Dakota Jackson Library Chair

Today, Dakota Jackson’s luxury chairs, sofas, tables and other pieces are known for their stylish and expressive forms, so it’s perhaps not a surprise that the American contemporary furniture designer has spent a lifetime immersed in the arts.

Born to a family of professional magicians, Jackson was raised in a household that had a flair for the dramatic. A young Dakota moved to Manhattan and mingled with the bustling creative scene. There, he studied minimalist dance at multiple companies, performed with an experimental theater group and worked in special effects. His fascination with illusion and drama seeped into his creative inclinations, especially when he decided to shift his artistic energy toward furniture.

Jackson’s foray into design began in the 1970s when he got his hands dirty during the build-out of his loft apartment in New York City’s Chelsea neighborhood back when lofts weren’t quite the heavenly residences of today. He constructed his own walls and bathroom fixtures and worked with a variety of materials that included lacquered wood, leather and chrome-plated steel, crafting intriguing seating and case pieces that would later end up in museums. (His famed Library chair is part of the collection at Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum.)

Jackson’s work became so well known throughout the buzzing art scene that he garnered the attention of reputable antique dealers who enlisted him to restore their own pieces of furniture. In 1974, Yoko Ono became a client. She commissioned Jackson to design a desk for John Lennon’s birthday. After he finished the former Beatle’s custom piece — an unconventional Art Deco–style writing desk that mirrored a Chinese puzzle box with secret compartments and hidden drawers — celebrities flocked to Jackson like bees to honey, and his name became synonymous with immaculate craftsmanship as well as the era’s radical American Art Furniture movement, which drew on Surrealism, Pop art and other traditions.

Even Belgian fashion designer Diane von Furstenberg asked Jackson to create the now-famous Eclipse bed, a sensual, striking structure framed in glossy cherrywood and upholstered in satin. In 1978, the lifelong arts lover paired a piano factory with his furniture manufacturing company and collaborated with Steinway & Sons on the design of several limited-edition pianos over the years. Today, Dakota Jackson, Inc., counts massive corporations among his clients and continues to design new collections.

Find a collection of Dakota Jackson furniture 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.