Meltdown Chair

At 1stDibs, there are many versions of the ideal meltdown chair for your home. A meltdown chair — often made from plastic, bronze and metal — can elevate any home. There are 1 variations of the antique or vintage meltdown chair you’re looking for, while we also have 9 modern editions of this piece to choose from as well. Your living room may not be complete without a meltdown chair — find older editions for sale from the 18th Century and newer versions made as recently as the 21st Century. A well-made meltdown chair has long been a part of the offerings for many furniture designers and manufacturers, but those produced by Tom Price are consistently popular.

The average selling price for a meltdown chair at 1stDibs is $14,612, while they’re typically $427 on the low end and $41,588 for the highest priced.

The artistic approach of artist Tom Price revolves around materials and is in particular directed by innovative and experimental creative processes. His intriguing sculptures are capable of telling a story as well as enchanting the viewer with their visual and aesthetic impact. Tom Price is now recognized internationally, his work being praised and acknowledged by exhibitions in institutions and galleries all over the world. Several of his pieces have been acquired by private collections and museums in the United States, Europe and Asia, including the MOMA San Francisco and the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art in Kansas City. “Sometimes materials themselves provide the concept and focal point of the artwork. In this case the final form will be an expression of the possibilities and limitations of the material and the processes that have been used to manipulate 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.