Barbara Barry Caned Chair

Barbara Barry intends for her furniture designs to connect people to the splendor of the natural world around them. Her lounge chairs, tables and other pieces reflect the influence of the Hollywood Regency style as well as Barry’s admiration for organic materials and the subdued color palettes of the great outdoors. Simple and calming, her furniture is quietly elegant and has garnered Barry renown worldwide as a leader in interior design.

A native of California, Barry was surrounded by artists from the moment she was born and credits her mother with instilling a strong sense of confidence in her. Barry’s mother, a painter, encouraged her to nurture her creative impulses. The designer initially pursued a degree in art — she is an active painter today — but quickly eschewed the norms of formal education, leaving school to travel through Europe.

While traveling, Barry fell in love with the wines and cheeses of the cities she visited, inspiring her to open her own cheese shop in Mendocino upon her return to California. Her predilection for interior design quickly began to show itself as she went about setting up and running her store, and Barry began drawing designs for her own furniture. She moved to Los Angeles and established her own design firm in 1985.

Working with small local businesses to get her pieces made, she became more passionate about expressing herself through her furniture and quickly amassed a following for her work. Today, for its thoughtful merge of clean lines, 1940s Hollywood glamour and the soft palettes of the sea, sky and foliage of her state, her understated furniture is an international success.

Barry is expressly opposed to the use of patterns, opting instead for solid neutrals that pair well with warm brass or vintage bronze lighting fixtures and allow for the colors in a painting on the living room wall to pop. She is focused on bringing harmony and order into a space, and her minimalist designs — acid-washed mahogany side tables, armchairs with dark stained rattan backrests — are sought after by A-list celebrities, politicians and leading manufacturers alike. Barry has created exclusive furniture collections and home decor for legendary brands including Baker Furniture, McGuire Furniture Company and others.

Find Barbara Barry decorative objects, seating, case pieces and more on 1stDibs.

With entire areas of our homes reserved for “sitting rooms,” the value of quality antique and vintage seating cannot be overstated.

Fortunately, the design of side chairs, armchairs and other lounge furniture — since what were, quite literally, the early perches of our ancestors — has evolved considerably.

Among the earliest standard seating furniture were stools. Egyptian stools, for example, designed for one person with no seat back, were x-shaped and typically folded to be tucked away. These rudimentary chairs informed the design of Greek and Roman stools, all of which were a long way from Sori Yanagi's Butterfly stool or Alvar Aalto's Stool 60. In the 18th century and earlier, seats with backs and armrests were largely reserved for high nobility.

The seating of today is more inclusive but the style and placement of chairs can still make a statement. Antique desk chairs and armchairs designed in the style of Louis XV, which eventually included painted furniture and were often made of rare woods, feature prominently curved legs as well as Chinese themes and varied ornaments. Much like the thrones of fairy tales and the regency, elegant lounges crafted in the Louis XV style convey wealth and prestige. In the kitchen, the dining chair placed at the head of the table is typically reserved for the head of the household or a revered guest.

Of course, with luxurious vintage or antique furnishings, every chair can seem like the best seat in the house. Whether your preference is stretching out on a plush sofa, such as the Serpentine, designed by Vladimir Kagan, or cozying up in a vintage wingback chair, there is likely to be a comfy classic or contemporary gem for you on 1stDibs.

With respect to the latest obsessions in design, cane seating has been cropping up everywhere, from sleek armchairs to lounge chairs, while bouclé fabric, a staple of modern furniture design, can be seen in mid-century modern, Scandinavian modern and Hollywood Regency furniture styles.

Admirers of the sophisticated craftsmanship and dark woods frequently associated with mid-century modern seating can find timeless furnishings in our expansive collection of lounge chairs, dining chairs and other items — whether they’re vintage editions or alluring official reproductions of iconic designs from the likes of Hans Wegner or from Charles and Ray Eames. Shop our inventory of Egg chairs, designed in 1958 by Arne Jacobsen, the Florence Knoll lounge chair and more.

No matter your style, the collection of unique chairs, sofas and other seating on 1stDibs is surely worthy of a standing ovation.