Rare 'Karate' Swiveling Fiberglass Shell Chair by Michel Cadestin
By Airborne International, Michel Cadestin
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Rare 'Karate' swiveling fiberglass shell chair by Michel Cadestin.
Iron
Prototype Knoll Lounge Chair Designed Bill Stephens 1960s Fiberglass Cato Fabric
By Bill Stephens, Knoll
Located in Virginia Beach, VA
A great space age fiberglass look with the upholstery and cushions sharing similar structure and lines to the Warren Platner easy chair however sitting cradled in a fiberglass shell ...
Fabric, Fiberglass
Karate Airborne, Michel Cadestin White Boucle Fiberglass Chair, France, 1970s
By Michel Cadestin
Located in New York, NY
Karate Airborne, Michel Cadestin Wool Boucle and leather swivel fiberglass chair, France, 1970s.
Leather, Mohair, Fiberglass
Blue Velvet Lounge Chair 'Karate' by Michel Cadestin, France 1970s
Located in Leuven, Vlaams Gewest
Striking space age lounge chair by Airborne international. The chair consists of a fiberglass shell upholstered with dark blue velvet fabric. It sits as comfortable as it looks. T...
Velvet
Karate Armchair by Michel Cadestin for Airborne, France, 1970s
By Geoffrey Harcourt, Artifort
Located in Oud Beijerland, NL
This pivoting lounge chair is made of a fiberglass shell with upholstered seats.
Metal
Michel Cadestin for Airborne. “Karate” velvet armchair. Circa 1970.
Located in Saint-Ouen, FR
Michel Cadestin for Airborne Large wingback chair, “Karate” model. The seat and fiberglass shell are entirely covered in taupe corduroy.
Fiberglass
Unavailable
H 37.41 in W 37.8 in D 35.44 in
Space Age 'Karate' Swiveling Fiberglass Shell Chairs by Michel Cadestin
By Michel Cadestin
Located in PEGO, Alicante
Rare pair (priced INDIVIDUALLY) of 'Karate' swiveling fiberglass shell chairs by Michel Cadestin.
Fabric, Fiberglass
French Modern Karate Chair By Michel Cadestin
By Michel Cadestin
Located in Houston, TX
French Modern Karate Chairs By Michel Cadestin Stunning French Modern Michel Cadestin for Airborne Karate lounge chair.
Fiberglass, Velvet
Michel Cadestin, Karate Chair in Fiberglass and Leather, 1970s
By Michel Cadestin
Located in Saint-Ouen, FR
Michel Cadestin for Airborne, attributed to. “Karate” chair with a white fiberglass shell with a seat and back in quilted cream leather.
Metal
Michel Cadestin, Karate Chair in Fiberglass and Leather, 1970’s
By Michel Cadestin
Located in Saint-Ouen, FR
Michel Cadestin for Airborne, attributed to. “Karate” chair with a white fiberglass shell with a seat and back in quilted cream leather.
Leather, Fiberglass
Sold
H 33.86 in W 68.9 in D 37.41 in
Michel Cadestin "Karate" Chairs and Sofa for Airborne International
By Michel Cadestin
Located in Paris, FR
Mid-Century Modern "Karate" living room set designed by Michel Cadestin (b. 1942) and manufactured by Airborne International in France. It is composed of a sofa and two swivel armcha...
Fabric, Fiberglass
Sold
H 33.86 in W 37.8 in D 36.62 in
Karate Fiberglass Shell Lounge Chair by Michel Cadestin for Airborne, 1970s
By Michel Cadestin
Located in Lisboa, PT
Overall, the Karate Chair by Michel Cadestin for Airborne is a true masterpiece of design.
Iron
A Rare Pair of Fiberglass Karate Lounge Chairs by Michel Cadestin
By Michel Cadestin
Located in Dallas, TX
A rare pair of "Karate" Swivel Lounge Chairs by Michel Cadestin for Airborne.
Velvet, Fiberglass
Sold
H 36.23 in W 37.41 in D 37.41 in
‘Karate’ Lounge Chair in Fiberglass and Cognac Leather for Airborne Internationa
By Airborne International, Michel Cadestin
Located in Voorburg, NL
Airborne International was situated in the city of Montreuilsous-Bois at that time and was a famous manufacturer with well-known designers working for them. This lounge chair, referr...
Leather, Fiberglass
1960s Fiberglass Space Age Ottoman Verner Panton chromcraft era
By Michel Cadestin, Verner Panton, Chromcraft
Located in Virginia Beach, VA
A 1960’s fiberglass ottoman in the manner of Verner Panton, Chromcraft or Michel Cadestin’s Karate Chair. A unique form that will add interest and extra seating to your interior desi...
Velvet, Fiberglass
1970s Michael Cadestin Fiberglass and Leather "Karate Lounge Chair"
By Michel Cadestin
Located in Mexico City, MX
1970s Michael Cadestin fiberglass and black leather "Karate Lounge Chair" for Airborne Manufacturer Super comfortable, this chair swivels.
Leather, Fiberglass
Michael Cadestin Karate Lounge Chair with Ottoman for Airborne
By Michel Cadestin, Airborne International
Located in Culver City, CA
A stunning "Karate" lounge chair by Michael Cadestin for Airborne.
Fiberglass
Michel Cadestin Karate Velvet Lounge Chair for Airborne, 1968
By Michel Cadestin, Airborne International
Located in Munich, DE
A stunning "Karate" lounge chair by Michael Cadestin for Airborne.
Velvet, Fiberglass
Pair of Michel Cadestin "Karate" Lounge Chairs by Airborne
Located in Highland, IN
These wonderful lounge chairs by Michel Cadestin for Airborne have a character all their own. The molded fiberglass shells are white and the upholstery is a dark olive green faux ost...
Upholstery, Fiberglass
Sold
H 35.04 in W 37.01 in D 35.44 in
Michel Cadestin ‘Karate’ lounge chair and ottoman for Airborne, France 1970s
By Michel Cadestin
Located in Sittard, LI
Iconic space age 'Karate' lounge chair with matching ottoman. Designed by Michel Cadestin for Airborne, France 1970s.
Metal
Sold
H 35 in W 37 in D 35 in
Mid-Century Modern Pair of Michel Cadestin Karate Lounge Chairs Ottoman Airborne
By Michel Cadestin
Located in Keego Harbor, MI
For your consideration is a spectacular pair of Michel Cadestin "Karate" style lounge chairs and matching ottoman, on fiberglass bases, by Airborne, circa 1970s.
Fiberglass
A Pair of "Karaté" Airborne Armchairs
By Michel Cadestin
Located in Paris, FR
"Karaté" model, circa 1970 by Michel Cadestin, fiberglass hull painted white, topped with foam and covered with blue padded leatherette, chrome-tubular steel base.
Foam
Pair of "Karate" Chairs by Michel Cadestin, 1970s
By Michel Cadestin
Located in Hamburg, PA
A space age pair of "Karate" Chairs by Michel Cadestin for Airborne, France.
Upholstery, Fiberglass
Michel Cadestin "Karate" Chair for Airborne, circa 1970s
By Michel Cadestin
Located in LAGUNA BEACH, CA
Michel Cadestin "Karate" chair for Airborne, circa 1970s Molded Fiberglass, Sandra Jordan Prima Alpaca Boucle (Color B1040 French Vanilla) Measures: 37.5 H x 37.5 W x 39.5 D inche...
Alpaca, Bouclé, Fiberglass
Pair Of French Modern Karate Chairs By Michel Cadestin
By Michel Cadestin
Located in Houston, TX
Rare pair of French Modern Michel Cadestin for Airborne Karate lounge chairs. These shapely and extremely comfortable iconic Italian lounge chairs are in very good condition and date...
Bouclé, Fiberglass
Sold
H 37.5 in W 37.5 in D 39.5 in
Michel Cadestin Karate x Joe Colombo Elda Chair 1970s Mashup with Ottoman
By Michel Cadestin, Joe Colombo
Located in Culver City, CA
This gorgeous chair is the brainchild of our gallery. After picking up a 1970s Space Age fiberglass chair designed by Michel Cadestin Karate chair, we couldn't help but notice how sl...
Bouclé, Fiberglass
Sold
H 37.5 in W 37.5 in D 39.5 in
Michel Cadestin Karate x Joe Colombo Elda Chair 1970s Mashup with Ottoman
By Joe Colombo, Michel Cadestin
Located in Culver City, CA
This one of a kind chair is the brainchild of our gallery. After picking up a 1970s space age fiberglass chair designed by Michel Cadestin Karate chair, we couldn't help but notice h...
Bouclé, Fiberglass
Sold
H 37.5 in W 37.5 in D 39.5 in
Michel Cadestin Karate x Joe Colombo Elda Chair 1970s Mashup with Ottoman
By Joe Colombo, Michel Cadestin
Located in Culver City, CA
This gorgeous chair is the brainchild of our gallery. After picking up a 1970s Space Age fiberglass chair designed by Michel Cadestin Karate chair, we couldn't help but notice how sl...
Bouclé, Fiberglass
Sold
H 37.5 in W 37.5 in D 39.5 in
Michel Cadestin Karate x Joe Colombo Elda Chair 1970s Mashup with Ottoman
By Joe Colombo, Michel Cadestin
Located in Culver City, CA
This gorgeous chair is the brainchild of our gallery. After picking up a 1970s Space Age fiberglass chair designed by Michel Cadestin Karate chair, we couldn't help but notice how sl...
Bouclé, Fiberglass
Sold
H 37.5 in W 37.5 in D 39.5 in
Michel Cadestin Karate x Joe Colombo Elda Chair 1970s Mashup with Ottoman
By Joe Colombo, Michel Cadestin
Located in Culver City, CA
Now, this Cadestin Karate chair is rocking the same lush upholstery style as Colombo’s Elda chair, complete with all the plush pads and luxurious feels.
Bouclé, Fiberglass
Sold
H 37.5 in W 37.5 in D 39.5 in
Karate Airborne, Michel Cadestin Mohair Swivel Fiberglass Chair, France, 1970s
By Michel Cadestin
Located in New York, NY
Karate Airborne, Michel Cadestin Mohair velvet swivel fiberglass chair, France, 1970s.
Leather, Mohair, Fiberglass
Michel Cadestin "Karate" Lounge Chair and Ottoman by Airborne
By Michel Cadestin
Located in Highland, IN
This terrific fiberglass lounge chair by Michel Cadestin for Airborne has a plush, tufted interior set within a white fiberglass body with a swivel base. Sculptural and comfortable, ...
Upholstery, Fiberglass
Pair of French Michel Cadestin for Airborne Karate Lounge Chairs
By Michel Cadestin
Located in Houston, TX
Rare pair of French Michel Cadestin for Airborne Karate lounge chairs. These shapely and extremely comfortable lounge chairs are in very good condition and date to 1968.
Fiberglass
Sold
H 35 in W 37.5 in D 39 in
Michel Cadestin for Airborne White Fiberglass with Leather Lounge Chair Ottoman
By Michel Cadestin
Located in Ferndale, MI
Michel Cadestin for Airborne of France " Karate " lounge chair with ottoman that can double as table without the cushion.
Iron
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.
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.