Kimball Chairs
2010s American Modern Chairs
Fabric, Wood, Beech, Plywood
Antique 1850s American Armchairs
Oak
1970s American Realist Nude Drawings and Watercolors
Graphite
Antique Late 19th Century American American Classical Paintings
Canvas, Giltwood, Paint
2010s Unknown Modern Loveseats
Metal
People Also Browsed
18th Century Portrait Paintings
Canvas, Oil
1930s American Modern Still-life Paintings
Gouache, Board, Watercolor
Mid-18th Century Old Masters Portrait Paintings
Canvas, Oil
20th Century Paintings
Canvas
Vintage 1950s American Mid-Century Modern Planters, Cachepots and Jardin...
Metal
21st Century and Contemporary Expressionist Nude Paintings
Oil, Canvas
Mid-20th Century American Impressionist Nude Paintings
Oil, Board
Vintage 1960s American Mid-Century Modern Planters, Cachepots and Jardin...
Metal
1970s Contemporary Nude Prints
Lithograph
Antique Early 19th Century American American Classical Paintings
Canvas, Giltwood
2010s American Impressionist Figurative Paintings
Oil, Panel
Antique Late 19th Century American American Colonial Dessert Tables and ...
Pine
Early 2000s Contemporary Nude Photography
Color
18th Century Old Masters Portrait Paintings
Canvas, Oil
Vintage 1950s American Mid-Century Modern Planters, Cachepots and Jardin...
Metal
Antique Late 18th Century Chinese Export Tea Sets
Porcelain
Recent Sales
Early 20th Century American Corner Chairs
Walnut
Vintage 1930s American Mid-Century Modern Lounge Chairs
Fabric, Mahogany
2010s American Biedermeier Side Chairs
Fabric, Hardwood, Ash, Maple, Burl
2010s American Biedermeier Dining Room Chairs
Fabric, Hardwood, Ash, Maple, Burl
Late 20th Century Mid-Century Modern Club Chairs
Wool
Vintage 1960s American British Colonial Armchairs
Leather
Vintage 1970s Mid-Century Modern Armchairs
Brass
20th Century American Hollywood Regency Dining Room Chairs
Upholstery, Wood
Finding the Right seating for You
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.
Read More
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The boho-chic Enchanted Forest Swing, handmade by marginalized women from Turkey and Syria, is uplifting in every way.
Learn Why Designer Maarten Baas Set This Charles Rennie Mackintosh Chair on Fire
What happens when you do something to a piece of furniture that you shouldn’t? It becomes an entirely new object.
Eileen Gray’s Famed Cliffside Villa in the South of France Is Returned to Its Modernist Glory
After years of diligent restoration, E-1027, the designer-cum-architect’s marriage of romance and modernism, is finally complete.