Pair of Italian Crab-Form Grotto Chairs, Attributed to Pauly et Cie, Venice
By Pauly et Cie
Located in London, GB
The trend originated with the European nobility of the 18th and 19th centuries, who designed and built whole rooms as shell-encrusted pavilions, to resemble grottos. These chairs ar...
Velvet, Wood
Ch. 1102 Crab Chair by Peter Hedstrom
Located in New York, NY
Inspired by Eames molded plywood chair. This unique crab chair uses laminated bleach ashwood from Maine.
Bentwood
Crab Leg Lounge Chairs
Located in San Francisco, CA
Pair of american crab leg lounge chairs. Frames refinished in black lacquer and re-upholstered in a charcoal wool blend.
Wood
Set of Two Crab Chairs by Peter Hedstrom
Located in New York, NY
Inspired by Eames Molded plywood chair. This unique crab chair uses laminated bleach ash wood from Maine.
Mid 20th Century Design Crab Claw Chair
Located in London, GB
Crab Claw Chair with button back upholstery This fantastic Chair will add great style to any interior.
Fabric
Early Oak Wainscot Chair
Located in Sutton Coldfield, GB
Tobias Jellinek explains that the two things which distinguish the ‘caqueteuse’ from all other types of armchair are the trapezium shaped seat and the horizontal arms which are crook...
Oak
$1,520Sale Price / set|20% Off
H 36 in W 24 in D 21 in
French Pair of Armchair Carcasses, Montespan Style, 19th Century
Located in Montreal, Quebec
French pair of armchair carcasses, Montespan style, 19th century Very beautiful model and lovely wood finish, to be upholstered to your taste.
Wood
Pair of Early 20th-century Venetian Grotto Chairs
Located in San Francisco, CA
Odds are good that you haven't seen many of these, with their scallop shell backs and seats, dolphin-head arms, and particularly such strange, roughened, coral-textured legs suggesti...
Wood, Paint
A Pair of Grotto Shell Chairs
Located in New York, NY
A pair of hand-carved fruitwood frames with stylized dolphin-form arm from the mid 1900s. The chairs has very high quality and are unusually generous in proportions. The height of th...
Fruitwood
$11,500 / set
H 34.75 in W 27.5 in D 22.5 in
Pair of French Louis XV Carved Fauteuils Arm Chairs by Louis Cresson ca. 1750
By Louis Cresson 1
Located in Shippensburg, PA
PAIR OF LOUIS XV CARVED BEECHWOOD FAUTEUILS Upholstered in an old, but not original leather covering Stamped L. CRESSON on reverse of each chair back rail Paris, circa 1750 34 3/...
Leather, Beech
Antique Venetian Carved Grotto Rocking Chair, ca. 1890
Located in Berghuelen, DE
An antique handcarved Venetian rocking chair in grotto design. Seat and backrest in the shape of sea shells, backrest supported by a sea horse. The base features fish heads and sea s...
Wood
$16,827 / set
H 44.69 in W 27.17 in D 23.63 in
Pair of Armchairs Attributed to H.A. Fourdinois, France, c1870
Located in PARIS, FR
Important pair of armchairs attributed to H.A. Fourdinois, with a flat back in “chapeau de gendarme” centered with a carved and foliated cartouche, joining padded scroll armrests car...
Wood
$6,500 / set
H 51.25 in W 23 in D 25 in
Antique Venetian Grotto Chairs, Hand Painted, Circa 1870s, Unique Pair
Located in West Palm Beach, FL
Outstanding pair of Venetian carved and pierced wood grotto style side chairs. Beautifully painted by an artisan featuring faux marble seat supported by a garden urn. A very unique p...
Wood
$6,730 / set
H 39.38 in W 16.93 in D 15.75 in
Exquisite Pair of Chairs by Gabriel Viardot - France, Circa 1890
By Gabriel Viardot
Located in Isle Sur La Sorgue, Vaucluse
Rare and wonderful pair of "Pagoda" side chairs by Gabriel Viardot. Mahogany, with ivory and bronze detailing. The back medallions feature a dragon. Newly reupholstered with ve...
Fantastic Pair of Venetian Grotto Style Side Chairs
Located in East Hampton, NY
Unique pair of Venetian style grotto chairs with seahorse carved back and scallop seats in a silvered wood.... the legs are carved in the shape of shells.
Wood
$4,032 / set
H 40.16 in W 15.75 in D 15.75 in
Pair (2) Antique plank chairs with grotesque decorations, Germany 19th century
Located in Berlin, DE
Pair of Antique Plank Chairs with Grotesque Decorations, Germany, 19th Century Two antique Italian chairs made of carved solid wood with carved backs. Unusually attractively shaped ...
Oak
A pair of large armchairs, early 20th century France.
Located in VILLERS-SUR-MER, FR
A pair of large red silk armchairs with high curved backs and rolled armrests. Early 20th century France.
Silk, Wood
Large Pair of 19th Century Oriental Armchairs
Located in Brighton, Sussex
A very impressive large pair of Japanese carved softwood armchairs, each depicting carved exotic flowers and foliage.
Softwood
$6,495
H 54.5 in W 22 in D 22 in
Set of 2 Jacobean Stuart Baroque Styled Hand-Carved Armchairs, England, c. 1890s
Located in Deland, FL
Introducing an incredibly rare and well-preserved set of Jacobean Stuart/Baroque-styled hand-carved armchairs produced in Victorian England in the 1890's during the Baroque Revival ...
Oak
$2,928Sale Price / set|20% Off
H 30.71 in W 26.38 in D 27.56 in
Pair of Small Antique Horn Chairs, Austria ca. 1870
Located in Berghuelen, DE
Pair of Small Antique Horn Chairs, Austria ca. 1870 Item e5681 A pair small bull horn chairs ca. 1870, one covered with vintage cattle coat which has to be renewed (is loosing the ha...
Metal
$21,469 / set
H 40.16 in W 26.38 in D 21.66 in
Pair of Aesthetic Movement Armchairs Attributed to G.Viardot, France, Circa 1880
By Gabriel Viardot
Located in PARIS, FR
These armchairs made of tinted wood are to be linked to another pair of armchairs executed by Gabriel Viardot, and now exhibited at the Decorative Arts Museum in Paris (Inv. 2006.105...
Fabric, Wood
$4,409 / set
H 34.26 in W 25.99 in D 19.69 in
Pair of Antique French Louis XV Armchairs, Carved Wood & Cane, 1970
Located in Marbella, ES
An elegant pair of Louis XV-style armchairs, crafted from carved wood with delicate curved motifs and floral ornamentation. The backs and seats feature natural cane webbing, lending ...
Wicker, Wood
$14,950 / item
H 33.08 in W 115.36 in D 61.82 in
1950's Style Curved Velvet Sofa in Custom Velvet Colors
Located in New York, NY
The Sofa inspires itself nature where green is the predominant element and where valleys and hills prevail. The item’s details allow it to be the perfect statement piece for any cont...
Velvet, Walnut
19th Century Italian Venetian Grotto Settee by Pauly et Cie
By Pauly et Cie
Located in Queens, NY
Italian Venetian Grotto (19th cent.) silver gilt settee with triple seashell seat and dolphin & seahorse motif (att: Pauly et Cie, Venice)
Silver Leaf
Luigi Massoni ‘Dilly Dally’ Vanity Set in Cognac Leatherette
By Luigi Massoni, Poltrona Frau
Located in Waalwijk, NL
Luigi Massoni for Poltrona Frau, ‘Dilly Dally’ vanity set, leatherette, mirrored glass, plastic, brass, lacquered wood, metal, Italy, 1968 Outstanding Italian dressing table designe...
Metal, Brass
Una 'Articolo Indeterminativo' Wood Chaise Longue
By Stefano Marolla
Located in Roma, IT
The chaise longue is the third piece of the collection Una (Articolo Indeterminativo) by Stefano Marolla. The name of the collection comes from the Italian grammar where the indeterm...
Wood
20th Century Italian Rococo Bird Cage, Hand-Painted Metal & Wood
Located in Queens, NY
Italian Venetian style (20th Cent) octagonal shaped painted and decorated metal and wood bird cage with 8 upholstered seat and back cushions around base. (Franco Zefferelli Collection)
Metal
$42,000 / set
H 30.52 in W 41.74 in D 33.08 in
René Drouet Pair of Lounge Chairs in Olive Green Corduroy and Walnut
By René Drouet
Located in Waalwijk, NL
René Drouet, pair of lounge chairs, corduroy velvet, walnut, France, 1930s Designed by French decorator René Drouet, these club chairs are a quintessential example of French Art Dec...
Velvet, Walnut
$125,000
H 42.52 in W 27.56 in D 22.84 in
Purple Museum Quality Amethyst Centerpiece Mineral Masterpiece Decorative Object
Located in London, GB
A very large, one of a kind epimorph amethyst. This piece is a visual spectacle with the natural sculptural formations of amethyst in a different variety of purple tones. Also disp...
Agate, Amethyst, Quartz
$2,962Sale Price|75% Off
H 33 in W 22 in D 22 in
19th Century Venetian Gilded, Carved Wood Grotto Style Table
Located in Jensen Beach, FL
Mid-19th century, Venetian grotto style table. Shell form top, mythical dolphin, sitting atop three shell legs.
Giltwood
$17,483
H 59.06 in W 37.41 in D 19.69 in
Rare Italian Liberty Style/Art Nouveau Commode with Painted Wood Inlays
Located in Milano, IT
Rare commode in the style of Louis Majorelle with front and sides inlaid in painted wood. Two doors on the front that hide a cabinet with open compartments and small drawers in light...
Wood
Fabergé Style Bejewelled and Enamelled Gold Egg by Asprey
By Asprey International Limited, Garrard & Co. Ltd.
Located in London, GB
This exceptional, 18 carat gold Easter egg was crafted by the famous London-based royal jewellers, Asprey & Co. The piece was then retailed by Garrard & Co, who once worked i...
Gold
$6,500
H 3.75 in W 14 in D 8.75 in
T.H. Robsjohn-Gibbings for Saridis of Athens Greek Walnut Foot Stool Model # 22
By T.H. Robsjohn-Gibbings, Saridis
Located in Lynn, MA
Very rare T.H. Robsjohn-Gibbings for Saridis of Athens Greek Walnut Foot Stool Model # 22. The design was taken from the stele of Philotera of the 4th century B.C. in the Archaeologi...
Walnut
$22,500
H 33 in W 26 in D 44 in
Italian Baroque Rocking Chair by Pauly & Co., 19th Century Silver Leaf
By Pauly & Co.
Located in Queens, NY
Italian Venetian Grotto (19th cent.) silver gilt rocker with carved seashell seat & back and seahorse sides (att: Pauly et Cie, Venice)
Silver Leaf
$115,448
H 61.82 in W 38.59 in D 22.05 in
17th Century Japanese Lacquer Cabinet On French Giltwood Regence Stand
Located in Benington, Herts
An Extremely Fine and Very Important 17th Century Japanese Lacquer Cabinet on French Giltwood Stand of Regence Period circa 1680-1690 Provenance Likely acquired by Herman Willem ...
Giltwood, Lacquer
Tourmaline "Parrot", Brazil
Located in New York, NY
TOURMALINE Aricanga Mine, Sao Jose da Safira, Minas Gerais, Brazil 9 cm tall x 2.1 cm diameter Crystals of this type are sometimes referred to as "Parrot" crystals due to the multi-...
Other
$38,500
H 37 in W 65 in D 28 in
Rare and Important Walnut And Upholstered Parchment Bench By Carlo Bugatti
By Carlo Bugatti
Located in Montreal, QC
Carlo Bugatti bench upholstered with parchment, inlaid with pewter details and mounted with hammered copper decorations.Italy, c. 1906 literature: Carlo Bugatti au Musée d'Orsay, Mas...
Walnut
$120,000 / set
H 42.52 in W 42.52 in D 27.56 in
Victorian Living Room Set by GROTTO, Carved Wood, Italy, Circa 1850
Located in Ciudad Autónoma Buenos Aires, C
Venetian living room set, made of carved wood, patinated in gold and silver. Composed of 2 chairs, 2 armchairs and a 2-seat sofa. Designed by GROTTO. Italy, CIRCA 1850.
Wood
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.
Modern icons are showing up in gracefully layered dining nooks, living rooms and lounges — proof that great design only gets better with context.
Andrianna Shamaris has filled her epic new home with pieces of her own design.
Top interior designers show — and tell — us how to create delectable spaces for hosting dinner parties.
With its plush cushions, cane details and dazzlingly colorful back, it’s inviting from every angle.
You know the designs, now get the stories about how they came to be.
The plush Cove Slipper 2.5 Seater sofa is just one of many convenient combinations from the London-based maker.
Sam Klemick's cool stool is edgy, cozy and environmentally sustainable all at once.
From his massive collaborative workshop in a former paper factory, the designer concocts funky furniture from disused materials, as well as luxe hotel interiors like the new Mix Brussels.