Directional Nautilus
20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Lounge Chairs
Upholstery
Vintage 1980s American Mid-Century Modern Swivel Chairs
Upholstery, Wood
Vintage 1980s American Mid-Century Modern Lounge Chairs
Upholstery, Wood, Suede
Vintage 1970s American Mid-Century Modern Lounge Chairs
Leather, Wood
Vintage 1980s American Mid-Century Modern Lounge Chairs
Upholstery, Wood
Vintage 1970s American Mid-Century Modern Chairs
Upholstery
1990s American Mid-Century Modern Swivel Chairs
Ultrasuede
Early 2000s American Modern Club Chairs
Foam, Wood
Vintage 1980s American Post-Modern Ottomans and Poufs
Upholstery
Vintage 1980s American Post-Modern Swivel Chairs
Chenille
20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Loveseats
Upholstery, Ultrasuede
1990s American Mid-Century Modern Lounge Chairs
Fabric
Vintage 1970s American Post-Modern Lounge Chairs
Bouclé
1990s American Post-Modern Sofas
Bouclé, Upholstery
1990s American Post-Modern Sofas
Bouclé, Upholstery
1990s American Mid-Century Modern Swivel Chairs
Upholstery
Late 20th Century American Modern Swivel Chairs
Leather, Fabric, Wood
Late 20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Swivel Chairs
Mohair, Wood
1990s American Mid-Century Modern Swivel Chairs
Upholstery
Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Living Room Sets
Fabric, Bouclé, Upholstery, Wood
Late 20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Swivel Chairs
Velvet
Vintage 1980s American Post-Modern Swivel Chairs
Bouclé
Vintage 1980s American Post-Modern Club Chairs
Bouclé, Wood
Vintage 1970s American Mid-Century Modern Benches
Bouclé, Upholstery
Vintage 1980s American Post-Modern Sofas
Textile
Vintage 1980s American Armchairs
Bouclé
Vintage 1980s American Post-Modern Pedestals
Brass
Vintage 1970s American Mid-Century Modern Slipper Chairs
Chrome
Vintage 1980s American Post-Modern Coffee and Cocktail Tables
Brass
People Also Browsed
Late 20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Swivel Chairs
Hardwood, Velvet
1990s North American Post-Modern Sofas
Cotton
2010s French Modern Stools
Fabric, Ash
1990s American Mid-Century Modern Sofas
Ultrasuede
Vintage 1960s Canadian Mid-Century Modern Sofas
Walnut, Wool
Vintage 1980s Modern Sofas
Chenille
1990s American Modern Swivel Chairs
Fabric
1990s American Post-Modern Swivel Chairs
Bouclé, Upholstery
Mid-20th Century Italian Mid-Century Modern Chairs
Rush, Straw, Oak, Plywood
Vintage 1960s American Mid-Century Modern Swivel Chairs
Bouclé, Walnut
Late 20th Century American Modern Swivel Chairs
Bouclé, Upholstery
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Sofas
Wool, Nylon, Polyester
Late 20th Century Post-Modern Swivel Chairs
Bouclé
Late 20th Century American Post-Modern Swivel Chairs
Upholstery
20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Lounge Chairs
Leather
Vintage 1960s Mid-Century Modern Chaise Longues
Wood
Recent Sales
Mid-20th Century Mid-Century Modern Club Chairs
Upholstery
Vintage 1970s American Mid-Century Modern Lounge Chairs
Cotton, Upholstery, Wood
Late 20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Lounge Chairs
Upholstery
Vintage 1980s Swivel Chairs
Suede
Vintage 1970s North American Post-Modern Lounge Chairs
Bouclé
Vintage 1980s Modern Lounge Chairs
Upholstery, Wood
Vintage 1980s American Mid-Century Modern Sofas
Velvet, Wood
Vintage 1980s Mid-Century Modern Lounge Chairs
Upholstery
Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Swivel Chairs
Mohair, Walnut
Late 20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Lounge Chairs
Leather
Late 20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Club Chairs
Upholstery
Vintage 1980s Post-Modern Chairs
Ultrasuede, Upholstery, Wood
Late 20th Century American Lounge Chairs
Mid-20th Century North American Mid-Century Modern Lounge Chairs
Upholstery
Vintage 1970s American Mid-Century Modern Lounge Chairs
Cotton, Upholstery, Wood
Vintage 1980s American Mid-Century Modern Swivel Chairs
Bouclé, Wood
Vintage 1970s American Mid-Century Modern Swivel Chairs
Fabric
Vintage 1980s North American Mid-Century Modern Lounge Chairs
Upholstery
20th Century American Modern Lounge Chairs
Vintage 1970s American Modern Lounge Chairs
Late 20th Century American Swivel Chairs
Wood, Suede, Upholstery
Vintage 1960s American Mid-Century Modern Lounge Chairs
Vintage 1960s American Mid-Century Modern Swivel Chairs
Chrome
Vintage 1980s American Swivel Chairs
Upholstery
Late 20th Century American Swivel Chairs
Wood, Upholstery
Late 20th Century American Swivel Chairs
Upholstery, Foam, Wood
Late 20th Century North American Mid-Century Modern Sofas
Ultrasuede
Vintage 1970s American Mid-Century Modern Swivel Chairs
Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Lounge Chairs
Upholstery
Vintage 1970s Mid-Century Modern Lounge Chairs
1990s American Mid-Century Modern Lounge Chairs
Leather, Upholstery
Vintage 1970s American Mid-Century Modern Sofas
Upholstery, Wood
Late 20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Swivel Chairs
Leather
Late 20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Club Chairs
Cotton
Late 20th Century American Modern Lounge Chairs
20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Club Chairs
Upholstery
Vintage 1970s American Swivel Chairs
Oak, Mohair
Late 20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Swivel Chairs
Upholstery, Wood
Vintage 1970s American Modern Swivel Chairs
Upholstery
20th Century Mid-Century Modern Swivel Chairs
Fabric, Wood
Vintage 1980s American Mid-Century Modern Club Chairs
Ultrasuede, Wood
Late 20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Swivel Chairs
Chenille
Late 20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Sofas
Vintage 1970s American Mid-Century Modern Sofas
Late 20th Century American Modern Chairs
Fabric, Wood
20th Century American Post-Modern Swivel Chairs
Leather
Vintage 1980s American Mid-Century Modern Swivel Chairs
Ultrasuede, Wood
Vintage 1970s American Mid-Century Modern Club Chairs
Upholstery
Vintage 1970s American Swivel Chairs
Fabric
Vintage 1980s American Mid-Century Modern Club Chairs
Vintage 1970s American Mid-Century Modern Club Chairs
Cowhide
20th Century American Post-Modern Sofas
Leather
Vintage 1970s Mid-Century Modern Swivel Chairs
Ultrasuede
Vintage 1970s American Mid-Century Modern Club Chairs
Fabric
Vintage 1970s American Mid-Century Modern Swivel Chairs
Wool
Vintage 1980s American Mid-Century Modern Lounge Chairs
Chenille
Early 2000s American Modern Swivel Chairs
Fabric
Vintage 1980s American Mid-Century Modern Club Chairs
Suede, Wood
1990s American Post-Modern Sofas
Bouclé, Upholstery
1990s American Post-Modern Sofas
Upholstery, Bouclé
Directional Nautilus For Sale on 1stDibs
How Much is a Directional Nautilus?
Vladimir Kagan for sale on 1stDibs
The pioneers of modern furniture design in America in the mid-20th century all had their moments of flamboyance: Charles and Ray Eames produced the startling, biomorphic La Chaise; George Nelson’s firm created the Marshmallow sofa; Edward Wormley had his decadent Listen to Me chaise. But no designer of the day steadily offered works with more verve and dynamism than Vladimir Kagan. While others, it seems, designed with suburban households in mind, Kagan aimed to suit the tastes of young, sophisticated city-dwellers. With signature designs that feature sleekly curved frames and others that have dramatic out-thrust legs, Kagan made furniture sexy.
Kagan’s father was a Russian master cabinetmaker who took his family first to Germany (where Vladimir was born) and then to New York in 1938. After studying architecture at Columbia University, Kagan opened a design firm at age 22 and immediately made a splash with his long, low and sinuous Serpentine sofa. Furniture lines such as the Tri-symmetric group of glass-topped, three-legged tables and the vivacious Contours chairs soon followed.
Kagan’s choices of form and materials evolved through subsequent decades, embracing lucite, aluminum and burl-wood veneers. By the late 1960s, Kagan was designing austere, asymmetrical cabinets and his Omnibus group of modular sofas and chairs. For all his aesthetic élan, Kagan said that throughout his career, his touchstone was comfort. “A lot of modern furniture was not comfortable. And so comfort is: form follows function. The function was to make it comfortable,” he once commented. “I created what I called vessels for the human body.”
A diverse group of bodies have made themselves at home with Kagan designs. Among the famous names who commissioned and collected his designs are Marilyn Monroe, Gary Cooper, Andy Warhol, David Lynch, Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt, and firms such as Gucci and Giorgio Armani. His work is in numerous museum collections, including those of the Victoria & Albert and the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
Because of its idiosyncrasy, Kagan’s work did not lend itself to mass-production. Kagan never signed on with any of the major furniture-making corporations, and examples of his designs are relatively rare. As you will see from the offerings on 1stDibs, even decades after their conception, Kagan pieces still command the eye, with their freshness, energy, sensuality and wit.
Finding the Right seating for You
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.