cushions, breathable bouclé fabric — when shopping for antique or vintage sofas, today’s couch connoisseurs have much to choose from in terms of style and shape. But it wasn’t always thus.
The sofa is typically defined as a long upholstered seat that features a back and arms and is intended for two or more people. While the term “couch” comes from the Old French couche, meaning to lie down, and sofa has Eastern origins, both are forms of divan, a Turkish word that means an elongated cushioned seat. Bench-like seating in Ancient Greece, which was padded with soft blankets, was called klinai. No matter how you spell it, sofa just means comfort, at least it does today.
In the early days of sofa design, upholstery consisted of horsehair or dried moss. Sofas that originated in countries such as France during the 17th century were more integral to decor than they were to comfort. Like most Baroque furnishings from the region, they frequently comprised heavy, gilded mahogany frames and were upholstered in floral Beauvais tapestry. Today, options abound when it comes to style and material, with authentic leather offerings and classy steel settees. Plush, velvet chesterfields represent the platonic ideal of coziness.
Vladimir Kagan’s iconic sofa designs, such as the Crescent and the Serpentine — which, like the sectional sofas of the 1960s created by furniture makers such as Harvey Probber, are quite popular among mid-century modern furniture enthusiasts — showcase the spectrum of style available to modern consumers. Those looking to make a statement can turn to Studio 65’s lip-shaped Bocca sofa, which was inspired by the work of Salvador Dalí. Elsewhere, the furniture of the 1970s evokes an era when experimentation ruled, or at least provided a reason to break the rules. Just about every area of society felt a sudden urge to be wayward, to push boundaries — and buttons. Vintage leather sofas of that decade are characterized by a rare blending of the showy and organic.
With so many options, it’s important to explore and find the perfect furniture for your space. Paying attention to the lines of the cushions as well as the flow from the backrest into the arms is crucial to identifying a cohesive new piece for your home or office.
Fortunately, with styles from every era — and even round sofas — there’s a luxurious piece for every space. Deck out your living room with an Art Deco lounge or go retro with a nostalgic '80s design. No matter your sitting vision, the right piece is waiting for you in the expansive collection of unique sofas on 1stDibs.
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