Burgomaster Chair
Antique Early 19th Century Sri Lankan Dutch Colonial Furniture
Rattan, Hardwood
Antique Late 18th Century Indian Dutch Colonial Furniture
Rattan, Teak
Antique Late 18th Century Indian Dutch Colonial Furniture
Rattan, Teak
Recent Sales
Antique 18th Century and Earlier Indonesian Chairs
Cane
Vintage 1950s Indonesian British Colonial Armchairs
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21st Century and Contemporary Swedish Mid-Century Modern Table Lamps
Textile
Vintage 1920s Danish Scandinavian Modern Bookcases
Mahogany
Antique 19th Century British Victorian Taxidermy
Tortoise Shell, Animal Skin, Epoxy Resin, Paint
Antique 17th Century Japanese Edo Lacquer
Copper, Gold
Antique 19th Century Furniture
Wood
Early 20th Century Italian Rococo Bird Cages
Metal
Antique 16th Century Indian Jewelry Boxes
Silver
Antique 19th Century Swiss Other Snuff Boxes and Tobacco Boxes
Gold
Antique Mid-18th Century Chinese Chinese Export Lacquer
Wood, Cypress, Lacquer
Early 20th Century American Renaissance Revival Tableware
Sterling Silver
Antique 19th Century American Rococo Tableware
Sterling Silver
Antique Mid-19th Century English High Victorian Taxidermy
Other
Antique Late 19th Century Indonesian Dutch Colonial Settees
Leather, Teak
Antique 19th Century English Other Tables
Mahogany
Antique Late 19th Century Chinese Chinese Export Tea Sets
Sterling Silver
Antique 19th Century Japanese Lacquer
Lacquer
Finding the Right Armchairs for You
Armchairs have run the gamut from prestige to ease and everything in between, and everyone has an antique or vintage armchair that they love.
Long before industrial mass production democratized seating, armchairs conveyed status and power.
In ancient Egypt, the commoners took stools, while in early Greece, ceremonial chairs of carved marble were designated for nobility. But the high-backed early thrones of yore, elevated and ornate, were merely grandiose iterations of today’s armchairs.
Modern-day armchairs, built with functionality and comfort in mind, are now central to tasks throughout your home. Formal dining armchairs support your guests at a table for a cheery feast, a good drafting chair with a deep seat is parked in front of an easel where you create art and, elsewhere, an ergonomic wonder of sorts positions you at the desk for your 9 to 5.
When placed under just the right lamp where you can lounge comfortably, both elbows resting on the padded supports on each side of you, an upholstered armchair — or a rattan armchair for your light-suffused sunroom — can be the sanctuary where you’ll read for hours.
If you’re in the mood for company, your velvet chesterfield armchair is a place to relax and be part of the conversation that swirls around you. Maybe the dialogue is about the beloved Papa Bear chair, a mid-century modern masterpiece from Danish carpenter and furniture maker Hans Wegner, and the wingback’s strong association with the concept of cozying up by the fireplace, which we can trace back to its origins in 1600s-era England, when the seat’s distinctive arm protrusions protected the sitter from the heat of the period’s large fireplaces.
If the fireside armchair chat involves spirited comparisons, your companions will likely probe the merits of antique and vintage armchairs such as Queen Anne armchairs, Victorian armchairs or even Louis XVI armchairs, as well as the pros and cons of restoration versus conservation.
Everyone seems to have a favorite armchair and most people will be all too willing to talk about their beloved design. Whether that’s the unique Favela chair by Brazilian sibling furniture designers Fernando and Humberto Campana, who repurposed everyday objects to provocative effect; or Marcel Breuer’s futuristic tubular metal Wassily lounge chair; the functionality-first LC series from Charlotte Perriand, Le Corbusier and Pierre Jeanneret; or the Eames lounge chair of the mid-1950s created by Charles and Ray Eames, there is an iconic armchair for everyone and every purpose. Find yours on 1stDibs right now.
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