Empire Wood Dining Room Chairs
Antique Early 19th Century French Empire Dining Room Chairs
Boxwood, Kingwood, Rosewood, Satinwood
Antique Late 19th Century French Empire Dining Room Chairs
Mahogany
Antique 19th Century French Empire Chairs
Velvet, Walnut
Antique 1880s French Empire Dining Room Chairs
Upholstery, Wood
Antique Early 19th Century Swedish Empire Dining Room Chairs
Brass
Early 20th Century Swedish Empire Dining Room Chairs
Fabric, Mahogany
20th Century French Empire Dining Room Chairs
Mahogany
Antique Mid-19th Century French Empire Armchairs
Cherry, Walnut
Antique 1860s Empire Dining Room Chairs
Mahogany
Antique Late 18th Century Baltic Empire Dining Room Chairs
Brass
Antique Late 19th Century French Empire Dining Room Chairs
Wood, Rosewood
Early 20th Century American Empire Dining Room Chairs
Upholstery, Mahogany
Antique 19th Century French Empire Dining Room Chairs
Walnut, Fabric
20th Century Unknown Empire Dining Room Chairs
Wood
21st Century and Contemporary Vietnamese Empire Dining Room Chairs
Wood
21st Century and Contemporary Vietnamese Empire Dining Room Chairs
Wood
2010s Empire Dining Room Chairs
Fabric, Mahogany
20th Century French Empire Dining Room Chairs
Brass, Bronze
2010s Empire Dining Room Chairs
Fabric, Mahogany
20th Century Empire Dining Room Chairs
Mahogany
Antique 19th Century Empire Dining Room Chairs
Mahogany
Vintage 1950s Italian Empire Chairs
Fabric, Wood
Late 20th Century Empire Chairs
Wood
Late 20th Century French Empire Dining Room Chairs
Leather, Mahogany
Antique 19th Century French Empire Dining Room Chairs
Bronze
Antique 1810s French Empire Dining Room Chairs
Walnut
Antique 1810s French Empire Chairs
Walnut
Mid-20th Century American Empire Dining Room Chairs
Fabric, Cherry
Mid-20th Century American Empire Dining Room Chairs
Fabric, Cherry
Early 20th Century French Empire Dining Room Chairs
Bronze
Mid-20th Century American Empire Dining Room Chairs
Cherry, Fabric
Mid-20th Century Empire Side Chairs
Upholstery, Hardwood, Paint
Late 20th Century American Empire Dining Room Chairs
Fabric, Mahogany
Antique Late 19th Century Italian Empire Dining Room Chairs
Wood
Late 20th Century Empire Armchairs
Ultrasuede, Wicker, Mahogany
2010s Italian Empire Chairs
Gold Leaf
2010s Italian Empire Chairs
Gold Leaf
Antique 19th Century European Empire Chairs
Upholstery, Ash
Antique Late 19th Century Austrian Empire Side Chairs
Walnut
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Empire Dining Room Chairs
Oak
Antique Early 1800s Italian Empire Chairs
Walnut
Early 20th Century European Empire Dining Room Chairs
Mahogany
Early 20th Century French Empire Dining Room Chairs
Upholstery, Elm
Vintage 1940s American Empire Dining Room Chairs
Mahogany
Antique Early 19th Century German Empire Dining Room Chairs
Upholstery, Cherry
Antique 19th Century French Empire Dining Room Chairs
Damask, Upholstery, Mahogany
Antique Early 1800s French Empire Armchairs
Mahogany
Antique 1890s Italian Empire Chairs
Wood, Walnut, Velvet
2010s American Empire Dining Room Chairs
Wood
Antique Early 19th Century French Empire Dining Room Chairs
Mahogany
Antique Early 19th Century Empire Dining Room Chairs
Wood
20th Century American Empire Dining Room Chairs
Oak, Cotton, Linen
Antique 19th Century Italian Empire Side Chairs
Fruitwood
20th Century American Empire Dining Room Chairs
Fabric, Fruitwood
Antique 1810s Baltic Empire Dining Room Chairs
Fabric, Birch
Mid-20th Century French Empire Dining Room Chairs
Fabric, Upholstery, Oak, Walnut
Antique 1890s French Empire Dining Room Chairs
Bronze
Vintage 1950s Italian Empire Chairs
Straw, Walnut
Late 20th Century Empire Dining Room Chairs
Ebony
Antique 19th Century French Empire Side Chairs
Metal
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Empire Wood Dining Room Chairs For Sale on 1stDibs
How Much are Empire Wood Dining Room Chairs?
A Close Look at Empire Furniture
From 1804–15, Napoléon I reigned as the emperor of France, bringing the country into a new era of opulence after the fall of the monarchy and the tumultuous years of the French Revolution. He declared, “We must have very solid things, made to last 100 years.” Empire-style furniture followed suit, with imposing pieces constructed from mahogany and adorned with gilded ornaments. Expanding on the neoclassicism popularized in the previous century — such as in Louis XVI style — Empire style borrowed from the great civilizations of antiquity, from Egypt to Greece and Rome, to connect this nascent empire to the power of the past.
Napoléon I believed the production of fine furniture would reflect the stature of the republic, with his official architects Charles Percier and Pierre-François-Léonard Fontaine leading the way with their work on his residences.
Luxurious materials, symmetrical shapes and bold colors characterize antique Empire-style bedroom furniture, armchairs, cabinets and other structures, with frequent motifs including mythological creatures, geometric designs, acanthus leaves, eagles, bees (the imperial emblem) and swans, a favorite of Empress Joséphine.
Flat surfaces, like marble tabletops, were accented with decadent details, such as the bronze furniture mounts made by sculptor Pierre-Philippe Thomire for the French palaces. Martin-Guillaume Biennais, who worked as the imperial goldsmith, crafted intricate luxury objects that mixed wood, fine metal, mother-of-pearl and ivory. Ormolu — or elaborate bronze gilding — was essential to French design in the 18th and 19th centuries as a cornerstone of the neoclassical and Empire styles.
The style became popular abroad, influencing the American Empire style. Stately pieces carved with sprigs of olives by cabinetmaker Pierre-Antoine Bellange were acquired by American President James Monroe for the White House in 1817.
Find a collection of antique Empire tables, lighting, seating and other furniture on 1stDibs.
Finding the Right Dining Room Chairs for You
No matter what your dream dining experience looks like, there is a wide-ranging variety of vintage, new and antique dining room chairs on 1stDibs. Find upholstered dining room chairs, wood dining room chairs and more to outfit any space designated for a good meal, be it in your home or in the great outdoors.
In the early 18th century, most dining room tables and other furniture was designed to look masculine. In America, dining rooms weren’t even much of a concept until the late 1700s, when a space set aside specifically for dining became a part of the construction of homes for the wealthy. Dining room chairs of the era were likely made of walnut or oak. In Europe, neoclassical dining chairs emerged during the 1750s owing to nostalgia for classical antiquity, while the curving chair crests of Queen Anne furniture in the United States preceded the artistically bold seat backs that characterized the Chippendale chairs that followed. If there weren't enough dining chairs at suppertime in the American colonies, men were prioritized and women stood.
In the dining rooms of today, however, there is enough space for everyone to have a seat at the table. Modern styles introduce innovative design choices that play with shape and style. Icons of mid-century modern dining room chairs are plentiful: With its distinctive bentwood back, there is the DCW dining chair by Charles and Ray Eames, while Hans Wegner's timeless classic, the Wishbone chair, remains relevant and elegant decades after its debut. Stefano Giovannoni's White Rabbit dining chairs, in their lovable polyethylene biomorphism, reinvent what dining can look like.
Today's wide range of dining room chairs also means that they can now be styled in different ways, bringing functionality and fun to any sumptuous dining space. No longer do tables have to be accompanied by a matching set of seats. Skillfully mixing and matching colors and designs allows you to showcase your personality without sacrificing the cohesion of a given space.
By furnishing your dining room with cozy chairs — vintage, antique or otherwise — family time can extend far beyond mealtime. The plush upholstery of Victorian-style dining room chairs is perfect for game nights that stretch from dinner to midnight snack. Outdoor tables and dining chairs can also present an excellent opportunity for bonding and eating — what goes better with a delicious meal than fresh air, anyway?
Whether you prefer your chairs streamlined and stackable or ornate and one of a kind, the offerings on 1stDibs will elevate your mealtime and beyond.