$2,850
H 37.8 in W 32.29 in D 29.93 in
Pierre Paulin F-444 Lounge Chair by Artifort, 1960s — Mesh Seat
By Artifort, Pierre Paulin
Located in Dronten, NL
A striking example of mid-century innovation, this F-444 lounge chair by Pierre Paulin for Artifort
Steel
Pierre Paulin F444 Lounge Chair Artifort
By Pierre Paulin, Artifort
Located in Vlimmeren, BE
The F444 chair by Pierre Paulin is a true design classic. With its metal frame and saddle leather
Metal
'F444' Leather lounge chair by Pierre Paulin for Artifort
By Artifort, Pierre Paulin
Located in Brussels, BE
. Following his success, Paulin partnered with Artifort (Maastricht, Netherlands), where the iconic F444 was
Stainless Steel
Pierre Paulin F444 lounge chair for Artifort Netherlands 1963
By Pierre Paulin, Artifort
Located in Roosendaal, Noord Brabant
This stunning and original F444 lounge chair, designed by Pierre Paulin and manufactured by
Stainless Steel
$17,527 / set
H 37.8 in W 32.29 in D 29.53 in
Set of 2 Model F444 Lounge Chairs by Pierre Paulin for Artifort, 1960s
By Artifort, Pierre Paulin
Located in Oud Beijerland, NL
Stunning set of 2 model "F444" Chairs. This model is designed by the famous French designer Pierre
Steel
$17,527 / set
H 37.8 in W 32.29 in D 29.53 in
Set of 2 Model F444 Lounge Chairs by Pierre Paulin for Artifort, 1960s
By Artifort, Pierre Paulin
Located in Oud Beijerland, NL
Stunning set of 2 model "F444" Chairs. This model is designed by the famous French designer Pierre
Steel
Pierre Paulin leather F444 armchair Artifort 1963
By Pierre Paulin
Located in Grenoble, FR
Pierre Paulin Very beautiful armchair model F444 for the Artifort brand in 1963, structure in
Iron
Pierre Paulin F444 lounge chair, 1960s
By Pierre Paulin, Artifort
Located in Leuven, Vlaams Gewest
Beautifully patinated F444 lounge chair by Pierre Paulin. Pierre Paulin designed this lounge in the
Chrome
$3,850
H 37.8 in W 32.29 in D 29.93 in
Pierre Paulin F444 Lounge Chair in Black Leather – All Original, Vintage
By Artifort, Pierre Paulin
Located in Dronten, NL
A true design classic, this vintage F444 lounge chair by Pierre Paulin for Artifort embodies the
Steel
Rare Artifort F444 Chair by Pierre Paulin
By Pierre Paulin, Artifort
Located in Voorburg, NL
Highly rare edition of the Pierre Paulin 'F-444' lounge chair Rare and quite unique example of the
Stainless Steel
Pierre Paulin F444 Artifort Lounge Chair
By Artifort, Pierre Poulin
Located in Amsterdam, NL
Sturdy, massive and comfortable lounge chair. Very good original condition. Signed with Artifort
Metal
Pierre Paulin F444 Artifort Lounge Chair
By Artifort, Pierre Paulin
Located in Amsterdam, NL
stitching with very good patina. Signed with Artifort metal label. Free shipping for European
Sold
H 38.19 in W 32.29 in D 31.5 in
Mid-Century Modern F-444 Lounge Chair by Pierre Paulin for Artifort, 1960s
By Artifort, Pierre Paulin
Located in Amsterdam, NL
Mid-Century Modern F-444 lounge chair by Pierre Paulin for Artifort, 1960s. Original leather
Chrome
Pierre Paulin F444 lounge chairs pair Artifort 1963
By Pierre Paulin, Artifort
Located in Roosendaal, Noord Brabant
Stunning and original pair of F444 lounge chairs designed by Pierre Paulin and manufactured by
Steel, Stainless Steel
Pierre Paulin F444 Lounge Chair for Artifort, 1963
By Artifort, Pierre Paulin
Located in Roosendaal, Noord Brabant
Iconic lounge chair designed by Pierre Paulin for Artifort, Holland, 1963. This early example has a
Steel
Pierre Paulin Pair of F444 Lounge Chairs Artifort, 1963
By Artifort, Pierre Paulin
Located in Roosendaal, Noord Brabant
This is for a spectactular pair of F444 chairs designed by the French designer Pierre Paulin (1927
Stainless Steel
Pierre Paulin F444 lounge chair Artifort 1963, 1st edition
By Pierre Paulin, Artifort
Located in AMSTERDAM, NL
This exquisite example of the iconic of F444 lounge chair, designed by Pierre Paulin and produced
Canvas, Wood
Sold
H 38.19 in W 33.08 in D 29.53 in
Pierre Paulin "F444" Lounge Chair in Natural Leather for Artifort, 1960s
By Artifort, Pierre Paulin
Located in Brescia, Brescia
Introducing the iconic "F444" lounge chair, designed by the legendary Pierre Paulin for Artifort in
Metal, Steel
Pair of F-444 Lounge Chairs by Pierre Paulin
By Artifort, Pierre Paulin
Located in Waalwijk, NL
Stunning pair of beautifully patinated F-444 chairs designed by Pierre Paulin for Artifort, 1963
Chrome
Sold
H 38.59 in W 32.09 in D 27.56 in
First Edition Leather F444 Cantilever Lounge Chair by Pierre Paulin for Artifort
By Artifort, Pierre Paulin
Located in Izegem, VWV
. This model F444 still has it's original cognac leather and was manufactured by Artifort, The
Steel
Sold
H 38.19 in W 33.08 in D 27.56 in
F 444 Designed by Pierre Paulin for the Dutch Manufacturer Artifort
By Pierre Paulin
Located in Dronten, NL
Model F 444, designed 1963 for the Dutch manufacturer Artifort. This example is in immaculate
Leather
Sold
H 38.19 in W 32.29 in L 38.19 in
Pierre Paulin Easy Chair Model F-444 Produced by Artifort in Netherlands
By Pierre Paulin
Located in Limhamn, Skåne län
Rare easy chair model F-444 designed by Pierre Paulin. Produced by Artifort in Netherlands.
Steel
1960s Pierre Paulin for Artifort Leather F444 Lounge Chair
By Pierre Paulin
Located in Brooklyn, NY
Lounge armchair type F444 by Pierre Paulin for Artifort from the 1960s. Classic Mid-Century Modern
Leather
Pierre Paulin F444 Leather and Steel Chair for Artifort
Located in Chicago, IL
Brown leather with wonderful patina and steel chair for Artifort designed by Pierre Paulin. Pierre
Steel
Pierre Paulin F444 Leather and Chrome Lounge Chair
By Artifort, Pierre Paulin
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Beautiful Pierre Paulin F444 lounge chair for Artifort, 1962, Netherlands. Modern cantilevered
Chrome
Pierre Paulin Lounge Chair, Model F444 for Artifort, circa 1960
Located in Nashville, TN
Pierre Paulin lounge chair, Model F444 for Artifort, circa 1960. Original leather with fantastic
Leather
Original Black Leather Pierre Paulin F444 Lounge Chair
By Artifort, Pierre Paulin
Located in BE
Beautifully patinated F444 lounge chair by Pierre Paulin. Pierre Paulin designed this lounge in the
Metal
Pair of Pierre Paulin F444 Leather and Steel Chairs for Artifort
By Pierre Paulin
Located in NYC, NY
444, designed 1963 for the Dutch manufacturer Artifort. Will sell separately.
Steel
Rare Pierre Paulin Lounge Chair, Model F444 for Artifort, circa 1960
Located in Nashville, TN
Rare Pierre Paulin lounge chair, Model F444 for Artifort, circa 1960. Original brown leather with
Leather
Pierre Paulin Lounge Chair
By Pierre Paulin
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Pierre Paulin for Artifort lounge chair F444.
Artifort F444 in Natural Leather by Pierre Paulin
By Pierre Paulin, Artifort
Located in New York, NY
The F444 is Pierre Paulin’s design icon and dates back to 1963. It is one of the most
Leather
Pierre Paulin's F-444 Easy Chair in Patinated Cognac Leather
By Pierre Paulin
Located in Waalwijk, NL
Pierre Paulin for Artifort, F-444 easy chair, metal and cognac leather, the Netherlands, circa 1962
Steel
Sold
H 38.19 in W 32.29 in D 29.53 in
Original Black Leather Pierre Paulin F-444 Easy Chair by Artifort, 1962
By Artifort, Pierre Paulin
Located in Utrecht, NL
Iconic Pierre Paulin F-444 easy chair in original black saddle leather with cantilevered chrome
Steel
Pierre Paulin F444 Lounge Chair Artifort, 1963
By Pierre Paulin, Artifort
Located in Roosendaal, Noord Brabant
edition F444 is unique because of this. It still has its original metal Artifort tag on the back of the
Metal
Pierre Paulin F444 Lounge Chair Natural Artifort, 1963
By Artifort, Pierre Paulin
Located in Roosendaal, Noord Brabant
Stunning original F444 lounge chair designed by Pierre Paulin and manufactured by Artifort, Holland
Stainless Steel
Sold
H 38.19 in W 32.29 in D 27.56 in
Pierre Paulin F444 Leather Lounge Chair Artifort, Holland, 1970s
By Artifort, Pierre Paulin
Located in Antwerp, BE
Pierre Paulin; F444; Lounge Chair; Artifort; 1970s; Netherlands; Holland; Cognac; Leather; Metal
Metal
Sold
H 38.19 in W 32.68 in D 29.53 in
Pair of Pierre Paulin's F-444 Easy Chair in Patinated Cognac Leather
By Artifort
Located in Waalwijk, NL
Pierre Paulin for Artifort, pair of F-444 easy chairs, metal and cognac leather, the Netherlands
Metal
Sold
H 38.19 in W 31.89 in D 29.14 in
Pierre Paulin F444 Lounge Chair for Artifort, The Netherlands, 1963
By Artifort, Pierre Paulin
Located in bergen op zoom, NL
Sturdy and massive F444 Lounge Chair by Pierre Paulin for Artifort Paulin made this final design
Steel
Sold
H 38.19 in W 32.29 in D 28.35 in
Pierre Paulin F444 Lounge Chair in Natural Leather Artifort, 1963
By Artifort, Pierre Paulin
Located in Roosendaal, Noord Brabant
Stunning and fully original F444 lounge chair designed by Pierre Paulin and manufactured in Holland
Steel, Stainless Steel
Model F444 Lounge Chair by Pierre Paulin for Artifort, 1960s
By Artifort, Pierre Paulin
Located in Oud Beijerland, NL
Stunning model "F444" Chair. This comfortable model is designed by the famous French designer
Steel
Sold
H 37.8 in W 32.29 in D 28.75 in
Stunning Original Saddle Leather Pierre Paulin F444 Lounge Chair for Artifort
By Artifort, Pierre Paulin
Located in bergen op zoom, NL
F444 lounge chair designed by Pierre Paulin (1927-2009) for Artifort in 1963 First edition F444
Steel
Leather Artifort F444, Pierre Paulin Lounge Chair
By Pierre Paulin
Located in Amsterdam, NL
Artifort F444, Pierre Paulin lounge chair. Pierre Paulin designed this chair in 1963 for Artifort
Stainless Steel
Sold
H 38.59 in W 32.29 in D 31.5 in
Pierre Paulin F 444 Lounge Chair in Brown Saddle Leather for Artifort, 1962
By Pierre Paulin, Artifort
Located in Beek en Donk, NL
Original Pierre Paulin F444 lounge chair in brown / cognac leather, 1960s. It’s one of Paulin's
Metal, Chrome
F444 by Pierre Paulin for Artifort Lounge Chair
By Artifort, Pierre Paulin
Located in JM Haarlem, NL
Rare lounge chair 'F444' by Pierre Paulin. Manufacturer by Artifort. White painted steel and gray
Steel
Pierre Paulin “F444” Chair For Artifort, Netherlands 1960
By Artifort, Pierre Paulin
Located in Wilnis, UT
This iconic lounge chair, model “F444”, was designed by Pierre Paulin and manufactured by Artifort
Metal
Pierre Paulin F444 Sofa Fort Artifort, Netherlands, 1960
By Artifort, Pierre Paulin
Located in Wilnis, UT
Lounge chair model "F444", designed by Pierre Paulin and manufactured by Artifort in the
Metal, Chrome
Pierre Paulin F444 in Cognac Leather for Artifort, 1963
By Pierre Paulin, Artifort
Located in Roosendaal, NL
This is for a super patined F444 designed by Pierre Paulin (1927-2009) for Artifort in 1963. This
Chrome
F444 Lounge Chairs by Pierre Paulin, Edited for Artifort, 1963
By Pierre Paulin, Artifort
Located in Paris, FR
The F444 is one of the design icons of Pierre Paulin. From 1963, the F444 - more famous in the
Pierre Paulin Brown Leather F444 for Artifort
By Pierre Paulin
Located in LA Arnhem, NL
Pierre Paulin designed this chair in 1963 for Artifort. This chair has been produced circa 1965
Chrome
F444 Lounge Chair by Pierre Paulin for Artifort
By Pierre Paulin
Located in JM Haarlem, NL
Rare lounge chair 'F444' by Pierre Paulin. Manufacturer by Artifort. Chrome frame and original
Pierre Paulin F444 in Natural Leather, the Netherlands, 1963
By Artifort, Pierre Paulin
Located in Appeltern, Gelderland
This is a beautifully aged F444 designed by the French designer Pierre Paulin (1927-2009) for
Leather
Sold
H 37.8 in W 32.29 in D 31.5 in
Early Pierre Paulin F444 Lounge Chair in Leather for Artifort, 1960
By Pierre Paulin
Located in Castenray, NL
Very early Pierre Paulin lounge chair in cognac leather for Artifort, in a good original condition
Stainless Steel
Pierre Paulin Artifort F444 Artifort in Brown Leather Chair, 1965
By Pierre Paulin
Located in LA Arnhem, NL
Pierre Paulin Artifort F444 Artifort. Designed in 1965. This chair is also from that period. The
Leather
Pierre Paulin “F444” Chair For Artifort, Netherlands 1960
By Pierre Paulin, Artifort
Located in Wilnis, UT
This iconic lounge chair, model “F444”, was designed by Pierre Paulin and manufactured by Artifort
Metal
Sold
H 31.5 in W 32.29 in D 37.8 in
F444 Pierre Paulin Saddle Leather Lounge Chair for Artifort, Original 1969
By Artifort, Pierre Paulin
Located in Beek en Donk, NL
Original Pierre Paulin F444 lounge chair. A beautiful piece. The F444, later also known as F644, is
Chrome, Metal
Pierre Paulin F444 Artifort Original Black Leather, 1963
By Pierre Paulin
Located in LA Arnhem, NL
The F444 designed in 1963 by Pierre Paulin for Artifort. Bent and chrome-plated iron frame, linking
Steel
$12,900 / set
H 32.68 in W 16.93 in D 18.9 in
Gio Ponti 646 "Leggera" Dining Chairs for Cassina, 1952, Set of 6
By Gio Ponti, Cassina
Located in Lonigo, Veneto
Gio Ponti 646 "Leggera" dining chairs for Cassina, black ash-wood and rope seat, Italy, 1952, set of six. The model 646 "Leggera" is an icon of chair design and of Cassina’s master...
Rope, Ash
Bertu Counter Stools, White Oak Counter Stool, Chile Stool
By Bertu Furniture
Located in Oak Harbor, OH
Bertu Counter Stools, White Oak Counter Stool, Chile Stool This White Oak Chile Counter Stool is beautifully constructed from solid wood in Ohio, USA. The stool is chunky and modern...
Wood, Oak
Pink Marble Pedestal Cone Side Table
By Kiwano Concept
Located in Eindhoven, NB
Introduce monumental elegance and a grounded detail to your interior with the stunning pink marble CONE side table. The sculptural geometric shape of this contemporary design piece ...
Marble
Pair of 70s Style Italian Bamboo and Brass Table Lamps
Located in New York, NY
Monumental size Bamboo lamps. Crafted in Italy and made to order, these lamps are modern and chic. Production lead time 2-4 weeks. Base diameter 8 inches, hat diameter 20 inches, he...
Brass
Mid-Century Modern 1950s Italian Cabinet in Mahogany
Located in Waalwijk, NL
Cabinet, mahogany, mirrored glass, glass, brass, Italy, 1950s This charming cabinet stands out with its graphical door panels, featuring carved horizontal lines that add character ...
Brass
$1,155Sale Price / item|30% Off
H 16.1 in Dm 11.5 in
'Plissé White Edition' Pleated Textile Table Lamp by Folkform for Örsjö
By Örsjö Industri AB
Located in Glendale, CA
'Plissé White Edition' pleated textile table lamp by Folkform for Örsjö. This unique table lamp was awarded “Lighting of the Year 2022” by Residence Magazine Sweden, who called it “...
Textile
Marble Scalloped Sink Basin
Located in Cranbrook, Kent
Classical Italian scalloped sink basin cut from one single block of Carrara marble. Custom sizes available
Marble
LU Louis Sconce AS
By Lumfardo Luminaires
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Handsome LU Louis sconce AS. An all brass wall sconce in an aged silver finish with patterned perforations by Lumfardo Luminaires. Made contemporary in the US. Multiples available fo...
Brass, Nickel
"Bold" Pink Marble Bold Side Table
By Kiwano Concept
Located in Eindhoven, NB
The BOLD pink marble Side Table is built from solid stone with clean lines and a simple structure. Its surface highlights the natural tones and patterns of pink marble. This minimal...
Marble
$434 / item
H 3.54 in W 4.92 in D 5.51 in
Galupa Art Deco Wall Sconce, Optical Glass & Aluminum, Up/Down Lighting
Located in İstiklal, TR
GALUPA Art Deco Wall Sconce, a masterpiece of design that effortlessly combines elegance and functionality. This stunning wall sconce is crafted in the timeless Art Deco style, featu...
Aluminum
$29,231 / set
H 26.38 in W 40.56 in D 35.44 in
Pierre Paulin, Pair of Spider Lounge Chairs "Model F678" for Artifort. 1966
By Pierre Paulin, Artifort
Located in Paris, FR
Exceptional and rare pair of lounge chairs model F678, also known as the Spider Lounge Chair designed by the French designer Pierre Paulin and manufactured by Artifort Furniture Comp...
Fabric, Wool, Upholstery, Velvet, Rope, Plywood
$6,080
H 28.35 in W 70.08 in D 38.59 in
Le Bambole sofa in velvet By Mario Bellini For B&B Italia, 1970s
By Mario Bellini, B&B Italia
Located in ABCOUDE, UT
Beautiful Le Bambole sofa in coral/pink coloured velvet designed by Mario Bellini for B&B Italia in the 1970s. This beautiful edition is reupholstered in a high quality cotton velve...
Velvet
Ondamarmo Vulcano Onyx Matte Polished Side Table
Located in AVENZA CARRARA, IT
The Ondamarmo series by Federica Elmo includes 6 objects: The extra large dining table, two smaller size tables, three shelves, and a tray designed as an evolution of the shapes of t...
Onyx
Custom Made Round Mohair Velvet Ottoman with Oak Ball Feet
Located in London, England
Dagmar - Luupo Round Ottoman The Luupo Ottoman offers a versatile and sophisticated seating option for any modern interior. The round, inviting form sits on top of solid oak or waln...
Sheepskin, Oak
Custom Round Mohair Velvet Ottoman with Oak Feet
Located in London, England
Dagmar Design - Round Ottoman Custom-made ottoman developed & produced at our workshops in London using the highest quality materials. These examples are upholstered in a mustar...
Oak, Mohair, Velvet
Sculptural Scandinavian Modern Chair in Wood Denmark - 1960s
Located in Berlin, DE
Sculptural Scandinavian Modern Chair in Wood, Denmark - 1960s.
Wood
Pierre Paulin introduced a fresh breeze into French furniture design in the 1960s and ’70s, fostering a sleek new Space-Age aesthetic. Along with Olivier Mourgue, Paulin developed chairs, sofas, dining tables and other furnishings with flowing lines and almost surreal naturalistic forms. And his work became such a byword for chic, forward-looking design and emerging technologies that two French presidents commissioned him to create environments in the Élysée Palace in Paris.
Paulin was born in Paris to a family of artists and designers. He initially sought to become a ceramist and sculptor and was studying in the town of Vallauris near the Côte d'Azur — a center for pottery making, where Pablo Picasso spent his postwar summers crafting ceramics — but broke his hand in a fight. He enrolled at the École Camondo, the Paris interior design school. There, Paulin was strongly influenced by the work of Charles and Ray Eames, George Nelson and Arne Jacobsen, as was reflected in his early creations for the manufacturer Thonet-France.
It was at the Dutch firm Artifort, which he joined in 1958, where Paulin blossomed. In a few years, he produced several of his signature designs based on abstract organic shapes. These include the Butterfly chair (1963), which features a tubular steel frame and slung leather, and a group of striking seating pieces made with steel frames covered in polyurethane foam and tight jersey fabric: the Mushroom (1960), Ribbon (1966) and Tongue (1967) chairs. The revered designer not only introduced new construction techniques to Artifort furniture but contributed fresh materials, Pop art colors and dazzling shapes to the mid-century modern era as a whole.
In 1971, the Mobilier National — a department of France’s Ministry of Culture in charge of furnishing top-tier government offices and embassies — commissioned Paulin to redesign President Georges Pompidou’s private apartment in the Élysée Palace. In three years, Paulin transformed the staid rooms into futuristic environments with curved, fabric-clad walls and furnishings such as bookcases made from an arrangement of smoked-glass U shapes, flower-like pedestal chairs and pumpkin-esque loungers.
Ten years later, the Mobilier National called on Paulin again, this time to furnish the private office of President François Mitterand. Paulin responded with an angular, postmodern take on neoclassical furniture, pieces that looked surprisingly at home in the paneled, Savonnerie-carpeted Louis XVI rooms. As those two Élysée Palace projects show, Paulin furniture works well both in a total decor or when used as a counterpoint to traditional pieces. His creations have a unique personality: bright and playful yet sophisticated and suave.
Find vintage Pierre Paulin lounge chairs, armchairs, coffee tables and other furniture on 1stDibs.
Organically shaped, clean-lined and elegantly simple are three terms that well describe vintage mid-century modern furniture. The style, which emerged primarily in the years following World War II, is characterized by pieces that were conceived and made in an energetic, optimistic spirit by creators who believed that good design was an essential part of good living.
ORIGINS OF MID-CENTURY MODERN FURNITURE DESIGN
CHARACTERISTICS OF MID-CENTURY MODERN FURNITURE DESIGN
MID-CENTURY MODERN FURNITURE DESIGNERS TO KNOW
ICONIC MID-CENTURY MODERN FURNITURE DESIGNS
VINTAGE MID-CENTURY MODERN FURNITURE ON 1STDIBS
The mid-century modern era saw leagues of postwar American architects and designers animated by new ideas and new technology. The lean, functionalist International-style architecture of Le Corbusier and Bauhaus eminences Ludwig Mies van der Rohe and Walter Gropius had been promoted in the United States during the 1930s by Philip Johnson and others. New building techniques, such as “post-and-beam” construction, allowed the International-style schemes to be realized on a small scale in open-plan houses with long walls of glass.
Materials developed for wartime use became available for domestic goods and were incorporated into mid-century modern furniture designs. Charles and Ray Eames and Eero Saarinen, who had experimented extensively with molded plywood, eagerly embraced fiberglass for pieces such as the La Chaise and the Womb chair, respectively.
Architect, writer and designer George Nelson created with his team shades for the Bubble lamp using a new translucent polymer skin and, as design director at Herman Miller, recruited the Eameses, Alexander Girard and others for projects at the legendary Michigan furniture manufacturer.
Harry Bertoia and Isamu Noguchi devised chairs and tables built of wire mesh and wire struts. Materials were repurposed too: The Danish-born designer Jens Risom created a line of chairs using surplus parachute straps for webbed seats and backrests.
The Risom lounge chair was among the first pieces of furniture commissioned and produced by celebrated manufacturer Knoll, a chief influencer in the rise of modern design in the United States, thanks to the work of Florence Knoll, the pioneering architect and designer who made the firm a leader in its field. The seating that Knoll created for office spaces — as well as pieces designed by Florence initially for commercial clients — soon became desirable for the home.
As the demand for casual, uncluttered furnishings grew, more mid-century furniture designers caught the spirit.
Classically oriented creators such as Edward Wormley, house designer for Dunbar Inc., offered such pieces as the sinuous Listen to Me chaise; the British expatriate T.H. Robsjohn-Gibbings switched gears, creating items such as the tiered, biomorphic Mesa table. There were Young Turks such as Paul McCobb, who designed holistic groups of sleek, blond wood furniture, and Milo Baughman, who espoused a West Coast aesthetic in minimalist teak dining tables and lushly upholstered chairs and sofas with angular steel frames.
Generations turn over, and mid-century modern remains arguably the most popular style going. As the collection of vintage mid-century modern chairs, dressers, coffee tables and other furniture for the living room, dining room, bedroom and elsewhere on 1stDibs demonstrates, this period saw one of the most delightful and dramatic flowerings of creativity in design history.
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.