Mats Theselius On Sale

Although prolific Swedish architect and designer Mats Theselius moves freely between creating furniture, lighting, objects, installations, exhibitions, set designs, and more, he is perhaps best known for his innovative armchairs. Described by critics as “surprising and ingenious,” Theselius is responsible for some of the most noteworthy furniture designs of the 1980s and 1990s.

Born in 1956 in Stockholm, Theselius attended the city’s prestigious Konstfack (University of Arts, Crafts and Design), where he studied Interior Architecture. After graduating in 1984, he worked at various architecture firms in Stockholm.

In 1985, Theselius debuted a cylindrical club chair upholstered with elk leather. The chair’s unique, molded curved frame, which served as a backrest and armrests, became a signature design characteristic of many of Theselius’s seating pieces. He partnered with entrepreneur Sven Lundh, and Lundh’s company, Källemo, produced a limited-edition variation of this seat, the Älgskinns­fåtöljen chair, in 1991. The Iron/Suede lounge chair followed in 1994.

Another iconic Theselius piece is the National Geographic bookcase. Made of beech with glass doors and brass detailing, the bookcase features shelves sized to accommodate 25 years' worth of National Geographic magazines. For its debut in 1988, Theselius painted the bookcase the same recognizable yellow color that typically frames the cover of the publication.

While working on furniture design and other projects, Theselius served as a professor at the HDK – Academy of Design and Crafts at the University of Gothenburg from 1995 to 1996. He has also collaborated with several well-known Swedish and European manufacturers in addition to Källemo, including String, Marrakech Design, Minus-tio and David Design.

Throughout his career, Theselius’s works have garnered critical acclaim and won numerous awards. Among them are the Red Dot Design Award, the Torsten and Wanja Söderberg Prize, the Wallpaper Design Award and the King of Sweden’s Prince Eugen Medal (2018). Theselius also received the Bruno Mathsson Award in 1997, which is named for the revered Swedish master cabinetmaker. Theselius is said to have created his coveted Bruno armchair immediately afterward.

Today, Theselius’s pieces can be found in the permanent collections of the National Museum in Stockholm, the State Russian Museum in Moscow and the Danish Museum of Art and Design in Copenhagen.

Find vintage Mats Theselius seating, case pieces, storage cabinets and other furniture 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.