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Eames Dar

Zenith Charles Eames DAR Fiberglass Shell Chairs
By Zenith, Charles and Ray Eames
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Introducing the Zenith Charles Eames DAR Fiberglass Shell Chairs – Iconic Design, Unmatched Comfort
Category

Vintage 1950s American Mid-Century Modern Chairs

Materials

Metal

Charles & Ray Eames DAR Eiffel Rope Edge Chair, 1st Generation, 1950
By Herman Miller, Charles and Ray Eames, Zenith
Located in Brooklyn, NY
Charles Eames (1907-1978) & Ray Eames (1912-1988) for Zenith Plastics / HermanMiller DAR Eiffel
Category

Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Armchairs

Materials

Stainless Steel

Eames DAR Fiberglass Armchair With Eiffel Base for Herman Miller C. 1954
By Herman Miller, Charles and Ray Eames
Located in Locust Valley, NY
2nd Generation Eames DAR [Dining (D) height, Arm (A) Chair, on Rod (R) Base] with rare, Herman
Category

Vintage 1950s American Mid-Century Modern Armchairs

Materials

Steel

Early Eames DAR Fiberglass Shell Chair Herman Miller
By Charles and Ray Eames
Located in Round Rock, TX
Early 2nd generation “Eiffel” DAR shell chair by Charles and Ray Eames for Herman Miller. This
Category

Vintage 1950s American Mid-Century Modern Chairs

Materials

Fiberglass

1st Generation Charles and Ray Eames Dar Chairs, Pair
By Herman Miller, Charles and Ray Eames
Located in SAINT LOUIS, MO
This pair of Dars is in great, vintage condition. Both are Zenith plastics first generation rope
Category

Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Armchairs

Materials

Fiberglass

Charles and Ray Eames "DAR" Armchair by Zenith for Herman Miller
By Herman Miller, Charles and Ray Eames, Zenith
Located in Highland, IN
The earliest fiberglass Eames chairs were produced by Zenith Plastics and came in a limited palate
Category

Vintage 1950s American Mid-Century Modern Armchairs

Materials

Steel

Set of Two '2' Charles & Ray Eames for Herman Miller DAR Chairs w/ Eiffel Bases
Located in Deland, FL
Quite possibly one of the most famous and iconic chairs ever, the Eames DAR model would most
Category

Early 2000s American Mid-Century Modern Office Chairs and Desk Chairs

Materials

Plastic

1 Herman Miller Eames Fiberglass Shell DAR Eiffel Base
By Charles and Ray Eames
Located in Pasadena, TX
Charles Eames and Ray Eames were the embodiment of the inventiveness, energy and optimism at the
Category

Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Lounge Chairs

Materials

Fiberglass

Set of Four Eames Zenith Dar Armchairs by Herman Miller
By Herman Miller, Charles and Ray Eames
Located in Highland, IN
The earliest fiberglass Eames chairs were produced by Zenith Plastics and came in a limited palate
Category

Vintage 1950s American Mid-Century Modern Dining Room Chairs

Materials

Steel

Second Generation All Original Eames Fiberglass with Dar Eiffel Tower Base
By Charles and Ray Eames
Located in Philadelphia, PA
For your consideration we offer this wonderful early production Eames 2nd generation molded
Category

20th Century American Armchairs

Materials

Steel

Early Large Biscuit Eames Zenith Ivory DAR Fiberglass Chair on Eiffel Tower Base
By Charles and Ray Eames
Located in Ferndale, MI
From the design offices of Charles and Ray Eames the fiberglass DAR chair . This one on Eiffel
Category

Vintage 1950s American Mid-Century Modern Side Chairs

Materials

Steel

Vintage Herman Miller Eames Rocking Chair (RAR)
By Charles and Ray Eames
Located in New York, NY
Excellent examples of vintage Eames rocker with oranger fiberglass. Remnants of sticker remain on
Category

Vintage 1960s American Mid-Century Modern Rocking Chairs

Materials

Fiberglass

Set of 6 chairs by Charles & Ray Eames for Vitra from 2011
By Vitra, Charles and Ray Eames
Located in Lejre, DK
Dining room chairs, Model DAR, designed by Charles & Ray Eames made by Vitra in white hard plastic
Category

2010s Danish Scandinavian Modern Dining Room Chairs

Materials

Plastic

People Also Browsed

Organic Modern Small Table Lamp Natural Wood Handmade Fluted Shade
By Isabel Moncada
Located in San Antonio, TX
PATA DE ELEFANTE SMALL table lamp was designed for the Atomic collection by Mexican artist Isabel Moncada. Named Pata de Elefante –Elephant's Foot– for the prominent shape at its ba...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Mexican Mid-Century Modern Table Lamps

Materials

Textile, Wood

Dali Vase Green, Glass Object
By kontra
Located in İstanbul, İstanbul
"Add an Artistic Touch to Your Space with the Captivating Dali Vase Glass Object Elevate your interior design with the mesmerizing beauty of the Dali Vase Glass Object. Inspired by t...
Category

2010s Turkish Modern Vases

Materials

Glass

Dali Vase Green, Glass Object
Dali Vase Green, Glass Object
H 13.78 in W 5.52 in D 13.78 in
Isamu Noguchi Model 10A Akari Light Sculpture hand crafted by Ozeki, Japan
By Isamu Noguchi, Ozeki & Co. Ltd. 1
Located in Amsterdam, NL
Iconic Akari light sculpture known as Model 10A designed by Isamu Noguchi and handcrafted from traditional washi paper and bamboo. Each Akari lamp shade is meticulously crafted by ha...
Category

Vintage 1950s Japanese Mid-Century Modern Floor Lamps

Materials

Bamboo, Paper

Eames for Herman Miller Navy Blue Shell Chairs on H Bases
By Herman Miller
Located in Brooklyn, NY
Original 1960s molded fiberglass shell chairs in Navy Blue, designed by Charles and Ray Eames for Herman Miller. Gleaming shells are in original condition, each with a distinct threa...
Category

Vintage 1960s Mid-Century Modern Dining Room Chairs

Materials

Fiberglass

Barcelona Daybed by Mies Van Der Rohe for Knoll International, 1960s, Signed
By Ludwig Mies van der Rohe, Knoll
Located in Los Angeles, CA
This iconic and authentic (both the leather cushion and the Mahogany frame is signed with Knoll International labels) daybed is the 'Barcelona Daybed' also referred to as the 'Barcel...
Category

Vintage 1960s American Mid-Century Modern Daybeds

Materials

Stainless Steel

Fine Charles Eames for Evans Sold by Herman Miller Ash Grain DCM Dining Chair
By Evans Products Company, Herman Miller, Charles and Ray Eames
Located in Ferndale, MI
Very nice early production Charles and Ray Eames designed dining chair metal (DCM ). Clean chrome frame supports ash grain seat and back. Retains original Eames Evans Herman Miller w...
Category

Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Dining Room Chairs

Materials

Chrome

20th Century Luigi Massoni Poltrona Frau Dilly Dally Vanity Dressing Table, 60s
By Luigi Massoni, Poltrona Frau
Located in Turin, Turin
Dressing table model Dilly Dally designed by Luigi Massoni for Poltrona Frau in 1960s. The dressing table is composed of two pieces, one round armchair (which alone measures 70 x 65 ...
Category

Vintage 1960s Italian Mid-Century Modern Dressers

Materials

Faux Leather, Mirror

'Pool' Modular Sofa, by Colani , Price Includes Reupholstery & choice of color
By Luigi Colani, Rosenthal
Located in bergen op zoom, NL
Extremely rare and huge modular 'Pool' sofa by recently deceased German Space Age design pioneer Luigi Colani (1928-2019). I have been collecting elements of Colani's rare modular...
Category

Vintage 1970s German Space Age Sectional Sofas

Materials

Wool, Canvas, Fiberglass, Foam, Rubber

Set of 4 Vintage Eames Chairs by Herman Miller
By Herman Miller
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Set of 4 Vintage Eames Chairs by Herman Miller. All original, not a recent edition. Stamped under.
Category

Vintage 1960s American Mid-Century Modern Dining Room Chairs

Materials

Acrylic

Green Leather Camaleonda by Mario Bellini, B&B Italia, Italy, 1970s
By B&B Italia, Mario Bellini
Located in Antwerp, BE
Camaleonda; Mario Bellini; Green Leather; Postmodern; Lounge Chair; Lounge Sofa; Modular Sofa; One-Seater; Seating Element; Seating Unit; Italian Design Classic; Iconic Design; B&B I...
Category

Vintage 1970s Italian Post-Modern Lounge Chairs

Materials

Leather

Armchair Mod. Wink Designed by Toshiyuki Kita for Cassina, 1980s
By Toshiyuki Kita
Located in Ibiza, Spain
Armchair - Chaise longue mod. Wink 111 designed by Toshiyuki Kita in the 80's and edited by Cassina. Structure made in steel and upholstered in cotton fabric with striped pattern in ...
Category

Vintage 1980s Italian Mid-Century Modern Armchairs

Materials

Steel

Achille Castiglioni for Flos Italian Modern 'Taccia' Table Lamp, Large, Silver
By Achille & Pier Giacomo Castiglioni, Flos
Located in Brooklyn, NY
Italian modern 'Taccia' table lamp designed by Achille Castiglioni for Flos in the 1960s. The aluminum and polished steel metal base is topped with an inverted glass bowl diffuser sh...
Category

Vintage 1960s Italian Mid-Century Modern Table Lamps

Materials

Aluminum, Stainless Steel

Ray & Charles Eames for Herman Miller Full Option Rare Green Desk Chair, 1958
By Herman Miller, Charles and Ray Eames
Located in Amsterdam IJMuiden, NL
This chair is part of the private collection of Casey Godrie and is situated in his private house. Ask him for competitive shipping quotes. His incredible Dune Villa, Amsterdam Beac...
Category

Vintage 1950s American Mid-Century Modern Office Chairs and Desk Chairs

Materials

Aluminum

Danish Modern rare Series 7 Chair by Arne Jacobsen 1st Ed. Teak Fritz Hansen
By Arne Jacobsen, Fritz Hansen
Located in San Diego, CA
Beautiful and rare 1st edition series 7 chair designed by Arne Jacobsen, for Fritz Hansen early production made for the Danish Market metal cap impressed with the FH logo and Danmark...
Category

20th Century Danish Scandinavian Modern Side Chairs

Materials

Chrome

Charles & Ray Eames RAR Rocking Chair “Zenith”
By Charles and Ray Eames
Located in Seattle, WA
Known as the RAR rocking chair designed by Charles & Ray Eames, this chair has Zenith checker label and is the first generation produced in Zenith Plastic Factory in Gardena, Califor...
Category

Vintage 1950s North American Mid-Century Modern Rocking Chairs

Materials

Metal

Gio Ponti Silver Cutlery Set for Twelve by Krupp Italy 1950s
By Gio Ponti, Arthur Krupp
Located in Montecatini Terme, IT
Cutlery silver set for twelve in nickel silver or German silver, this set includes a total of 36 pieces; 12 spoons, 12 forks, and 12 knives with a steel blade. Set designed by Gio ...
Category

Vintage 1950s Italian Mid-Century Modern Tableware

Materials

Nickel, Stainless Steel

Recent Sales

Extremely Rare Fiberglass Shell Armchairs
By Charles and Ray Eames
Located in Den Bommel, NL
. Unlike the, for instant the Eames DAR chair, the feet of these chairs are integrated in the fiberglass
Category

Vintage 1950s French Side Chairs

Materials

Metal

Charles and Ray Eames for Herman Miller Fiberglass DAR Eiffel Armchair
By Charles and Ray Eames
Located in Portland, OR
An absolute classic, and one of the Eames’ best-known designs. Choose from white or yellow. This
Category

Vintage 1960s American Mid-Century Modern Armchairs

Materials

Steel

Black on Black Vitra Plastic Vitra Original Eames Dining Armchair
By Charles and Ray Eames
Located in Loughborough, Leicester
This is a used, newer version of the original Vitra Eames upholstered DAR armchair. This black
Category

Mid-20th Century Swiss Mid-Century Modern Dining Room Chairs

Materials

Plastic

Herman Miller Eames DAR in Greige 'Zenith Shell'
By Herman Miller, Charles and Ray Eames
Located in Brooklyn, NY
Herman Miller Eames DAR armchair in Greige with Eiffel base and original boot glides. Amazing color
Category

Mid-20th Century Mid-Century Modern Armchairs

Materials

Steel

Vintage 1950s Eames DAR Shell Chair
By Charles and Ray Eames
Located in Brooklyn, NY
A true design Classic. The DAR chair by Eames for Herman Miller. Rare “raw umber” colored
Category

Vintage 1950s Mid-Century Modern Armchairs

Materials

Steel

Vintage 1950s Eames DAR Shell Chair
Vintage 1950s Eames DAR Shell Chair
H 31.5 in W 25 in D 24 in
Herman Miller Eames DAR Fiberglass Chair
By Herman Miller, Charles and Ray Eames
Located in Brooklyn, NY
Gorgeous and rare hue of terracotta on this vintage fiberglass Herman Miller Eames armchair. Model
Category

Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Armchairs

Materials

Fiberglass

Spectacular Herman Miller Eames Elephant Grey DAR
By Herman Miller, Charles and Ray Eames
Located in Brooklyn, NY
Spectacular Herman Miller Eames DAR in elephant grey. Vintage Eiffel base on gorgeous shell. In
Category

Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Chairs

Materials

Steel

Eames Zenith Chair DAR
By Charles Eames
Located in Asbury Park, NJ
This Zenith chair, of molded fiberglass on an iron eiffel base, retains its Herman Miller label, and is stamped with a manufacturing date of 1960.
Category

Vintage 1960s American Mid-Century Modern Armchairs

Eames Zenith Chair DAR
Eames Zenith Chair DAR
H 31 in W 24.5 in D 18 in
Charles Eames ; Zenith Dar Chair
Located in Wargrave, Berkshire
Charles and Ray Eames for Zenith an early DAR ( Dining Armshell Rod base ) , second generation with
Category

Vintage 1950s American Chairs

Near Mint Herman Miller Eames Seafoam Green DAR Chair
By Charles and Ray Eames, Herman Miller
Located in Brooklyn, NY
Herman Miller Eames Seafoam Green fiberglass DAR chair. Eiffel base with original glides. Original
Category

Vintage 1950s American Mid-Century Modern Chairs

Materials

Steel

Eames Herman Miller "DAR" Zenith Rope Edge 1st 6 Months of Production
By Herman Miller, Charles and Ray Eames
Located in BROOKLYN, NY
A rare original set of four Zenith Armchairs 1st 6 months of production. With a high fiberglass count and Eiffel Tower base. All original bases and shock mounts. Labels are present o...
Category

Vintage 1950s Mid-Century Modern Chairs

Materials

Metal

8 Eames Chairs Eiffel Tower 2 DAR Arm Chairs 6 DSR Side Chairs by Herman Miller
By Charles Eames
Located in Monrovia, CA
8 Eames molded plastic chairs, 2 DAR arm chairsand 6 DSR side chairs with Eiffel Tower bases for
Category

21st Century and Contemporary American Mid-Century Modern Chairs

Materials

Metal

Set of 4 Vintage Plastic Dar Armchairs by Charles and Ray Eames for Vitra, 2007
By Charles and Ray Eames
Located in GRENOBLE, FR
Series of 4 DAR armchairs by Charles and Ray Eames for Vitra, produced in 2007. The polypropylene
Category

Early 2000s American Dining Room Chairs

Materials

Iron

Set of 2 DAR Chairs by Charles & Ray Eames for Herman Miller by Zenith Plastics
By Charles and Ray Eames
Located in Wrocław, Poland
The Eames Armchairs DAR (Dining Armchair Rod base) have been designed by Charles and Ray Eames in
Category

Vintage 1950s American Mid-Century Modern Armchairs

Materials

Fiberglass

Pair of Early Charles Eames Fiberglass Armchairs
By Charles Eames
Located in Hudson, NY
Very rare color fiberglass DAR chairs, second production, original label, large shock mounts all
Category

Vintage 1950s American Mid-Century Modern Armchairs

Charles & Ray Eames Max Armchair in Grey Light Fiberglass for Herman Miller
By Herman Miller, Charles Eames, Charles and Ray Eames
Located in Amsterdam, NL
base (DAR) at request. We always have a varied range of Eames shells in stock in many colors and
Category

Vintage 1950s American Mid-Century Modern Armchairs

Materials

Steel

Charles & Ray Eames Max Armchair in Canary Yellow Fiberglass for Herman Miller
By Herman Miller, Charles Eames, Charles and Ray Eames
Located in Amsterdam, NL
(DAX) or eiffel base (DAR) at request. We always have a varied range of Eames shells in stock in
Category

Vintage 1950s American Mid-Century Modern Armchairs

Materials

Steel

Charles & Ray Eames Max Armchair Elephant Hide Grey Fiberglass for Herman Miller
By Herman Miller, Charles and Ray Eames, Charles Eames
Located in Amsterdam, NL
Iconic armchair designed by Charles and Ray Eames for Herman Miller. Molded fiberglass shell in
Category

Vintage 1950s American Mid-Century Modern Armchairs

Materials

Steel, Zinc

Charles & Ray Eames DAR Armchair Elephant Hide Grey Fiberglass for Herman Miller
By Herman Miller, Charles and Ray Eames, Charles Eames
Located in Amsterdam, NL
Iconic armchair designed by Charles and Ray Eames for Herman Miller. Molded fiberglass shell in
Category

Vintage 1950s American Mid-Century Modern Armchairs

Materials

Metal

Pair of Charles Eames Naugahyde DAR Chairs
By Herman Miller, Charles Eames
Located in Costa Mesa, CA
Second generation pair of Charles Eames DAR chairs with black naugahyde covers in excellent vintage
Category

Vintage 1960s American Mid-Century Modern Armchairs

Materials

Iron

Charles & Ray Eames Modernica Orange Pair DAR Armchairs Fiberglass & Chrome MCM
By Charles Eames
Located in Philadelphia, PA
Attractive and bright, light shade of orange, with warm off-white fiberglass grain on chromed steel Eiffel bases. Each is embossed by Modernica, and date-stamped with December of 2004.
Category

Early 2000s American Mid-Century Modern Armchairs

Materials

Chrome

Early Fiberglass Shell DAR Chair by Charles Eames for Herman Miller
By Charles and Ray Eames
Located in Atlanta, GA
An early version of DAR chair with "Eiffel" base designed by Charles and Ray Eames and produced by
Category

Vintage 1950s American Mid-Century Modern Armchairs

Materials

Steel

Eames Navy Blue Herman Miller Dar Shell Chair with Eiffel Tower Base
By Charles Eames
Located in Washington, DC
Vintage Herman Miller shell chair designed by Charles & Ray Eames. Chair is Navy Blue and in
Category

Vintage 1960s American Mid-Century Modern Chairs

Materials

Steel

Grey Eames DAR Shell Chairs
By Charles and Ray Eames
Located in Brooklyn, NY
Grey Eames DAR shell chairs.
Category

Vintage 1950s American Mid-Century Modern Chairs

Materials

Metal

Grey Eames DAR Shell Chairs
Grey Eames DAR Shell Chairs
H 31 in W 24 in D 22 in
Parchment Eames DAR Shell Chairs
By Charles and Ray Eames
Located in Brooklyn, NY
Parchment Eames DAR shell chairs.
Category

Vintage 1950s American Mid-Century Modern Chairs

Materials

Metal

Parchment Eames DAR Shell Chairs
Parchment Eames DAR Shell Chairs
H 31 in W 24 in D 22 in
Eames DAR Chairs in Poppy Red, Vitra 2007
By Charles and Ray Eames, Vitra
Located in Berkhamsted, GB
Charles and Ray Eames Vitra poppy red DAR armchairs. Vitra, 2007.  
Category

Mid-20th Century Swiss Mid-Century Modern Dining Room Chairs

Materials

Chrome

Eames DAR Chairs in Poppy Red, Vitra 2007
Eames DAR Chairs in Poppy Red, Vitra 2007
H 32.68 in W 24.41 in D 23.63 in
4 Armchairs DAR- Charles Eames- VItra
By Charles Eames
Located in Milan, IT
Set of 4 armchairs designer Charles Eames- project of 1951
Category

Vintage 1950s Swiss Armchairs

4 Armchairs DAR- Charles Eames- VItra
4 Armchairs DAR- Charles Eames- VItra
H 31.5 in W 19.69 in D 25.6 in
Charles Eames Herman Miller Early Dar Eiffel Tower Shell Chair
By Charles Eames
Located in Atlanta, GA
Beautiful original Herman Miller DAR Eiffel tower base arm shell chair designed by Charles and Ray
Category

Vintage 1950s American Mid-Century Modern Chairs

Rare Charles Eames Sunshine Yellow "DAR" Arm Shells
Located in Berkeley, CA
Rare set of 4 sunshine yellow arm shells with original black eiffel bases designed by Charles Eames
Category

Vintage 1960s Armchairs

Materials

Metal

1950s white set of six original DAR Armchairs by Charles and Ray Eames
By Charles and Ray Eames, Herman Miller
Located in Frankfurt, Hessen, DE
Set of six DAR armchairs designed by famous couple Charles and Ray Eames. These are early examples
Category

Vintage 1950s American Mid-Century Modern Armchairs

Materials

Metal

Herman Miller Eames Armchair Eiffel Base
By Charles and Ray Eames
Located in St. Louis, MO
DAR armchairs designed by Charles & Ray Eames, produced by Herman Miller. Original. We have several
Category

Vintage 1950s American Mid-Century Modern Armchairs

Eames Eiffel Tower Chair
Located in San Francisco, CA
60's vintage Eames eiffel tower chair (DAR), elephant grey hide fiberglass armshell resting on the
Category

Vintage 1960s American Armchairs

Materials

Metal

Eames Eiffel Tower Chair
Eames Eiffel Tower Chair
H 31 in W 24 in D 22 in
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Eames Dar For Sale on 1stDibs

Find many varieties of an authentic eames dar available at 1stDibs. Each eames dar for sale was constructed with extraordinary care, often using plastic, fiberglass and metal. Whether you’re looking for an older or newer eames dar, there are earlier versions available from the 20th Century and newer variations made as recently as the 20th Century. A eames dar is a generally popular piece of furniture, but those created in Mid-Century Modern styles are sought with frequency. A well-made eames dar has long been a part of the offerings for many furniture designers and manufacturers, but those produced by Charles and Ray Eames, Herman Miller and Charles Eames are consistently popular.

How Much is a Eames Dar?

Prices for a eames dar start at $460 and top out at $13,206 with the average selling for $1,480.

A Close Look at Mid-Century Modern Furniture

Organically shaped, clean-lined and elegantly simple are three terms that well describe vintage mid-century modern furniture. The style, which emerged primarily in the years following World War II, is characterized by pieces that were conceived and made in an energetic, optimistic spirit by creators who believed that good design was an essential part of good living.

ORIGINS OF MID-CENTURY MODERN FURNITURE DESIGN

CHARACTERISTICS OF MID-CENTURY MODERN FURNITURE DESIGN

MID-CENTURY MODERN FURNITURE DESIGNERS TO KNOW

ICONIC MID-CENTURY MODERN FURNITURE DESIGNS

VINTAGE MID-CENTURY MODERN FURNITURE ON 1STDIBS

The mid-century modern era saw leagues of postwar American architects and designers animated by new ideas and new technology. The lean, functionalist International-style architecture of Le Corbusier and Bauhaus eminences Ludwig Mies van der Rohe and Walter Gropius had been promoted in the United States during the 1930s by Philip Johnson and others. New building techniques, such as “post-and-beam” construction, allowed the International-style schemes to be realized on a small scale in open-plan houses with long walls of glass.

Materials developed for wartime use became available for domestic goods and were incorporated into mid-century modern furniture designs. Charles and Ray Eames and Eero Saarinen, who had experimented extensively with molded plywood, eagerly embraced fiberglass for pieces such as the La Chaise and the Womb chair, respectively. 

Architect, writer and designer George Nelson created with his team shades for the Bubble lamp using a new translucent polymer skin and, as design director at Herman Miller, recruited the Eameses, Alexander Girard and others for projects at the legendary Michigan furniture manufacturer

Harry Bertoia and Isamu Noguchi devised chairs and tables built of wire mesh and wire struts. Materials were repurposed too: The Danish-born designer Jens Risom created a line of chairs using surplus parachute straps for webbed seats and backrests.

The Risom lounge chair was among the first pieces of furniture commissioned and produced by legendary manufacturer Knoll, a chief influencer in the rise of modern design in the United States, thanks to the work of Florence Knoll, the pioneering architect and designer who made the firm a leader in its field. The seating that Knoll created for office spaces — as well as pieces designed by Florence initially for commercial clients — soon became desirable for the home.

As the demand for casual, uncluttered furnishings grew, more mid-century furniture designers caught the spirit.

Classically oriented creators such as Edward Wormley, house designer for Dunbar Inc., offered such pieces as the sinuous Listen to Me chaise; the British expatriate T.H. Robsjohn-Gibbings switched gears, creating items such as the tiered, biomorphic Mesa table. There were Young Turks such as Paul McCobb, who designed holistic groups of sleek, blond wood furniture, and Milo Baughman, who espoused a West Coast aesthetic in minimalist teak dining tables and lushly upholstered chairs and sofas with angular steel frames.

As the collection of vintage mid-century modern chairs, dressers, coffee tables and other furniture for the living room, dining room, bedroom and elsewhere on 1stDibs demonstrates, this period saw one of the most delightful and dramatic flowerings of creativity in design history.

Materials: Plastic Furniture

Arguably the world’s most ubiquitous man-made material, plastic has impacted nearly every industry. In contemporary spaces, new and vintage plastic furniture is quite popular and its use pairs well with a range of design styles.

From the Italian lighting artisans at Fontana Arte to venturesome Scandinavian modernists such as Verner Panton, who created groundbreaking interiors as much as he did seating — see his revolutionary Panton chair — to contemporary multidisciplinary artists like Faye Toogood, furniture designers have been pushing the boundaries of plastic forever.

When The Graduate's Mr. McGuire proclaimed, “There’s a great future in plastics,” it was more than a laugh line. The iconic quote is an allusion both to society’s reliance on and its love affair with plastic. Before the material became an integral part of our lives — used in everything from clothing to storage to beauty and beyond — people relied on earthly elements for manufacturing, a process as time-consuming as it was costly.

Soon after American inventor John Wesley Hyatt created celluloid, which could mimic luxury products like tortoiseshell and ivory, production hit fever pitch, and the floodgates opened for others to explore plastic’s full potential. The material altered the history of design — mid-century modern legends Charles and Ray Eames, Joe Colombo and Eero Saarinen regularly experimented with plastics in the development of tables and chairs, and today plastic furnishings and decorative objects are seen as often indoors as they are outside.

Find vintage plastic lounge chairs, outdoor furniture, lighting and more on 1stDibs.

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.