Meandre Side Chairs By Design Freres

Design Frères is an eclectic furniture line designed by Eric Thévenot, owner of Blend Interiors, an exceptional California-based dealer of vintage and contemporary furniture and decor. 

Known for synthesizing divergent styles and peppering worldly spaces he creates with works stemming from varying origins and periods, Thévenot is a consummate decorator, and the chairs, tables, case pieces and other furnishings that comprise his Design Frères collection are sophisticated additions to any interior.

Originally from France, Thévenot opened Blend Interiors in Los Angeles in 2005. While the company offers a range of furniture and decorative objects from all over the world — most of which are sourced from its founder’s purchasing trips in Paris — Blend Interiors also offers art advising services and interior design consulting. And the exclusive furnishings he is creating and manufacturing for the Design Fréres collection are part of this endeavor to provide clients with a provocative fusion of design. 

"I believe in mixing periods: Saarinen chairs in a French chateau, Louis XVI armoires in a futuristic pad," Thévenot has said. “I like pulling things out of different time periods and re-creating them for today’s lifestyle.”

Building on Blend Interior’s success, Design Frères was established in 2010 and is a growing venture. 

Given the broad-ranging tastes and concepts at the core of Blend Interiors, it is appropriate that the Design Frères line is so diverse and interesting — the collection features Art Deco-style end tables topped with travertine and stylish counter stools with handwoven rush seats and slender frames of powder-coated steel. Elsewhere, Thévenot’s white oak shelving systems feature chic space elements and draw on the legendary mid-century modernist storage solutions designed by the likes of Charlotte Perriand and Jean Prouvé, with each piece pairing nicely with the vintage European treasures that Thévenot is prone to acquire on his next trip to Paris.

On 1stDibs, find Design Frères tables, seating and lighting.

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.

Antique and vintage side chairs are space savers by design and wonderfully versatile pieces of seating for your dining room or wherever guests may gather.

Chairs have been indispensable pieces of furniture for a long time. We sit, therefore we deserve good seating. In Ancient Egypt, chairs were utilized in homes regardless of class, and most furniture was made of wood. Comfortable folding chairs, for example, were found in King Tutankhamun’s tomb.

Chairs evolved to be more commonplace in the 1830s, and by the Industrial Revolution, they could be found in most homes. The traditional wooden side chair might feature an upholstered back and seat and was typically used for gathering around a big dining room table. Because the side chair does not feature armrests, it could easily be tucked under the table when not in use or delicately placed in a corner for decorative purposes. Today, the side chair’s slim silhouette and armless design still offer the same level of versatility as it did in its early days. It’s supportive of a large gathering for a meal in the dining room or kitchen and serves as an accent piece (or extra seating) resting against the wall in a living room or inviting foyer.

When shopping for side chairs, think about the colors and furniture style you’ve already introduced to your living room or dining room. Keep the height of your sofa in mind, for example. If you intend to pair your sofa with your side chair when it’s not perched near the dining table, it wouldn’t hurt if the height of your side chair matches the height of your sofa. Even if your side chair will largely be used in the kitchen or dining room, it will likely be used in the living room or home entertainment area as well. When you’re thinking about the seating where meals are served in your home, benches, stools and armchairs make suitable alternatives too. And if you’re feeling adventurous, combining a variety of dining room seating options can be both aesthetically pleasing and downright practical.

Side chairs are available in a number of styles today, and this convenient seating is one of the types of chairs you should know when furnishing your new home. Explore antique and vintage side chairs on 1stDibs. Find Art Deco side chairs and mid-century modern side chairs, or search by creator to find side chairs crafted by legendary designers like Charles and Ray Eames and others.