Outdoor Swing Sofa
2010s Asian Modern Patio and Garden Furniture
Fabric, Rope
2010s Egyptian Modern Sofas
Upholstery, Pine
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Patio and Garden Furniture
Stainless Steel
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Patio and Garden Furniture
Stainless Steel
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Patio and Garden Furniture
Stainless Steel
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Patio and Garden Furniture
Stainless Steel
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Patio and Garden Furniture
Stainless Steel
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Patio and Garden Furniture
Stainless Steel
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Patio and Garden Furniture
Stainless Steel
2010s Egyptian Modern Sofas
Upholstery, Oak
2010s Egyptian Modern Sofas
Upholstery, Oak
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Patio and Garden Furniture
Stainless Steel
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Patio and Garden Furniture
Stainless Steel
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Patio and Garden Furniture
Stainless Steel
2010s South African Modern Patio and Garden Furniture
Steel, Stainless Steel
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Patio and Garden Furniture
Stainless Steel
Mid-20th Century German Space Age Chairs
Velvet, Fiberglass
Vintage 1960s Italian Mid-Century Modern Commodes and Chests of Drawers
Plastic
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2010s Spanish Art Deco Dining Room Chairs
Metal
21st Century and Contemporary Belgian Floor Lamps
Metal
21st Century and Contemporary Danish Scandinavian Modern Lounge Chairs
Fabric, Walnut
2010s British Scandinavian Modern Ottomans and Poufs
Sheepskin, Oak
21st Century and Contemporary Russian Brutalist Benches
Oak
2010s American Modern Side Tables
Oak
2010s Organic Modern Coffee and Cocktail Tables
Marble
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Coffee and Cocktail Tables
Travertine, Marble, Carrara Marble
Vintage 1960s Italian Mid-Century Modern Sofas
Metal
2010s Italian Sofas
Fabric
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Sofas
Oak, Wool, Bouclé, Wood, Velvet, Cotton
Vintage 1980s Italian Sofas
Wool
Late 20th Century Belgian Brutalist Cabinets
Oak
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Sofas
Brass
20th Century American Art Nouveau Glass
Glass
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Console Tables
Marble
Recent Sales
Vintage 1950s American Mid-Century Modern Patio and Garden Furniture
Steel, Iron
Mid-20th Century Italian Mid-Century Modern Credenzas
Plastic
Outdoor Swing Sofa For Sale on 1stDibs
How Much is a Outdoor Swing Sofa?
A Close Look at Modern Furniture
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.
Finding the Right Sofas for You
Black leather, silk velvet cushions, breathable bouclé fabric — when shopping for antique or vintage sofas, today’s couch connoisseurs have much to choose from in terms of style and shape. But it wasn’t always thus.
The sofa is typically defined as a long upholstered seat that features a back and arms and is intended for two or more people. While the term “couch” comes from the Old French couche, meaning to lie down, and sofa has Eastern origins, both are forms of divan, a Turkish word that means an elongated cushioned seat. Bench-like seating in Ancient Greece, which was padded with soft blankets, was called klinai. No matter how you spell it, sofa just means comfort, at least it does today.
In the early days of sofa design, upholstery consisted of horsehair or dried moss. Sofas that originated in countries such as France during the 17th century were more integral to decor than they were to comfort. Like most Baroque furnishings from the region, they frequently comprised heavy, gilded mahogany frames and were upholstered in floral Beauvais tapestry. Today, options abound when it comes to style and material, with authentic leather offerings and classy steel settees. Plush, velvet chesterfields represent the platonic ideal of coziness.
Vladimir Kagan’s iconic sofa designs, such as the Crescent and the Serpentine — which, like the sectional sofas of the 1960s created by furniture makers such as Harvey Probber, are quite popular among mid-century modern furniture enthusiasts — showcase the spectrum of style available to modern consumers. Those looking to make a statement can turn to Studio 65’s lip-shaped Bocca sofa, which was inspired by the work of Salvador Dalí. Elsewhere, the furniture of the 1970s evokes an era when experimentation ruled, or at least provided a reason to break the rules. Just about every area of society felt a sudden urge to be wayward, to push boundaries — and buttons. Vintage leather sofas of that decade are characterized by a rare blending of the showy and organic.
With so many options, it’s important to explore and find the perfect furniture for your space. Paying attention to the lines of the cushions as well as the flow from the backrest into the arms is crucial to identifying a cohesive new piece for your home or office.
Fortunately, with styles from every era — and even round sofas — there’s a luxurious piece for every space. Deck out your living room with an Art Deco lounge or go retro with a nostalgic '80s design. No matter your sitting vision, the right piece is waiting for you in the expansive collection of unique sofas on 1stDibs.
Read More
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