Moroso Gentry Sofa

Known for a legacy of material innovation and quality craftsmanship, Moroso produces sophisticated upholstered furniture for the hospitality sector and the luxury residential market. Since 1952, the manufacturer has been merging research and its tradition of forward-thinking design to create iconic sofas, chairs, tables and other furnishings.

Moroso was founded in Udine, Italy, by husband-and-wife team Agostino and Diana Moroso. Now under the artistic direction of the founders’ daughter, Patrizia Moroso, the manufacturer is one of Italy’s last family-owned furniture companies. Since its mid-century inception, Moroso has collaborated with many distinguished designers.

Swiss-Argentinian product designer Alfredo Häberli fashioned the Taba collection, including a sofa, two armchairs and several ottomans. Spanish architect and furniture maker Patricia Urquiola’s contribution to the Moroso family of products is vast, spanning a relationship that started in 1998. This includes the design of Patrizia Moroso’s private residence in northern Italy and a Lake Como hotel where the texture-rich, naturally hued guest suites also contain a selection of Urquiola furniture. Israeli designer Ron Arad is known for working with metal and for his thoughtful integration of technology in his furnishings. His Soft Heart rocking chair for the brand is built on a steel core. In 2009, Moroso partnered with fashion brand Diesel as well to create a furniture line featuring informal, distinctive and comfortable pieces.

Moroso is committed to environmental sustainability. In 1994 the company was awarded ISO 9001 production process certification by the International Organization for Standardization and ISO 14001 five years later.

Moroso’s furniture has been a part of exhibitions at museums worldwide, including MoMA in New York, Le Palais de Tokyo, Grand Palais in Paris, and the Victoria & Albert Museum in London. They have also appeared in the Venice Biennale.

On 1stDibs, find a collection of Moroso chairs, armchairs, tables and dining room chairs.

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.

Vintage couches and antique sofas have anchored living rooms for generations. The pieces most sought after today carry the deep-buttoned tufting of a Chesterfield or the low, sculptural ease of mid-century modern and Hollywood Regency design.

Styles to Know

Rolled arms and tufted backs point to Mid-Century Modern or Hollywood Regency pieces, while tight backs and turned legs skew more traditional. Velvet is enjoying a renewed moment across most of these silhouettes; see our velvet chesterfield sofa trend report for examples. A mid-century modern coffee table within reach and a vintage mirror nearby round out the seating area.

How to Choose the Right Vintage Sofa

A sofa's frame and upholstery history can be difficult to judge from photographs alone. Ask a seller for more information when a listing doesn't show the fabric or joinery clearly, and confirm whether the upholstery is original or has been redone. Each piece comes from a vetted 1stDibs seller, with era, designer and condition detailed, and the 1stDibs Promise stands behind every purchase.