Kir Royal

Fratelli Boffi is an Italian furniture maker with a rich history of manufacturing excellence and whimsical design. The company's armchairs, side tables and cabinets feature high-end yet playful modern and Baroque-inspired silhouettes. Each piece contains at least one delightfully surprising element, whether it’s an unconventional shape or a bold color combination.

Artist and woodworker Carlo Boffi established Fratelli Boffi in 1928. Boffi had come to fame in the 1920s for carving exquisite chairs in the Louis XV and Louis XVI styles. He opened a furniture factory in Brianza, where he took commissions from all over Italy. In 1953, the company was passed down to Boffi's sons, Federico, Roberto and Michele. The second Boffi generation continued to run a successful business and even opened a new factory in Lentate sul Seveso.

In the 1980s, Fratelli Boffi took an avante-garde direction thanks to collaborative projects with Italian nonconformist architect and designer Aldo Cibic. The company became known for making furniture in sculptural, eye-catching shapes. The ornate bases of Fratelli Boffi coffee tables and its architectural sofas are excellent examples.

In the 2000s, Fratelli Boffi embarked on numerous collaborations with other celebrated designers. Each year, the company presents new and exciting collections by names like Marc Krusin, Christophe de la Fontaine, Nigel Coates, Giopato & Coombes, Philippe Bestenheider and Ferruccio Laviani.

Today, Fratelli Boffi operates a major contracting division that has been involved in prestigious hotel, office and residential projects around the world. Cibic continues to use Fratelli Boffi furniture in his home designs, as do New York–based designers Greg Dufner and Daniel Heighes Wismer.

On 1stDibs, find Fratelli Boffi seating, tables, storage cabinets 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.