Cantilever Black Tube Armchair
Vintage 1930s German Art Deco Armchairs
Chrome, Steel
Late 20th Century American Modern Armchairs
Chrome
Vintage 1930s Czech Bauhaus Armchairs
Steel, Chrome
Late 20th Century Finnish Scandinavian Modern Armchairs
Metal
21st Century and Contemporary Swiss Modern Armchairs
Leather
21st Century and Contemporary Swiss Modern Armchairs
Leather
Vintage 1970s Italian Mid-Century Modern Armchairs
Metal
20th Century Italian Bauhaus Dining Room Chairs
Chrome
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2010s Austrian Jugendstil Chandeliers and Pendants
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21st Century and Contemporary Mexican Mid-Century Modern Table Lamps
Textile, Wood
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Benches
Fabric, Velvet, Lacquer, Wood
21st Century and Contemporary French Brutalist Night Stands
Oak
Vintage 1940s Italian Art Deco Chairs
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Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Desks and Writing Tables
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20th Century French Mid-Century Modern Stools
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Vintage 1960s Italian Mid-Century Modern Flush Mount
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2010s British Art Deco Lounge Chairs
Alpaca, Wood
Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Stools
Walnut
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2010s German Armchairs
Aluminum
2010s German Armchairs
Aluminum
2010s German Armchairs
Aluminum
2010s German Armchairs
Aluminum
Antique 1630s English Art Deco Armchairs
Chrome
Vintage 1930s German Bauhaus Armchairs
Steel
2010s German Armchairs
Vintage 1970s German Mid-Century Modern Armchairs
Chrome
Mid-20th Century European Bauhaus Dining Room Chairs
Steel
Vintage 1970s German Mid-Century Modern Lounge Chairs
Chrome
Mid-20th Century European Bauhaus Chairs
Chrome
Antique 1870s British Victorian Rocking Chairs
Steel
20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Lounge Chairs
Chrome
2010s Dutch Armchairs
Leather
20th Century Italian Mid-Century Modern Lounge Chairs
Chrome
Vintage 1970s Spanish Mid-Century Modern Dining Room Chairs
Chrome
Vintage 1950s American Art Deco Armchairs
2010s German Armchairs
Steel
Vintage 1960s French Armchairs
Chrome
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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