Zeus Sofa in Carmen Leather, Dark Horn & Lacquered Black Wood by Arcahorn
Located in Geneve, CH
Zeus Sofa in Carmen Leather, Dark Horn & Lacquered Black Wood by Arcahorn Dimensions: D 100 x W 300 x H 88 cm. Materials: Horn, leather, and wood lacquered black gloss finish. Cushi...
Other
Adriano Three-Seater Sofa in Splendido Velvet, Matte Horn & Metal by Arcahorn
Located in Geneve, CH
Adriano Three-Seater Sofa in Splendido Velvet, Matte Horn & Metal by Arcahorn Dimensions: D 100 x W 300 x H 88 cm. Materials: Horn, velvet, foam, and burnished metal. Cushions are ...
Other, Metal
New York Two Seater Sofa in Metal & Leather Upholstery by Quinti Sedute
Located in Geneve, CH
New York Two Seater Sofa in Metal & Leather Upholstery by Quinti Sedute Dimensions: D 88 x W 210 x H 70 cm. Materials: Metal, goose feathers, and leather upholstery. Available in di...
Metal
Carlo Scarpa “Cornaro” Sofas for Gavina, Turquoise Velvet, 1973, Set of 2
By Gavina, Carlo Scarpa
Located in Lonigo, Veneto
Carlo Scarpa “Cornaro” sofas for Gavina, wood and turquoise velvet, 1973, set of two. The Cornaro sofa represents a sublime exemplification of the harmony between Japanese minimalis...
Velvet, Foam, Wood
Milky White Low Lita Love Low Sofa With Cushion by OTTO Studio
Located in Geneve, CH
Milky White Low Lita Love Low Sofa With Cushion by OTTO Studio Designed by Paola Navone. Dimensions: D 80 x W 118 x H 70 cm. Seat Height: 36 cm. Materials: Polyethylene, rubber and a...
Other
Elephant Grey Low Lita Love Low Sofa With Cushion by OTTO Studio
Located in Geneve, CH
Elephant Grey Low Lita Love Low Sofa With Cushion by OTTO Studio Designed by Paola Navone. Dimensions: D 80 x W 118 x H 70 cm. Seat Height: 36 cm. Materials: Polyethylene, rubber and...
Other
Postmodern Serpentine Sofa Set with Glass-Top Cocktail Table - 4 Piece Set
Located in Chicago, IL
Postmodern Vladimir Kagan Style Serpentine Sofa Set with Glass-Top Cocktail Table - 4 Piece Set The Postmodern Vladimir Kagan Style Serpentine Sofa Set with Glass-Top Cocktail Table...
Faux Leather, Glass
Mario Bellini Taupe “Le Bambole” Two-Seater Sofa for B&B Italia, 1976
By B&B Italia, Mario Bellini
Located in Vicenza, IT
“Bibambola” sofa designed by Mario Bellini for B&B Italia. Original vintage version from 1976, recently reupholstered by the previous owner with a light grey fabric. This comfortab...
Cotton, Foam
Eastside Sofa by Ettore Sottsass for Knoll, 1980s, All Original, Ready to Use
By Ettore Sottsass, Knoll
Located in Kansas City, MO
Eastside Sofa by Ettore Sottsass and manufactured by Knoll, 1980s. Original black leather and gray and black patterned fabric. Aluminum and steel base construction. There are no tear...
Leather, Upholstery
Memphis 'Lido' Sofa by Michele De Lucchi, Colorful Design, 1982
By Michele de Lucchi
Located in Tinton Falls, NJ
Designed by Michele De Lucchi in 1982, this superb object of functional decor will offer a comfortable seat to an eclectic interior, while also being a magnificent colorful accent to...
Steel
Dark Muted Purple Four Seater Beech Wood Modular Sofa by Casa Casati
Located in Geneve, CH
Acquabella Club Four Seater Beech Wood Modular Sofa by Casa Casati Dimensions: D 106 x W 372 x H 70 cm. Materials: Beech wood, marine plywood, polyurethane, polyester fibre, foam, c...
Other
$15,689Sale Price|34% Off
Cassina 'Soriana' Four-Seater Sofa by Afra and Tobia Scarpa in Bouclé, 1970's
By Afra & Tobia Scarpa
Located in Antwerp, BE
Cassina; Scarpa; Mid-Century Modern; Boucle Wool; Afra & Tobia Scarpa; Post-Modern; Postmodern Design; 1970s Design; Italy; Italian Design; Manufactured by Cassina in the 1970s, ...
Chrome
Acquabella Three Seater Beech Wood And Bronze Feet Sofa by Casa Casati
Located in Geneve, CH
Acquabella Three Seater Beech Wood And Bronze Feet Sofa by Casa Casati Dimensions: D 106 x W 252 x H 80 cm. SH: 74 cm. Materials: Beech wood, marine plywood, polyurethane, polyester ...
Other
Hans Hollein Mitzi Sofa in Poplar and Wool Cloth by Poltronova 1981
By Hans Hollein, Poltronova
Located in Cascina, Pisa
Mitzi sofa presents a poplar plywood base with erable finish, semi-gloss water–based varnish, iron inner structure, polyurethane cushions, wool cloth upholstery and cloth–covered bu...
Iron
Cupido 180 Glossy Lacquer Base And Beech Wood Sofa by Casa Casati
Located in Geneve, CH
Cupido 180 Glossy Lacquer Base And Beech Wood Sofa by Casa Casati Dimensions: D 86 x W 180 x H 70 cm. Materials: Beech wood, marine plywood, lacquer, polyurethane, polyester fibre, ...
Other
Cassina 'Soriana' Four Seater Sofa by Afra and Tobia Scarpa in Bouclé, 1970s
By Cassina, Afra & Tobia Scarpa
Located in Antwerp, BE
Afra and Tobia Scarpa, soriana, Cassina, Italy 1970s, bouclé wool Manufactured by Cassina in the 1970s, the Soriana collection was meant to express beauty and comfort by using a w...
Chrome
Grande 320 Five Seater Dark Bronze And Diablo Upholstery Sofa by Casa Casati
Located in Geneve, CH
Grande 320 Five Seater Dark Bronze And Diablo Upholstery Sofa by Casa Casati Dimensions: D 100 x W 320 x H 85 cm. Materials: Beech wood, marine plywood, polyurethane, polyester fibr...
Other
Seven Salotti Modular Sofa in Cognac Colored Leather
Located in Waalwijk, NL
Seven Salotti modular sofa, plastic, leather, Italy, 1970s This modular sofa by Italian maker Seven Salotti dates from the 1970s and showcases the era’s relaxed and sculptural appro...
Leather, Plastic
Alberto Rosselli for Saporiti Confidential Corner Sofa in Burgundy Leather
By Saporiti
Located in Waalwijk, NL
Alberto Rosselli for Saporiti, sectional sofa, model 'Confidential', leather, Italy, 1972 In 1972, Italian architect and furniture designer Alberto Rosselli designed a distinctive s...
Leather
Carlo Bartoli for Rossi di Albizzate 'Down' Sectional Sofa
By Rossi di Albizzate, Carlo Bartoli
Located in Waalwijk, NL
Carlo Bartoli for Rossi di Albizzate, sectional sofa model 'Down', fabric, lacquered wood, Italy, 1973 This design truly resembles the ethos of the seventies – a bright and bold era...
Fabric, Wood
Mario Bellini Reupholstered 'Camaleonda' Modular Sofa in White Boucle
By Mario Bellini, B&B Italia
Located in Waalwijk, NL
Mario Bellini for B&B Italia, reupholstered 'Camaleonda' sectional sofa, boucle, metal, Italy, design 1970 The iconic Camaleonda sofa is designed by Italian master Mario Bellini for...
Metal
$2,981Sale Price|25% Off
Cassina Veranda 3 seater Sofa by Vico Magistretti
By Cassina, Vico Magistretti
Located in Bern, BE
Cassina Veranda 3 seater Sofa by Vico Magistretti and produced by Cassina, Italy in the late 1980's. Based on the Maralunga Sofa with fold down back rest. Adjustable three seater des...
Metal, Steel
Model 9000 Modular Sectional Sofa by Tito Agnoli for Arflex
By Tito Agnoli, Arflex
Located in Chicago, IL
c. 1970s. Italy. Price is for the set. Contact us if you’d like to purchase a single item. Original wool upholstery Armless sections: 26L 32W 24.5H 13.5SH Corner section: 32L 32W 2...
Wool
Modular sectional “Lowseat” sofa by Patricia Urquiola for Moroso, circa 2000
By Moroso, Patricia Urquiola
Located in View Park, CA
The « Lowseat » sectional modular sofa by Patricia Urquiola for Moroso, Italy circa 2000. In four parts; featuring tubular stainless steel frame and fabric in varying shades of gray....
Steel
Mario Marenco for Arflex Modular 'Marechiaro' Three-Seat Sofa in Wool
By Mario Marenco, Arflex
Located in Waalwijk, NL
Mario Marenco for Arflex, modular three-seater sofa, model 'Marechiaro', wool, plastic, metal, Italy, circa 1976. This well-designed sofa by Mario Marenco for Arflex is fully execut...
Metal
De Pas, D’Urbino & Lomazzi for Zanotta 'Settebello' Sectional Sofa
By Gionathan de Pas & Donato D’Urbino & Paolo Lomazzi, Zanotta
Located in Waalwijk, NL
Gionathan de Pas, Donato D’Urbino & Paolo Lomazzi for Zanotta, 'settebello' modular sofa, fabric, polyurethane, Italy, 1974 A postmodern design by Gionathan de Pas, Donato D’Urbino ...
Fabric
Patricia Urquiola ‘Tufty-Time’ Three-Element Sofa for B&B Italia, 2005
By B&B Italia, Patricia Urquiola
Located in Hellouw, NL
Few contemporary sofas have managed to combine architectural presence and relaxed seating as convincingly as Patricia Urquiola’s Tufty-Time. Designed for B&B Italia in 2005, the seri...
Fabric
Oblong sectional sofa designed by Jasper Morrison for Cappellini
By Jasper Morrison, Cappellini
Located in Offenburg, Baden Wurthemberg
Oblong sectional Sofa designed by Jasper Morrison for Cappellini, Italy. Jasper Morrison creates his furniture with a light touch and yet perfectionally functional. He counts they’...
Fabric, Polystyrene, Foam, Plywood
Rimo Maturi for Mimo Padova Sofa Model ´Nuvolone´ in Brown Leather
By Mimo Padova
Located in Waalwijk, NL
RImo Maturi for Mimo Padova, ´Nuvolone´ sofa, leather, Italy, 1970s Stunning modular sofa by Italian designer Rimo Maturii for manufacturer Mimo Padova. The 'Nuvulone', meaning 'cl...
Leather
$9,000 / set
9 Piece Modular Scoop Swan Sofa by Henning Korch
Located in Las Vegas, NV
Great 9 piece Italian Post Modern modular sectional Swan sofa by Henning Korch.
Velvet
Corner Sofa "Cardigan" designed by Vico Magistretti for Cassina, red leather
By Cassina, Vico Magistretti
Located in Beograd, RS
In this listing you will find a spectacular and exceptionally rare sofa designed by Vico Magistretti. Apart from a stanning tone of red leather this sofa is upholstered with, what ma...
Leather
Tacchini Le Mura sectional in chenille fabric sofa designed by Mario Bellini
By Mario Bellini, Tacchini
Located in Offenburg, Baden Wurthemberg
in 1972 famous architect Mario Bellini designed the Le Mura sectional sofa for Cassina. after 50 years, in 2022 , famous Italian manufacturer launched this re-edition, celebrating on...
Fabric, Foam, Plywood
Mario Marenco for Arflex Marius&Marius Sofa in Brownish Red Leather
By Arflex, Mario Marenco
Located in Waalwijk, NL
Mario Marenco for Arflex, 'Marius&Marius' sofa, leather, plastic, lacquered wood, Italy, 1970s The Marius&Marius sofa, designed by Mario Marenco for Arflex in the 1970s, is ...
Leather, Plastic, Wood
Roche Bobois Mah Jong Sectional Sofa by Hans Hopfer, Multicolor
By Roche Bobois
Located in Milano, Lombardia
Roche Bobois "Mah Jong" – Modular corner sofa, designed by Hans Hopfer, 2000s A modular arrangement consisting of 12 seats and 6 backrests, configured in a corner layout. Designed by...
Cotton, Satin, Velvet
Postmodern 'Sity' Modular Sectional Sofa, Antonio Citterio for B&B Italia, 1972
By Antonio Citterio, B&B Italia
Located in Zagreb, HR
An amazing, rare and early production, three-piece modular Sity sofa designed by Antonio Citterio for B&B Italia. Original upholstery, leather pole armrests, loose back and seat cush...
Leather, Fabric
$11,437Sale Price|20% Off
1980s B&B Italia Antonio Citterio Sity Sofa Sectional in Maroon and Eggshell
By Antonio Citterio, B&B Italia
Located in Basel, BS
Magnificent and very comfortable vintage Antonio Citterio 1980s Sity Sofa for B&B Italia. The Manufacturer's mark is present. The sofa is completely made of a very high quality eggsh...
Metal
1980s B&b Italia Antonio Citterio Sity Sofa Sectional in Green and Eggshell-- 2
By Antonio Citterio, B&B Italia
Located in Basel, BS
Magnificent and very comfortable vintage Antonio Citterio 1980s Sity Sofa for B&B Italia. The Manufacturer's mark is present. The sofa is completely made of a very high quality e...
Metal
Vintage Nicoletti Italia Gray Leather Postmodern Loveseat, Italy, 1980s
Located in Rancho Cucamonga, CA
Vintage Italian Nicoletti Italia loveseat in its original soft gray leather upholstery, featuring the relaxed sculptural lines and oversized cushion design associated with high-end E...
Leather
Italian Modular Daybeds in Faux Shearling, Mario Bellini Style, 1975
By Mario Bellini
Located in Wien, AT
A striking pair of Italian modular daybeds inspired by the iconic Camaleonda design by Mario Bellini. Combining sculptural presence with everyday functionality, these versatile piece...
Faux Fur
Postmodern Italian Marcuso Coffee Glass Table by Marco Zanuso for Zanotta
By Zanotta, Marco Zanuso
Located in Hamburg, DE
Heavy glass coffee table from the Italian manufacturer Zanotta based on a design by Marco Zanuso from the late 1960s. A classic of Italian design. The design impresses with its simp...
Stainless Steel
$3,000Sale Price|20% Off
Italian Black Leather Postmodern Loveseat by i4 Mariani for the Pace Collection
By i4 Mariani, Pace Collection
Located in San Diego, CA
A very nice black leather Postmodern loveseat by I4 Mariani for the Pace Collection, circa late 1980s. The piece is in great condition with super high quality leather and Italian cra...
Leather
$12,411Sale Price|32% Off
Soriana Two Seater by Afra & Tobia Scarpa for Cassina, Green Mohair
By Afra & Tobia Scarpa, Cassina
Located in Antwerp, BE
Scarpa; Afra & Tobia Scarpa; Soriana Sofa; Cassina; 1970s; Italian Design; Italy; Two Seater; Post-Modern; Green; Fabric; Mohair; This Soriana two-seater sofa, reupholstered in 100%...
Chrome
Divano Anfibio, Alessandro Becchi, Giovannetti, 1970
By Alessandro Becchi
Located in Milano, Lombardia
Il Divano Anfibio, ideato da Alessandro Becchi per Giovannetti intorno al 1971, è un’icona del design che incarna l’essenza innovativa e la versatilità degli arredi degli anni ’70. Q...
Velvet
Travertino Silver Contemporary Marble Low Oval Table 36/190 by Angelo Alinea
Located in Geneve, CH
Travertino Silver Contemporary Marble Low Oval Table 36/190 by Angelo Alinea Dimensions: D 125 x W 190 x H 36 cm Materials: Marble Available in: GRAFITE / TRAVERTINO ROSSO / GREY SA...
Marble
Travertino Silver Contemporary Marble Low Oval Table 27/130 by Angelo Alinea
Located in Geneve, CH
Travertino Silver Contemporary Marble Low Oval Table 27/130 by Angelo Alinea Dimensions: D 83 x W 130 x H 27 cm Materials: Marble Available in: GRAFITE / TRAVERTINO ROSSO / GREY SAI...
Marble
Kyknos Contemporary Marble Low Oval Table 27/190 by Angelo Alinea
Located in Geneve, CH
Kyknos Contemporary Marble Low Oval Table 27/190 by Angelo Alinea Dimensions: D 125 x W 190 x H 27 cm Materials: Marble Available in: GRAFITE / TRAVERTINO ROSSO / GREY SAINT LAURENT...
Marble
Kyknos Contemporary Marble Low Oval Table 27/160 by Angelo Alinea
Located in Geneve, CH
Kyknos Contemporary Marble Low Oval Table 27/160 by Angelo Alinea Dimensions: D 105 x W 160 x H 27 cm Materials: Marble Available in: GRAFITE / TRAVERTINO ROSSO / GREY SAINT LAURENT...
Marble
Kyknos Contemporary Marble Low Oval Table 36/190 by Angelo Alinea
Located in Geneve, CH
Kyknos Contemporary Marble Low Oval Table 36/190 by Angelo Alinea Dimensions: D 125 x W 190 x H 36 cm Materials: Marble Available in: GRAFITE / TRAVERTINO ROSSO / GREY SAINT LAURENT...
Marble
Kyknos Contemporary Marble Low Oval Table 36/130 by Angelo Alinea
Located in Geneve, CH
Kyknos Contemporary Marble Low Oval Table 36/130 by Angelo Alinea Dimensions: D 83 x W 130 x H 36 cm Materials: Marble Available in: GRAFITE / TRAVERTINO ROSSO / GREY SAINT LAURENT ...
Marble
Kyknos Contemporary Marble Low Oval Table 36/160 by Angelo Alinea
Located in Geneve, CH
Kyknos Contemporary Marble Low Oval Table 36/160 by Angelo Alinea Dimensions: D 105 x W 160 x H 36 cm Materials: Marble Available in: GRAFITE / TRAVERTINO ROSSO / GREY SAINT LAURENT...
Marble
Travertino Silver Contemporary Marble Low Oval Table 36/160 by Angelo Alinea
Located in Geneve, CH
Travertino Silver Contemporary Marble Low Oval Table 36/160 by Angelo Alinea Dimensions: D 105 x W 160 x H 36 cm Materials: Marble Available in: GRAFITE / TRAVERTINO ROSSO / GREY SA...
Marble
Travertino Silver Contemporary Marble Low Oval Table 36/130 by Angelo Alinea
Located in Geneve, CH
Travertino Silver Contemporary Marble Low Oval Table 36/130 by Angelo Alinea Dimensions: D 83 x W 130 x H 36 cm Materials: Marble Available in: GRAFITE / TRAVERTINO ROSSO / GREY SAI...
Marble
Travertino Silver Contemporary Marble Low Oval Table 27/160 by Angelo Alinea
Located in Geneve, CH
Travertino Silver Contemporary Marble Low Oval Table 27/160 by Angelo Alinea Dimensions: D 105 x W 160 x H 27 cm Materials: Marble Available in: GRAFITE / TRAVERTINO ROSSO / GREY SA...
Marble
Travertino Silver Contemporary Marble Low Oval Table 27/190 by Angelo Alinea
Located in Geneve, CH
Travertino Silver Contemporary Marble Low Oval Table 27/190 by Angelo Alinea Dimensions: D 125 x W 190 x H 27 cm Materials: Marble Available in: GRAFITE / TRAVERTINO ROSSO / GREY SA...
Marble
Port Saint Laurent Contemporary Marble Low Oval Table 27/130 by Angelo Alinea
Located in Geneve, CH
Port Saint Laurent Contemporary Marble Low Oval Table 27/130 by Angelo Alinea Dimensions: D 83 x W 130 x H 27 cm Materials: Marble Available in: GRAFITE / TRAVERTINO ROSSO / GREY SA...
Marble
Port Saint Laurent Contemporary Marble Low Oval Table 36/130 by Angelo Alinea
Located in Geneve, CH
Port Saint Laurent Contemporary Marble Low Oval Table 36/130 by Angelo Alinea Dimensions: D 83 x W 130 x H 36 cm Materials: Marble Available in: GRAFITE / TRAVERTINO ROSSO / GREY SA...
Marble
Port Saint Laurent Contemporary Marble Low Oval Table 27/160 by Angelo Alinea
Located in Geneve, CH
Port Saint Laurent Contemporary Marble Low Oval Table 27/160 by Angelo Alinea Dimensions: D 105 x W 160 x H 27 cm Materials: Marble Available in: GRAFITE / TRAVERTINO ROSSO / GREY S...
Marble
Port Saint Laurent Contemporary Marble Low Oval Table 36/190 by Angelo Alinea
Located in Geneve, CH
Port Saint Laurent Contemporary Marble Low Oval Table 36/190 by Angelo Alinea Dimensions: D 125 x W 190 x H 36 cm Materials: Marble Available in: GRAFITE / TRAVERTINO ROSSO / GREY S...
Marble
Port Saint Laurent Contemporary Marble Low Oval Table 36/160 by Angelo Alinea
Located in Geneve, CH
Port Saint Laurent Contemporary Marble Low Oval Table 36/160 by Angelo Alinea Dimensions: D 105 x W 160 x H 36 cm Materials: Marble Available in: GRAFITE / TRAVERTINO ROSSO / GREY S...
Marble
Port Saint Laurent Contemporary Marble Low Oval Table 27/190 by Angelo Alinea
Located in Geneve, CH
Port Saint Laurent Contemporary Marble Low Oval Table 27/190 by Angelo Alinea Dimensions: D 125 x W 190 x H 27 cm Materials: Marble Available in: GRAFITE / TRAVERTINO ROSSO / GREY S...
Marble
Postmodern design was a short-lived movement that manifested itself chiefly in Italy and the United States in the early 1980s. The characteristics of vintage postmodern furniture and other postmodern objects and decor for the home included loud-patterned, usually plastic surfaces; strange proportions, vibrant colors and weird angles; and a vague-at-best relationship between form and function.
ORIGINS OF POSTMODERN FURNITURE DESIGN
CHARACTERISTICS OF POSTMODERN FURNITURE DESIGN
POSTMODERN FURNITURE DESIGNERS TO KNOW
VINTAGE POSTMODERN FURNITURE ON 1STDIBS
Critics derided postmodern design as a grandstanding bid for attention and nothing of consequence. Decades later, the fact that postmodernism still has the power to provoke thoughts, along with other reactions, proves they were not entirely correct.
Postmodern design began as an architectural critique. Starting in the 1960s, a small cadre of mainly American architects began to argue that modernism, once high-minded and even noble in its goals, had become stale, stagnant and blandly corporate. Later, in Milan, a cohort of creators led by Ettore Sottsass and Alessandro Mendini — a onetime mentor to Sottsass and a key figure in the Italian Radical movement — brought the discussion to bear on design.
Sottsass, an industrial designer, philosopher and provocateur, gathered a core group of young designers into a collective in 1980 they called Memphis. Members of the Memphis Group, which would come to include Martine Bedin, Michael Graves, Marco Zanini, Shiro Kuramata, Michele de Lucchi and Matteo Thun, saw design as a means of communication, and they wanted it to shout. That it did: The first Memphis collection appeared in 1981 in Milan and broke all the modernist taboos, embracing irony, kitsch, wild ornamentation and bad taste.
Memphis works remain icons of postmodernism: the Sottsass Casablanca bookcase, with its leopard-print plastic veneer; de Lucchi’s First chair, which has been described as having the look of an electronics component; Martine Bedin’s Super lamp: a pull-toy puppy on a power-cord leash. Even though it preceded the Memphis Group’s formal launch, Sottsass’s iconic Ultrafragola mirror — in its conspicuously curved plastic shell with radical pops of pink neon — proves striking in any space and embodies many of the collective’s postmodern ideals.
After the initial Memphis show caused an uproar, the postmodern movement within furniture and interior design quickly took off in America. (Memphis fell out of fashion when the Reagan era gave way to cool 1990’s minimalism.) The architect Robert Venturi had by then already begun a series of plywood chairs for Knoll Inc., with beefy, exaggerated silhouettes of traditional styles such as Queen Anne and Chippendale. In 1982, the new firm Swid Powell enlisted a group of top American architects, including Frank Gehry, Richard Meier, Stanley Tigerman and Venturi to create postmodern tableware in silver, ceramic and glass.
On 1stDibs, the vintage postmodern furniture collection includes chairs, coffee tables, sofas, decorative objects, table lamps 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.