Luigi Tiengo Sofa in Walnut and Blue Raf Simons Fabric for Cimon Montréal, 1963
By Luigi Tiengo, Cimon, Raf Simons
Located in The Hague, NL
The sculptural shape of the elongated arms, the winged back and the slightly inclined position of the seat give the sofa a seemingly floating appearance. The tapered front and sharp ...
Fabric, Wool, Bouclé, Upholstery, Wood, Walnut
Bespoke Contemporary Curved Shelter Sectional Sofa in Cream Linen Blend
Located in Nottingham, GB
Fixed seat cushions provide a crisp tailored appearance, while recessed black plinth feet create the impression that the sofa is floating above the floor. Designed with practicality...
Linen
Brazilian Modern Credenza in Imbuia Wood & Chrome by JD Móveis, Brazil, 1960s
By J.D. Moveis e Decoracoes
Located in New York, NY
Its proportions allow it to function equally well as a dining credenza, media cabinet, or statement storage piece behind a floating sofa in a townhouse or apartment setting.
Chrome
$22,400Sale Price / set|20% Off
Stunning Vladimir Kagan 3 Piece Omnibus Sectional Sofa Mid-Century Modern
By Vladimir Kagan
Located in Pemberton, NJ
Fully supported on Kagan’s trademark lucite bases, giving the sofa a wonderful floating appearance. This sectional measures as shown 28"t x 145"l x 120"d.
Upholstery, Lucite
Modern 'Veranda' Sofa by Vico Magistretti for Cassina, in Original Fabric, Italy
By Vico Magistretti, Cassina
Located in Almelo, NL
The design is grounded by a minimalist black metal frame, lending the sofa a light, floating presence while offering robust support.
Wood
$6,500 / item
Arianna
By Rached Sultan
Located in beirut, LB
A mirror-polished chrome stainless steel base gives the sofa a seamless, floating effect and a striking modern touch.
Stainless Steel, Steel
Galore Center Module, by Rikke Frost from Warm Nordic
By Hans Olsen
Located in Viby J, DK
For extra comfort and elegance, you can extend the sofa with a pouffe in the same range. The legs give the modular sofa a light, floating look, and the classic design universe is enh...
Foam
Galore Left Module, by Rikke Frost from Warm Nordic
By Hans Olsen
Located in Viby J, DK
For extra comfort and elegance, you can extend the sofa with a pouffe in the same range. The legs give the modular sofa a light, floating look, and the Classic design universe is enh...
Foam
Galore Right Module, by Rikke Frost from Warm Nordic
By Hans Olsen
Located in Viby J, DK
For extra comfort and elegance, you can extend the sofa with a pouffe in the same range. The legs give the modular sofa a light, floating look, and the classic design universe is enh...
Foam
$3,000Sale Price / set|60% Off
Pair of Chrome Framed Love Seats in the Style of Milo Baughman
By Milo Baughman, Flair
Located in Hanover, MA
Pair of original vintage two seat sofas floating within chromed steel bands. In the style of Milo Baughman but actually from the Flair division of Bernhardt.
Chrome
Important Vladimir Kagan Rosewood Brass Dresser, Desk Unit, 1950s
By Vladimir Kagan
Located in Culver City, CA
Over the next several decades, Kagan created hundreds of iconic designs, including his signature "Sculptured Chair" and "Floating Sofa," which became icons of 1950s and 60s modernism...
Brass
$3,993 / item
Outdoor 2 Seater Braided Sofa in Silver White Wicker
Located in New York, NY
This sofa creates a floating feeling of lightness with its rounded silhouette.
Fabric, Rope
Bespoke 6ft Bookcase in Rosewood w/ Glass Sliding Doors, Denmark, c. 1960s
Located in Deland, FL
Built from a mix of solid and veneered Brazilian rosewood, the piece features custom-made, time-period correct minimalist aluminum legs that make the piece appear as if it's floating...
Rosewood
18th-Century Italian Mahogany & Maple Inlaid Console or Folding Game Tables
Located in Firenze, IT
These modular pieces adapt easily to multiple luxury layouts: The Perfect Consoles: Position them symmetrically flanking a grand doorway, a fireplace, or beneath a large pair of mir...
Malachite
Italian Bronze Mirror + Smoked Glass Nightstand, 1970s - 2 Available
Located in Chicago, IL
Style it bedside, flanking a modular sofa, or floating solo beneath a piece of abstract art.
Glass, Mirror
Italian ‘Artona’ Wood + Leather Console by Afra & Tobia Scarpa for Maxalto, 1975
By Afra & Tobia Scarpa
Located in Chicago, IL
It works beautifully as a console; a dining room anchor piece; placed behind a sofa; floating in a room or used as a desk or multi-use console The Scarpas: Afra and Tobia Scarpa a...
Leather, Mahogany
$9,000Sale Price|40% Off
'Tank' Settee by Alvar Aalto
By Alvar Aalto
Located in New York, NY
Designed by Alvar Aalto and produced by Mouldcraft c.1950s, Canada. The Tank sofa is a rare design featuring a cantilevered frame in a bent birch wood that gives the sofa a floating ...
Upholstery, Birch
$25,000
Alvar Aalto 'Tank' Settee
By Alvar Aalto
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Designed by Alvar Aalto and produced by Mouldcraft c.1950s, Canada. The sofa, also known as the Tank sofa, is a rare design featuring a cantilevered frame in a bent birch wood that g...
Birch, Upholstery
$4,600 / item
Briance Coffee Table, by Bourgeois Boheme Atelier
By Bourgeois Boheme Atelier
Located in Los Angeles, CA
This sleek tripod base gives the sensation that the top is floating next to the sofa. The combination of the brass and marble creates a beautiful table.
Carrara Marble, Brass
$31,600 / item
Lee Broom - Tribeca Tables
By Lee Broom
Located in New York, NY
The Tribeca Tables are a series of sculptural side and coffee tables, which mirror the same floating concept as the sofa, appearing to defy gravity.
Travertine, Marble
Galore Module Pouf, by Rikke Frost from Warm Nordic
By Hans Olsen
Located in Viby J, DK
For extra comfort and elegance, you can extend the sofa with a pouffe in the same range. The legs give the modular sofa a light, floating look, and the Classic design universe is enh...
Foam
Black leather, silk velvet cushions, breathable bouclé fabric — when shopping for antique or vintage sofas, today’s couch connoisseurs have much to choose from in terms of style and shape. But it wasn’t always thus.
The sofa is typically defined as a long upholstered seat that features a back and arms and is intended for two or more people. While the term “couch” comes from the Old French couche, meaning to lie down, and sofa has Eastern origins, both are forms of divan, a Turkish word that means an elongated cushioned seat. Bench-like seating in Ancient Greece, which was padded with soft blankets, was called klinai. No matter how you spell it, sofa just means comfort, at least it does today.
In the early days of sofa design, upholstery consisted of horsehair or dried moss. Sofas that originated in countries such as France during the 17th century were more integral to decor than they were to comfort. Like most Baroque furnishings from the region, they frequently comprised heavy, gilded mahogany frames and were upholstered in floral Beauvais tapestry. Today, options abound when it comes to style and material, with authentic leather offerings and classy steel settees. Plush, velvet chesterfields represent the platonic ideal of coziness.
Vladimir Kagan’s iconic sofa designs, such as the Crescent and the Serpentine — which, like the sectional sofas of the 1960s created by furniture makers such as Harvey Probber, are quite popular among mid-century modern furniture enthusiasts — showcase the spectrum of style available to modern consumers. Those looking to make a statement can turn to Studio 65’s lip-shaped Bocca sofa, which was inspired by the work of Salvador Dalí. Elsewhere, the furniture of the 1970s evokes an era when experimentation ruled, or at least provided a reason to break the rules. Just about every area of society felt a sudden urge to be wayward, to push boundaries — and buttons. Vintage leather sofas of that decade are characterized by a rare blending of the showy and organic.
With so many options, it’s important to explore and find the perfect furniture for your space. Paying attention to the lines of the cushions as well as the flow from the backrest into the arms is crucial to identifying a cohesive new piece for your home or office.
Fortunately, with styles from every era — and even round sofas — there’s a luxurious piece for every space. Deck out your living room with an Art Deco lounge or go retro with a nostalgic '80s design. No matter your sitting vision, the right piece is waiting for you in the expansive collection of unique sofas on 1stDibs.
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