Elie Saab Elite

From his humble beginnings as a self-taught designer in war-torn Lebanon, Elie Saab has grown his fashion label into a global empire. Saab’s haute couture, ready-to-wear and bridal collections — as well as his fragrances, jewelry and home furnishings — are found in more than 160 locations worldwide, and vintage Elie Saab dresses and gowns are fashion favorites all over the globe.

Saab was born in 1964 in Damour, a coastal suburb of Beirut. At the age of nine, he taught himself how to sew, making clothing for his sister out of scraps of material he would find in his mother’s closet. Aside from spending one year attending a fashion school in Paris, Saab has no formal education in design. However, his innate talents soon caught the eye of Lebanon’s fashion elite.

In 1982, aged only 18, Saab opened a dressmaking studio in Beirut, employing 15 workers to create his bridal couture designs. That same year, he made his fashion debut with his elaborate wedding dresses featuring high-quality silks and lace, detailed embroidery and pearl and crystal embellishments. Despite his young age and a raging war in Lebanon, Saab’s reputation as a leading bridalwear designer soared.

In the 1990s, Saab focused on expanding his designs to include evening gowns and day dresses. His approach to fashion — a combination of Middle Eastern ornamentation with Western silhouettes — was fresh and unique, garnering serious interest among Europe’s most acclaimed fashion organizations. 

In 1997, the prestigious Camera Nazionale della Moda Italiana invited Saab to show in Rome, and he became the organization’s first non-Italian member. In 2000, he was asked to present in Paris by the Chambre Syndicale de la Haute Coutre of the Fédération de la Haute Couture et de la Mode — in 2006, he became their first Arab member.

Throughout his career, Saab has dressed and continues to dress the world’s most renowned celebrities and royalty. In 1999, Queen Rania of Jordan chose an Elie Saab design to wear to her husband’s coronation. In 2002, Halle Berry dressed in a floral and burgundy Elie Saab gown at the Academy Awards, where she won the Oscar for best actress. Saab’s clothes, shoes and handbags are also frequently worn by such stars as Angelina Jolie, Katy Perry, Beyoncé and Taylor Swift, to name a few. 

Saab’s fashion house continues to grow and evolve. In 2011, he launched his debut fragrance, Le Parfum, and in 2019, he started a home collection, collaborating with Italian designer Carlo Colombo on Art Deco–inspired tables, armchairs and other furniture.

On 1stDibs, discover a range of Elie Saab clothing, furniture and jewelry.

Art Deco furniture is characterized by its celebration of modern life. More than its emphasis on natural wood grains and focus on traditional craftsmanship, vintage Art Deco dining chairs, tables, desks, cabinets and other furniture — which typically refers to pieces produced during the 1920s and 1930s — is an ode to the glamour of the “Roaring Twenties.” 

ORIGINS OF ART DECO FURNITURE DESIGN

• Emerged in the 1920s 
• Flourished while the popularity of Art Nouveau declined
• Term derives from 1925’s Exposition Internationale des Arts Décoratifs et Industriels Modernes (International Exhibition of Modern Decorative and Industrial Arts) in Paris, France
• Informed by Ancient Egypt, Cubism, Futurism, Louis XVI, De Stijl, modernism and the Vienna Secession; influenced Streamline Moderne and mid-century modernism 

CHARACTERISTICS OF ART DECO FURNITURE DESIGN

• Bold geometric lines and forms, floral motifs
• Use of expensive materials such as shagreen or marble as well as exotic woods such as mahogany, ebony and zebra wood
• Metal accents, shimmering mirrored finishes
• Embellishments made from exotic animal hides, inlays of mother-of-pearl or ivory

ART DECO FURNITURE DESIGNERS TO KNOW

• Émile-Jacques Ruhlmann
• René Lalique
• Eileen Gray
• Jean Dunand
• Donald Deskey
• Jean Perzel

VINTAGE ART DECO FURNITURE ON 1STDIBS

Few design styles are as universally recognized and appreciated as Art Deco. The term alone conjures visions of the Roaring Twenties, Machine Age metropolises, vast ocean liners, sleek typography and Prohibition-era hedonism. The iconic movement made an indelible mark on all fields of design throughout the 1920s and ’30s, celebrating society’s growing industrialization with refined elegance and stunning craftsmanship.

Widely known designers associated with the Art Deco style include Émile-Jacques Ruhlmann, Eileen Gray, Maurice Dufrêne, Paul Follot and Jules Leleu.

The term Art Deco derives from the name of a large decorative arts exhibition held in Paris in 1925. “Art Deco design” is often used broadly, to describe the work of creators in associated or ancillary styles. This is particularly true of American Art Deco, which is also called Streamline Moderne or Machine Age design. (Streamline Moderne, sometimes known as Art Moderne, was a phenomenon largely of the 1930s, post–Art Nouveau.)

Art Deco textile designers employed dazzling floral motifs and vivid colors, and while Art Deco furniture makers respected the dark woods and modern metals with which they worked, they frequently incorporated decorative embellishments such as exotic animal hides as well as veneers in their seating, case pieces, living room sets and bedroom furniture.

From mother-of-pearl inlaid vitrines to chrome aviator chairs, bold and inventive works in the Art Deco style include chaise longues (also known as chaise lounges) and curved armchairs. Today, the style is still favored by interior designers looking to infuse a home with an air of luxury and sophistication.

The vintage Art Deco furniture for sale on 1stDibs includes dressers, coffee tables, decorative objects and more.

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.