Aran Chair

With a vast inventory of beautiful furniture at 1stDibs, we’ve got just the aran chair you’re looking for. Frequently made of fabric, animal skin and metal, every aran chair was constructed with great care. Find 3 options for an antique or vintage aran chair now, or shop our selection of 20 modern versions for a more contemporary example of this long-cherished piece. Whether you’re looking for an older or newer aran chair, there are earlier versions available from the 20th Century and newer variations made as recently as the 21st Century. Each aran chair bearing modern or mid-century modern hallmarks is very popular. Many designers have produced at least one well-made aran chair over the years, but those crafted by Arflex, Claesson Koivisto Rune and Cini Boeri are often thought to be among the most beautiful.

Prices for a aran chair start at $2,566 and top out at $14,778 with the average selling for $4,950.

While this specific seating is known to all for its comfort and familiar form, the history of how your favorite antique or vintage lounge chair came to be is slightly more ambiguous.

Although there are rare armchairs dating back as far as the 17th century, some believe that the origins of the first official “lounge chair” are tied to Hungarian modernist designer-architect Marcel Breuer. Sure, Breuer wasn’t exactly reinventing the wheel when he introduced the Wassily lounge chair in 1925, but his seat was indeed revolutionary for its integration of bent tubular steel.

Officially, a lounge chair is simply defined as a “comfortable armchair,” which allows for the shape and material of the furnishings to be extremely diverse. Whether or not chaise longues make the cut for this category is a matter of frequent debate.

The Eames lounge chair, on the other hand, has come to define somewhat of a universal perception of what a lounge chair can be. Introduced in 1956, the Eames lounger (and its partner in cozy, the ottoman) quickly became staples in television shows, prestigious office buildings and sumptuous living rooms. Venerable American mid-century modern designers Charles and Ray Eames intended for it to be the peak of luxury, which they knew meant taking furniture to the next level of style and comfort. Their chair inspired many modern interpretations of the lounge — as well as numerous copies.

On 1stDibs, find a broad range of unique lounge chairs that includes everything from antique Victorian-era seating to vintage mid-century modern lounge chairs by craftspersons such as Hans Wegner to contemporary choices from today’s innovative designers.