A Monumental Collection – 60 Alias Laleggera Chairs in Birch
By Riccardo Blumer, Alias
Located in Dronten, NL
Designed by Riccardo Blumer for Alias in 1996, the Laleggera chair is a masterpiece of technological innovation .
Birch
A Monumental Collection – 60 Alias Laleggera Chairs in Birch
By Riccardo Blumer, Alias
Located in Dronten, NL
Designed by Riccardo Blumer for Alias in 1996, the Laleggera chair is a masterpiece of technological innovation.
Maple
Riccardo Blumer Alias 301 Laleggera 32 Stacking Maple Chairs with steel trolleys
By Alias, Riccardo Blumer
Located in London, GB
32 x Ricardo Blumer for Alias 301 Laleggera model '301' lightweight stacking chairs, all priced individually (£250 per chair) There are 5 x steel trolleys available separately at £1...
Birch
Laleggera Chairs
By Alias, Riccardo Blumer
Located in Dronten, NL
The laleggera chair, awarded the “Compasso d’Oro” prize in 1998 is an iconic piece, displayed at the New York MoMA, at the Centre George Pompidou in Paris and at the Milan Triennale....
Maple
Set of 16 301 Laleggera Chairs in Maple
By Riccardo Blumer
Located in Dronten, NL
In 1996 Riccardo Blumer designed the now-iconic Laleggera chair for Alias, which went on to win the ADI Compasso d'Oro award in 1998.
Maple, Foam
$950 / item
H 32.29 in W 19.1 in D 21.26 in
Minimalist Modern Chair in Natural Solid Wood Upholstered Seating with Arms
By SIMONINI
Located in Vila Cordeiro, São Paulo
Evo Chair collection. Our Evo collection is based in the harmonic fusion between geometrical forms and the modern interpretation of wood archetypes. All elements that compose ...
Textile, Upholstery, Hardwood
$900 / item
H 33.08 in W 22.05 in D 22.05 in
Minimal Style, Solid Wood Chair, Leather Seating, Upholstered Backboard
By SIMONINI
Located in Vila Cordeiro, São Paulo
The wing chair solid wood collection, flexibility, modern aesthetics, comfort and softness are the keywords for this collection. The concept is inspired by the B-52 plane design, thi...
Leather, Textile, Hardwood, Upholstery
From $564 / set
H 29.93 in W 16.54 in D 18.9 in
Opinion Ciatti Con Fort Set of 2 Steel Folding Chairs
By Maurizio Galante and Tal Lancman, Opinion Ciatti
Located in Brooklyn, NY
Foldable and light, with an adjustable back, Con fort is a contemporary reinterpretation of one of the Industrial era’s first work chairs. Designed by Maurizio Galante and Tal Lancma...
Aluminum
$950 / item
H 32.29 in W 20.87 in D 21.26 in
Contemporary Chair in Natural Solid Wood, Upholstered, Natural Wood Back, Arms
By SIMONINI
Located in Vila Cordeiro, São Paulo
Dry chair collection. The dry chair concept is to work in a mixture of distinct references resulting in a modern classic in a dance between the retro and the modern. A heavy and i...
Leather, Textile, Upholstery, Laminate, Hardwood
$981 / set
H 30.99 in W 21.19 in D 19.97 in
CAST – Minimalist Chair in Solid Oak Wood with Fabric Seat
By Pedro Sottomayor
Located in Lisboa, Lisboa
The conceptural idea around the CAST chair was to come up with a simple chair that could fit any nice table, desk and place. And so it was. The CAST chair is a sturdy piece whose ...
Fabric, Wood, Beech
Minimalist Modern Chair in Natural Solid Wood
By SIMONINI
Located in Vila Cordeiro, São Paulo
Evo Chair collection. Our Evo collection is based in the harmonic fusion between geometrical forms and the modern interpretation of wood archetypes. All elements that compose ...
Hardwood
Minimalist Modern Chair in Natural Solid Wood
By SIMONINI
Located in Vila Cordeiro, São Paulo
Evo Chair collection. Our Evo collection is based in the harmonic fusion between geometrical forms and the modern interpretation of wood archetypes. All elements that compose ...
Hardwood
From $2,061 / item
+ 7 moreH 31.5 in W 21.26 in D 20.87 in
Opinion Ciatti Mammamia Non Stackable Chair with Armrests
By Marcello Zilliani, Opinion Ciatti
Located in Brooklyn, NY
Mammamia chair with armrest, made with die-cast aluminum shell and steel structure. For indoor use. Non-stackable. Available in gold structure with white, beige, taupe, green, or bla...
Metal
$2,783 / set
H 32 in W 19 in D 18 in
1970s Set 4 Spaghetti Chairs Design by Giandomenico Belotti for FlyLine Years '
By Giandomenico Belotti
Located in Biella, IT
set 4 spaghetti’ steel chairs designed by Giandomenico Belotti for FlyLine Italy years 1970s. First edition original chairs good vintage condition with two little repair in the ...
Metal
Minimalist Modern Chair in Natural Solid Wood with Arms
By SIMONINI
Located in Vila Cordeiro, São Paulo
Evo chair collection. Our Evo collection is based in the harmonic fusion between geometrical forms and the modern interpretation of wood archetypes. All elements that compose ...
Hardwood
From $2,086 / item
+ 7 moreH 31.5 in W 22.05 in D 20.87 in
Opinion Ciatti Mammamia Sled Non Stackable Chair with Armrests
By Opinion Ciatti, Marcello Zilliani
Located in Brooklyn, NY
Mammamia Sled has non-stackable steel sled base with armrests. For indoor use only. Available in gold structure with option of fabric or leather upholstery.
Metal
From $2,085 / set
+ 1 moreH 31.11 in W 22.05 in D 20.87 in
Opinion Ciatti Mammamia Sled Stackable Chair with Armrests Set of 2
By Marcello Zilliani, Opinion Ciatti
Located in Brooklyn, NY
Mammamia Sled has stackable steel sled base with armrests. For indoor/outdoor use. Available in gold structure with black, white, or gold leaf finish. Also available in mirrored alum...
Metal
From $1,258 / item
+ 6 moreH 33.86 in W 20.87 in D 19.69 in
Pelleossa Armchair in Beech & Upholstered Seat, by Francesco Faccin
By Miniforms, Francesco Faccin
Located in Brooklyn, NY
This Pellerossa armrest chair is shown here in beechwood, and with nine upholstery seating fabrics to select from. The upholstery options include leather, vegetable leather or Sponge...
Upholstery, Beech
Minimalist Modern Chair in Natural Solid Wood with Arms
By SIMONINI
Located in Vila Cordeiro, São Paulo
Evo chair collection. Our Evo collection is based in the harmonic fusion between geometrical forms and the modern interpretation of wood archetypes. All elements that compose ...
Hardwood
$3,200 / item
H 30 in W 17 in D 20 in
Unusual Set 6 Industrial Modernist Bauhaus Bent Plywood Stacking Chairs
By Thonet
Located in Buffalo, NY
Unusual set 6 industrial modernist bent plywood stacking chairs. Amazing design. Bauhaus influenced. Extremely comfortable.
Bentwood, Plywood
$1,321 / item
H 30.71 in W 19.69 in D 18.9 in
Vienna Chair, Contemporary Design Inspired by Straw Traditional Chairs
By Emmanuel Gallina
Located in Milan, Lombardy
Vienna is an extraordinarily comfortable and elegant chair designed by Emmanuel Gallina who loves to quote Brancusi when saying that “simplicity is complexity resolved”. Inspired to ...
Straw, Beech
$2,880 / item
H 34.5 in W 16.5 in D 28 in
Brass Trolley with Cane, Majuli Bronze, Viya by Vikram Goyal
By Viya by Vikram Goyal
Located in Noida, DL
Brass Trolley with Cane, Majuli Bronze, Viya by Vikram Goyal Trolley in brass & cane. Handmade in India. Sinuous forms in a captivating rhythm of deftly woven cane evoke the dynami...
Brass
Semi Flush Mount in Hand Carved Milk Onyx, Piedra Lighting Collection
By L'Aviva Home
Located in New York, NY
Our Piedra lighting takes its inspiration from the stone masks of the ancient civilization of Teotihuacán. Carved in the Mexican city of Tecali — which means ‘stone house’ in Nahuatl...
Onyx
Fornasetti Silk Cushion Peccato Originale Original Sin
By Fornasetti
Located in MILANO, IT
The Fornasetti cushions will add to each room an unexpected detail thanks to the most iconic Italian atelier designs. The decoration features a snake holding the forbidden fruit ...
Silk
$162Sale Price / item|20% Off
H 10.63 in Dm 9.06 in
Butterflies, Contemporary Porcelain Vase with Decorative Design by Vito Nesta
By Vito Nesta
Located in Milano, Lombardia
The classic design of this porcelain vase comes back to life with retro decorations with a contemporary flavor. A pattern of butterflies extrapolated from ancient zoological books co...
Porcelain
$201Sale Price / item|25% Off
H 23 in W 13.5 in D 15.7 in
Dietiker Rey Jr, Children Solid Wood Chair in Blue by Bruno Rey
By Dietiker, Bruno Rey
Located in Stein am Rhein, CH
Referred to as "the most successful piece of Swiss Furniture of all time" by the Swiss Museum of Design in Zurich, the Rey chair is a Swiss design icon since 1971. This is the chil...
Beech
Large Bamboo Pair of Table Lamps with Brass Bases
Located in New York, NY
Large bamboo pair of table lamps with brass bases Beautiful and chic table lamps. Lovely brass bases and bamboo tops held by brass top. These are made to order in Italy. They can...
Brass
French Green Enamel Brass Sconces Wall Lamps
Located in Amsterdam, NL
French wall lamp Green enamel shade Brass wall piece and arm diameter brass wall mount: 10 cm, 3 holes to secure Weight: 0.40 kg / 0.9 lb Priced per individual item. All lamps hav...
Brass, Enamel
$2,838 / item
H 24 in W 24 in D 24 in
Modern Fabric Pendant Light by Studio Mirei, Nebula 60, from Costantini
Located in New York, NY
The Nebula collection is drawn out of the interstellar clouds of dust and gas in space - regions where stars begin to form. Made of a woven natural fiber from the banana tree, which ...
Natural Fiber
American Designer, Sectional Sofa, Rattan, Velvet, USA, 1970s
Located in High Point, NC
A rattan and yellow velvet sectional sofa designed and produced in the US, c. 1970s. Dimensions: 25.25” H x 98” W x 98” D Seat Height: 17”
Velvet, Rattan
$2,087Sale Price|20% Off
H 24.81 in Dm 15.75 in
Art Deco marble effect hand-blown Murano glass pendant light, Italy, 1930s
By Stilnovo, Arredoluce
Located in SANT ADRIÀ DE BESÒS, ES
Compatible with US/EU standards. Sculptural Art Deco and Hollywood Regency Murano glass pendant lamp, Italy, 1930s. Composed of a one-piece Murano glass diffuser with a marble effec...
Metal, Chrome, Brass
Distressed Silver Convex Mirror
Located in London, GB
A distressed silver convex mirror, with bronze finish frame. Contemporary.
Mirror
$5,343 / item
H 42.01 in W 25.99 in D 1.19 in
Mid century style Ceiling Suspended Mirror with Bronze Patina Frame, Vintage N.4
By Alguacil & Perkoff Ltd.
Located in London, London
Mid-century style Vintage N.4 ceiling suspended mirror with a high quality pure brass full frame with a bronze patina finish. This piece is part of our original and fully customisabl...
Brass, Bronze
$1,800 / item
H 26 in W 18 in D 18 in
Bertu Counter Stool, Cicely Modern Sheepskin Counter Stool, White Oak
By Bertu Furniture
Located in Oak Harbor, OH
Bertu Counter Stool, Cicely Modern Sheepskin Counter Stool, White Oak This Modern Cicely Counter Stool with Sheepskin Seat is beautifully constructed from solid white oak in Ohio, ...
Sheepskin, Wood, Oak
$3,172 / item
H 22.84 in Dm 22.05 in
Tortoise Torched Rattan and Forest Green Anodised Aluminium Cocktail Table
By Tino Seubert
Located in London, GB
Originally created for a private commission, the cocktail table was manufactured in collaboration with a Philippines-based rattan manufacturer to produce a custom cocktail table. Th...
Aluminum
$359 / set
H 7.88 in W 4.73 in D 2.76 in
Set of Two Vintage "Paper Bag" Vases by Tapio Wirkkala for Rosenthal - 1970's
By Tapio Wirkkala
Located in Camblanes et Meynac, FR
Set of Two Vintage Beige/Brown "Paper Bag" Vases by Tapio Wirkkala for Rosenthal pair of vintage "Paper Bag" vases designed by Tapio Wirkkala for Rosenthal. These exceptional pieces...
Porcelain
Swedish Modern coffee table / side table, 1940s
By Carl-Erik Johansson
Located in Stockholm, SE
This exquisite Swedish coffee table from the 1940s is a true masterpiece of mid-century design, combining elegance with innovative craftsmanship. The table features a raw glass top, ...
Metal
The late 19th and early 20th centuries saw sweeping social change and major scientific advances — both of which contributed to a new aesthetic: modernism. Rejecting the rigidity of Victorian artistic conventions, modernists sought a new means of expression. References to the natural world and ornate classical embellishments gave way to the sleek simplicity of the Machine Age. Architect Philip Johnson characterized the hallmarks of modernism as “machine-like simplicity, smoothness or surface [and] avoidance of ornament.”
Early practitioners of modernist design include the De Stijl (“The Style”) group, founded in the Netherlands in 1917, and the Bauhaus School, founded two years later in Germany.
Followers of both groups produced sleek, spare designs — many of which became icons of daily life in the 20th century. The modernists rejected both natural and historical references and relied primarily on industrial materials such as metal, glass, plywood, and, later, plastics. While Bauhaus principals Marcel Breuer and Ludwig Mies van der Rohe created furniture from mass-produced, chrome-plated steel, American visionaries like Charles and Ray Eames worked in materials as novel as molded plywood and fiberglass. Today, Breuer’s Wassily chair, Mies van der Rohe’s Barcelona chair — crafted with his romantic partner, designer Lilly Reich — and the Eames lounge chair are emblems of progressive design and vintage originals are prized cornerstones of collections.
It’s difficult to overstate the influence that modernism continues to wield over designers and architects — and equally difficult to overstate how revolutionary it was when it first appeared a century ago. But because modernist furniture designs are so simple, they can blend in seamlessly with just about any type of décor. Don’t overlook them.
Chairs are an indispensable component of your home and office. Can you imagine your life without the vintage, new or antique chairs you love?
With the exception of rocking chairs, the majority of the seating in our homes today — Windsor chairs, chaise longues, wingback chairs — originated in either England or France. Art Nouveau chairs, the style of which also originated in those regions, embraced the inherent magnificence of the natural world with decorative flourishes and refined designs that blended both curved and geometric contour lines. While craftsmanship and styles have evolved in the past century, chairs have had a singular significance in our lives, no matter what your favorite chair looks like.
“The chair is the piece of furniture that is closest to human beings,” said Hans Wegner. The revered Danish cabinetmaker and furniture designer was prolific, having designed nearly 500 chairs over the course of his lifetime. His beloved designs include the Wishbone chair, the wingback Papa Bear chair and many more.
Other designers of Scandinavian modernist chairs introduced new dynamics to this staple with sculptural flowing lines, curvaceous shapes and efficient functionality. The Paimio armchair, Swan chair and Panton chair are vintage works of Finnish and Danish seating that left an indelible mark on the history of good furniture design.
“What works good is better than what looks good, because what works good lasts,” said Ray Eames.
Visionary polymaths Ray and Charles Eames experimented with bent plywood and fiberglass with the goal of producing affordable furniture for a mass market. Like other celebrated mid-century modern furniture designers of elegant low-profile furnishings — among them Ludwig Mies van der Rohe and Finn Juhl — the Eameses considered ergonomic support, durability and cost, all of which should be top of mind when shopping for the perfect chair. The mid-century years yielded many popular chairs.
The Eameses introduced numerous icons for manufacturer Herman Miller, such as the Eames lounge chair and ottoman, molded plywood dining chairs the DCM and DCW (which can be artfully mismatched around your dining table) and a wealth of other treasured pieces for the home and office.
A good chair anchors us to a place and can become an object of timeless appeal. Take a seat and browse the rich variety of vintage, new and antique chairs on 1stDibs today.