$5,276 / item
Customizable Artifort Tulip Lounge by Pierre Paulin
By Pierre Paulin, Artifort
Located in New York, NY
The Tulip armchair for Artifort…. as if designer Pierre Paulin had premonitions of flower power! The simple Tulip spreads its half-open petals around the sitter, inviting and warming...
Textile
Customizable Artifort Tulip Lounge with Swivel Base by Pierre Paulin
By Artifort, Pierre Paulin
Located in New York, NY
The tulip armchair for Artifort…. as if designer Pierre Paulin had premonitions of flower power! The simple tulip spreads its half-open petals around the sitter, inviting and warming...
Textile
Customizable Artifort Swivel Tulip Lounge with Ottoman by Pierre Paulin
By Pierre Paulin, Artifort
Located in New York, NY
The Tulip armchair for Artifort…. as if designer Pierre Paulin had premonitions of Flower Power! The simple Tulip spreads its half-open petals around the sitter, inviting and warming...
Textile
Sold
H 29.14 in Dm 43.31 in
Pierre Paulin Flower Shape 8810 Round Dinning Table for Boro Belgium, 1975
By BORO Belgium, Pierre Paulin
Located in The Hague, NL
The Flower organic shape round dinning table designed by Pierre Paulin and manufactured by Boro 8810 in Belgium, 1970's period.
Metal
Pierre Paulin Organic Flower Shape 8810 Chair for Boro Belgium, 1973
By BORO Belgium, Pierre Paulin
Located in The Hague, NL
The Flower organic shape chair designed by Pierre Paulin and manufactured by Boro 8810 in Belgium, 1970's period.
Metal
Pierre Paulin F551 Big Tulip chairs Artifort 1959
By Artifort, Pierre Paulin
Located in Roosendaal, Noord Brabant
This Tulip armchair for Artifor was only produced for a short period which makes it a collectors item. And as if designer Pierre Paulin anticipated the Flower Power era. Its design g...
Stainless Steel
Sold
H 29.93 in W 17.72 in D 17.72 in
1973, Pierre Paulin for Boro Belgium, Very Rare Organic 8810 Flower Chair
By BORO Belgium, Pierre Paulin
Located in Amsterdam IJMuiden, NL
. :-) Chair #1: Part of a set of three Flower Chairs by Pierre Paulin. Not many of these chairs survived and therefore this pair are rare museum quality pieces in original condition...
Plastic
Sold
H 29.93 in W 17.72 in D 17.72 in
1973, Pierre Paulin for Boro Belgium, Very Rare Organic 8810 Flower Chair
By BORO Belgium, Pierre Paulin
Located in Amsterdam IJMuiden, NL
The pictures with the stone background is the hair which is left. Flower Chairs by Pierre Paulin. Not many of these chairs survived and therefore this pair are rare museum quality p...
Plastic
Sold
H 29.93 in W 17.72 in D 17.72 in
1973, Pierre Paulin for Boro Belgium, Very Rare Organic 8810 Flower Chair
By BORO Belgium, Pierre Paulin
Located in Amsterdam IJMuiden, NL
. :-) Chair #2: Part of a set of three Flower Chairs by Pierre Paulin. Not many of these chairs survived and therefore this pair are rare museum quality pieces in original condition...
Plastic
Sold
H 29.93 in W 17.72 in D 17.72 in
1973, Pierre Paulin for Boro Belgium, Very Rare Organic 8810 Flower Chair
By BORO Belgium, Pierre Paulin
Located in Amsterdam IJMuiden, NL
. :-) Chair #2: Part of a set of three Flower Chairs by Pierre Paulin. Not many of these chairs survived and therefore this pair are rare museum quality pieces in original condition...
Plastic
Sold
H 29.93 in W 17.72 in D 19.1 in
Stunning Pair of Organic Pierre Paulin 8810 Flower Chairs for Boro Belgium 1973
By BORO Belgium, Pierre Paulin
Located in bergen op zoom, NL
One of the most beautiful organic chairs in ABS plastic by French designer Pierre Paulin and produced by Boro Belgium A major exhibition on the works of Pierre Paulin was held las...
ABS
Sold
H 29.93 in W 17.72 in D 17.72 in
8810 Flower Chair and Table Leg by Pierre Paulin for Boro Belgium, 1973
By BORO Belgium, Pierre Paulin
Located in Hyères, Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur
Designed by Pierre Paulin and produced by Boro Belgium. The chairs show traces of wear like loss of paint, stains scratches and some a small crack in the feet, but it is still soli...
Plastic
Sold
H 29.93 in W 17.52 in D 18.9 in
Rare Flower Model Chair by Pierre Paulin for Boro, Belgium, 1970s
By Pierre Paulin
Located in Steenwijk, NL
This molded chair has the shape of a flower. A design of the famous Pierre Paulin for the company of Boro Belgium, from the early 1970s.
Plastic
Little Tulip Chair by Pierre Paulin for Artifort
By Pierre Paulin
Located in Centreville, VA
Little Tulip Design by Pierre Paulin The elegant Little Tulip chair for Artifort…. as if designer Pierre Paulin had premonitions of Flower Power!
Leather
Pierre Paulin 8810 Flower Chair and Table Boro, Beligium, 1970s
By Pierre Paulin, BORO Belgium
Located in London, GB
Pierre Paulin’s collaboration with the Belgium manufacturers Boro produced a stunning example of early plastic furniture.
Plastic, Wood
Artifort Swivel Tulip Lounge with Ottoman by Pierre Paulin
By Pierre Paulin, Artifort
Located in New York, NY
The Tulip armchair for Artifort…. as if designer Pierre Paulin had premonitions of Flower Power! The simple Tulip spreads its half-open petals around the sitter, inviting and warming...
Fabric
Artifort Little Tulip Stool Desgined by Pierre Paulin in STOCK
By Pierre Paulin, Artifort
Located in New York, NY
The Little Tulip® barstool for Artifort…. as if designer Pierre Paulin had premonitions of Flower Power. Elegance through and through.
Faux Leather
Sold
H 30 in W 27.5 in D 24 in
Pierre Paulin 'Little Tulip' Swivel Chair for Artifort, Netherlands, c. 1965
By Pierre Paulin, Artifort
Located in Los Angeles, CA
It should be friendly, fun and colorful." -Pierre Paulin From Artifort about the design: As if Pierre Paulin had premonitions of Flower Power, the simple Tulip spreads its half-ope...
Steel
Little Tulip Bar Stool by Pierre Paulin for Artifort
By Pierre Paulin
Located in Porto, Porto
The little tulip bar stool by Pierre Paulin for Artifort. 1965 The flower-shaped seat gives the little tulip stool Ergonomic, elegant and comfortable.
Metal
Sold
H 30.32 in W 26.78 in D 22.84 in
Pair of Pierre Paulin Blue Little Tulip Armchairs, Artifort 1965
By Pierre Paulin, Artifort
Located in Paris, FR
Designed in the Netherlands in 1965, the "Tulip" series of Pierre Paulin got inspired by the flower blossoming.
Aluminum
Sold
H 30.32 in W 26.78 in D 22.84 in
Llittle Tulip Chair Designed By Pierre Paulin For Artifort In 1965
By Pierre Paulin, Artifort
Located in Paris, FR
Designed in the Netherlands in 1965, the "Tulip" series of Pierre Paulin got inspired by the flower blossoming.
Aluminum
1965 Big Tulip Lounge Chair by Pierre Paulin, Edited by Artifort
By Pierre Paulin, Artifort
Located in Paris, FR
Designed in the Netherlands in 1965, the "Tulip" series of Pierre Paulin got inspired by the flower blossoming.
Sold
H 37.01 in W 34.26 in D 32.29 in
Pierre Paulin Big Tulip Lounge Chair, Edited by Artifort in 1965
By Pierre Paulin, Artifort
Located in Paris, FR
Designed in the Netherlands in 1965, the "Tulip" series of Pierre Paulin got inspired by the flower blossoming.
Sold
H 30.32 in W 26.78 in D 22.84 in
Pierre Paulin Black Little Tulip Armchair, Edited by Artifort in 1965
By Pierre Paulin, Artifort
Located in Paris, FR
Designed in the Netherlands in 1965, the "Tulip" series of Pierre Paulin got inspired by the flower blossoming.
Sold
H 29.93 in W 27.56 in D 23.23 in
Pierre Paulin Red Little Tulip Armchair, Edited by Artifort in 1965
By Pierre Paulin, Artifort
Located in Paris, FR
Designed in the Netherlands in 1965, the "Tulip" series of Pierre Paulin got inspired by the flower blossoming.
Sold
H 29.93 in W 27.56 in D 23.23 in
Pierre Paulin Green Little Tulip Armchair, Edited by Artifort in 1965
By Pierre Paulin, Artifort
Located in Paris, FR
Designed in the Netherlands in 1965, the "Tulip" series of Pierre Paulin got inspired by the flower blossoming.
Sold
H 29.93 in W 27.56 in D 23.23 in
Pierre Paulin Purple Little Tulip Armchair, Edited by Artifort in 1965
By Pierre Paulin, Artifort
Located in Paris, FR
Designed in the Netherlands in 1965, the "Tulip" series of Pierre Paulin got inspired by the flower blossoming.
Sold
H 29.93 in W 28.35 in D 24.81 in
Pair of Pierre Paulin Red Little Tulip Armchairs Edited by Artifort, 1965
By Pierre Paulin, Artifort
Located in Paris, FR
Designed in the Netherlands in 1965, the "Tulip" series of Pierre Paulin got inspired by the flower blossoming.
1965 Big Tulip Lounge Chair with Ottoman by Pierre Paulin, Edited by Artifort
By Pierre Paulin, Artifort
Located in Paris, FR
Lounge Chair: L 89 x D 81 x H 94 cm Ottoman: L 72 x D 52 x H 45 cm Designed in the Netherlands in 1965, the "Tulip" series of Pierre Paulin got inspired by the flower blossoming.
Sold
H 37.8 in W 32.68 in D 32.68 in
1960s Big Tulip Lounge Chair and Ottoman by Pierre Paulin Produced by Artifort
By Pierre Paulin, Artifort
Located in Paris, FR
Designed in the Netherlands in 1965, the "Tulip" series of Pierre Paulin got inspired by the flower blossoming.
Sold
H 29.53 in W 33.08 in D 29.53 in
Blue Big Tulip Lounge Chair by Pierre Paulin Edited by Artifort in 1965
By Pierre Paulin, Artifort
Located in Paris, FR
Designed in the Netherlands in 1965, the "Tulip" series of Pierre Paulin got inspired by the flower blossoming.
Sold
H 14.18 in Dm 39.38 in
1960s Artifort Set with Five Paulin Armchairs and a Kho Liang Ie Coffee Table
By Pierre Paulin, Kho Liang Ie, Artifort
Located in Paris, FR
Designed in the Netherlands in 1965, the "Tulip" series of Pierre Paulin got inspired by the flower blossoming.
Pierre Paulin Pair of Flower Chairs
By Pierre Paulin
Located in POITIERS, FR
Rare pair of flower chairs by Pierre Paulin for Boro Editor.
Tulip Chairs by Pierre Paulin by Artifort Netherlands, circa 2000
By Artifort, Pierre Paulin
Located in Longdon, Tewkesbury
Little tulip, Like a blossoming flower………… The little tulip meeting and dining chair for Artifort…. as if designer Pierre Paulin had premonitions of flower power!
Cotton
Sold
H 36.62 in W 33.47 in D 33.08 in
1965 Big Tulip Lounge Chair with Ottoman by Pierre Paulin, Edited by Artifort
By Artifort, Pierre Paulin
Located in Paris, FR
Designed in the Netherlands in 1965, the "Tulip" series of Pierre Paulin got inspired by the flower blossoming.
$10,478 / set
H 31.89 in W 34.26 in D 30.71 in
Midcentury F557 Lounge Chair Set by Pierre Paulin for Artifort, 1960s
By Pierre Paulin, Artifort
Located in Oud Beijerland, NL
An exceptional and highly collectible pair of lounge chairs designed by Pierre Paulin in 1961. This iconic model F557, famously known as the Oyster Chair, represents a rare first ed...
Fabric
$3,718
H 36.23 in W 35.44 in D 31.5 in
Mid Century Big Tulip Chair by Pierre Paulin for Artifort, 1960s
By Artifort, Pierre Paulin
Located in Oud Beijerland, NL
Very comfortable and original Big Tulip lounge chair, designed by Pierre Paulin for Artifort in 1965. This model remains one of the best known of the Pierre Paulin's work. The chair ...
Steel
Customizable Artifort Ribbon Chair by Pierre Paulin
By Pierre Paulin, Artifort
Located in New York, NY
A completely upholstered design by Pierre Paulin from 1966 and a professional, innovative vision on the well-known ribbon form. Metal frame with horizontal springs, covered with foam...
Textile
Little Tulip Armchair by Pierre Paulin for Artifort, 1980s
By Pierre Paulin, Artifort
Located in Oud Beijerland, NL
Cute and very comfortable pivoting armchair, designed by the famous Pierre Paulin in the 60's. Fabricated by Artifort in the 80's. Solid round metal base with a wooden frame. The cha...
Steel
F555 Chair by Pierre Paulin for Artifort, 1960s
By Pierre Paulin, Artifort
Located in Oud Beijerland, NL
Very rare F555 model, designed by Pierre Paulin for Artifort in the 60's. Just upholstered with new foam and lovely high quality 100% wool fabric. The chair is in perfect condition....
Metal
$4,067
H 36.23 in W 34.26 in D 31.5 in
Mid-Century Big Tulip Chair by Pierre Paulin for Artifort, 1970s
By Pierre Paulin, Artifort
Located in Oud Beijerland, NL
Very comfortable big Tulip lounge chair, designed by Pierre Paulin for Artifort in 1965. This particular chair is fabricated in the 70's. The lovely pivoting chair is reupholste...
Metal
Mid Century Pierre Paulin F557 Swivel Lounge Chairs for Artifort
By Artifort, Pierre Paulin
Located in New York, NY
Pierre Paulin F557 Swivel Mid Century Lounge Chairs. Pierre Paulin Swivel chairs F557 in original condition, all original fabric. These are hard to find as not many where produced...
Fabric
$3,723 / item
H 31.11 in W 33.86 in D 28.35 in
Customizable Artifort Tulip Midi Armchair by Pierre Paulin
By Pierre Paulin, Artifort
Located in New York, NY
Vinyl The Tulip Midi was the missing member of the Tulip family for a long time. The armchair was designed by Pierre Paulin in 1960 and now completes the Tulip series for Artifort. I...
Textile
$2,284 / item
H 43.31 in W 25.2 in D 22.84 in
Customizable Artifort Little Tulip Swivel Barstool by Pierre Paulin
By Artifort, Pierre Paulin
Located in New York, NY
Elegance through and through. Delicate, flowing, cheerful, light. Like a blossoming flower or a friendly smile. Available with a disk-shaped or cross-foot base. Both styles are equal...
Textile
$3,834
H 33.86 in W 35.04 in D 31.5 in
First Edition Oyster Chair by Pierre Paulin for Artifort, 1960s
By Pierre Paulin, Artifort
Located in Oud Beijerland, NL
An early Oyster Lounge Chair designed by Pierre Paulin for Artifort, dating from the 1960s. This exceptional example has been expertly restored and newly upholstered, featuring fres...
Metal
$3,438
H 90 in W 90 in D 80 in
Artifort F545 Big Tulip Chair by Pierre Paulin in Original Kvadrat Upholstery
By Pierre Paulin, Artifort
Located in CULEMBORG, GE
Born in Paris in 1927, Pierre Paulin a created his best known pieces in cooperation with the Dutch manufacturer Artifort. The Tongue Chair, the Ribbon Chair, the Groovy — to name but...
Chrome
$3,912 / item
H 42.13 in W 32.68 in D 36.62 in
Customizable Artifort Kalm Comfort Lounge Chair by Patrick Norguet
By Artifort, Patrick Norguet
Located in New York, NY
Kalm is a large, cosy armchair designed by Patrick Norguet in 2015. To give you a warmer and more domestic feel, Artifort now brings Kalm Comfort. Developed with extra soft padding a...
Textile
Customizable Artifort Mushroom Lounge Chair by Pierre Paulin
By Pierre Paulin, Artifort
Located in New York, NY
The Mushroom armchair is one of the world’s most famous designs. Designer Pierre Paulin distinguished himself with this armchair in the original shape, bright colors and revolutionar...
Textile
$5,438 / item
H 32.29 in W 32.29 in D 33.47 in
Customizable Artifort F511 Low Chair by Geoffrey D. Harcourt RDI
By Geoffrey D. Harcourt, Artifort
Located in New York, NY
In 1967, Harcourt designed a series of swivel armchairs with trumpet bases, based on a shellshaped template. The shell is large enough to curl up in and is the paragon of his philoso...
Textile
$2,272
H 32.29 in W 33.86 in D 23.63 in
This is the iconic Artifort Oyster armchair by designer Pierre Paulin
By Pierre Paulin, Artifort
Located in Den Haag, NL
This is the iconic Artifort Oyster armchair by designer Pierre Paulin, distinguished by its elegant, organic shell shape and slender metal base. Upholstery by De Ploeg . Upholstery ...
Wool
$12,800Sale Price / set|20% Off
H 38.19 in W 34.26 in D 32.29 in
Pair First Edition "Big Tulip" Lounge Chairs F551 by Pierre Paulin Artifort 1959
By Artifort, Pierre Paulin
Located in bergen op zoom, NL
Very rare pair of the first edition of the "Big Tulip" chair, model F551 Just Married! Designed by French designer Pierre Paulin in 1959 for Artifort, The Netherlands Reuph...
Steel, Nickel
$1,864 / set
H 21.66 in W 24.02 in D 35.83 in
Pair of Italian Mid-Century-Modern Lounge Chairs in Ochre Boucle, 1970s Italy
Located in Zagreb, HR
Pair of Vintage Italian Mid-Century Modern lounge chairs or club chairs. Modules can be used as a modular sofa or modular seating set. Beautiful and unique shape. A 1970 design and p...
Bouclé, Foam, Wood
$5,575 / item
H 31.5 in W 26 in D 37.5 in
Tropical Hardwood and Rattan, Butaque Chair, Outdoor Use, Licensed Reedition
By Clara Porset, Luteca Furniture
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Cuban-born Clara Porset was a pioneer for modern design in Mexico. Having studied architecture in New York and then Paris, she finally settled in Mexico devoting her life to champion...
Rattan, Hardwood
Organic Modern Table Lamp Sculptural Parota Wood Base
By Isabel Moncada
Located in San Antonio, TX
Pata de Elefante Small Table Lamp — Atomic Collection by Isabel Moncada Named ""Elephant's Foot"" for its bold, bulbous base, the Pata de Elefante Small is one of Isabel Moncada's m...
Wood, Fabric, Linen, Fiberglass
LU Louis Sconce AS
By Lumfardo Luminaires
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Handsome LU Louis sconce AS. An all brass wall sconce in an aged silver finish with patterned perforations by Lumfardo Luminaires. Made contemporary in the US. Multiples available fo...
Brass, Nickel
Newton Red Brown Side Table
Located in Paris, FR
Side Table Newton Red Brown with all structure in stoneware in glazed finish.
Sandstone
Bertu Counter Stools, White Oak Counter Stool, Chile Stool
By Bertu Furniture
Located in Oak Harbor, OH
Bertu Counter Stools, White Oak Counter Stool, Chile Stool This White Oak Chile Counter Stool is beautifully constructed from solid wood in Ohio, USA. The stool is chunky and modern...
Wood, Oak
$15,439 / item
H 32.68 in W 110.24 in D 40.56 in
Art Deco Sofa by Munna Design Studio with Velvet Upholstery
By Munna Design Studio
Located in New York, NY
This sofa features a wonderfully elegant fan-shaped motif, with its accentuated curvy lines with decadent and lavish finish. The feminine curves are ravishingly enhanced by the diffe...
Velvet
$4,360 / item
H 28.35 in W 40.16 in D 34.65 in
"Pietra" Curved Armchair with Leather Arms Upholstered in Bouclé Fabric
By Studio Marta Manente
Located in Centro, RS
Pietra from Italian: Stone The designer Marta Manente is of Italian descent, her great-grandparents migrated from Italy over 100 years ago and lived in the region of Bento Gonçalves ...
Bouclé
$6,904 / set
H 24.01 in Dm 13.78 in
Pair of Constant Night Stands in Iroko Wood by Master Studio for Lemon
By Lemon
Located in Amsterdam, NL
Neatly proportioned with exceptional detailing, the constant nightstand is your perfect bedside partner. In our furniture making, the IDEA is to create special pieces that you can bu...
Hardwood
$37,200 / set
H 23.63 in W 35.44 in D 35.44 in
Mario Bellini "Camaleonda" Sofa for B&B Italia, Green Velvet, 1970, Set of 6
By B&B Italia, Mario Bellini
Located in Lonigo, Veneto
Mario Bellini "Camaleonda" modular sofa for B&B Italia, green velvet, Italy, 1970, set of six. "Camaleonda" is an icon, rediscovered. Our atelier carefully restored this vintage...
Plastic, Velvet
$4,250 / set
H 15.75 in W 5 in D 3 in
Brass and Murano Glass Sconces, Mid-Century Modern Style, Italy, New Design
Located in Austin, TX
Petite sconces from Murano, Italy made with smoked glass stamped into a lovely curved shape with texture. The brass structure has been newly wired to fit US standards. This pair is...
Brass
$3,990 / item
H 15.75 in W 74.81 in D 29.14 in
Mustard Velvet Daybed with V-Shaped Beechwood Base, Model V
By Dusty Deco
Located in Los Angeles, CA
DD V daybed is an exclusive daybed made by hand in Bosnia and Herzegovina by skilled craftsmen with long experience in wood and upholstery. Both frame and the characteristic V-shaped...
Fabric, Beech, Velvet
$4,000 / item
H 18 in W 60 in D 18 in
Sculptural ICO Bench Series 60 in Natural Walnut by Stamford Modern
By Stamford Modern
Located in Westport, CT
The ICO Bench is a sophisticated reinterpretation of Ico Ponti’s modernism, where architectural form meets modern functionality. Defined by its signature angled legs and subtle metal...
Walnut, Oak
Amuneal's Brass Pantry Cabinetry
By Amuneal
Located in New York, NY
Amuneal's Brass Pantry Cabinetry, part of our metal Kitchen Collection, is designed as a feature element for any space. The three doors on the upper cabinets are fabricated with a kn...
Brass
$3,750 / set
H 25 in W 3.5 in D 2.5 in
Murano Glass Sconces, Hand-Blown Smoked Glass on Brass Frame, Italy
Located in Austin, TX
Pair of Murano glass sconces, each crafted with a single curved panel of hand-blown smoked glass on a brass frame. We love the modern style and hand-crafted quality of these sconces....
Brass
$1,709 / item
H 15.75 in Dm 43.31 in
Contemporary Art Deco Mint green and Red powder coated Carousel 5 arms pendant
By Mambo Unlimited Ideas
Located in Lisbon, PT
Carousel suspension lamp has a delicate balance of form and function that produces a quiet, modern light ambiance for all to savour, with its Contemporary Art Deco lines. The struct...
Metal
Pierre Paulin introduced a fresh breeze into French furniture design in the 1960s and ’70s, fostering a sleek new Space-Age aesthetic. Along with Olivier Mourgue, Paulin developed chairs, sofas, dining tables and other furnishings with flowing lines and almost surreal naturalistic forms. And his work became such a byword for chic, forward-looking design and emerging technologies that two French presidents commissioned him to create environments in the Élysée Palace in Paris.
Paulin was born in Paris to a family of artists and designers. He initially sought to become a ceramist and sculptor and was studying in the town of Vallauris near the Côte d'Azur — a center for pottery making, where Pablo Picasso spent his postwar summers crafting ceramics — but broke his hand in a fight. He enrolled at the École Camondo, the Paris interior design school. There, Paulin was strongly influenced by the work of Charles and Ray Eames, George Nelson and Arne Jacobsen, as was reflected in his early creations for the manufacturer Thonet-France.
It was at the Dutch firm Artifort, which he joined in 1958, where Paulin blossomed. In a few years, he produced several of his signature designs based on abstract organic shapes. These include the Butterfly chair (1963), which features a tubular steel frame and slung leather, and a group of striking seating pieces made with steel frames covered in polyurethane foam and tight jersey fabric: the Mushroom (1960), Ribbon (1966) and Tongue (1967) chairs. The revered designer not only introduced new construction techniques to Artifort furniture but contributed fresh materials, Pop art colors and dazzling shapes to the mid-century modern era as a whole.
In 1971, the Mobilier National — a department of France’s Ministry of Culture in charge of furnishing top-tier government offices and embassies — commissioned Paulin to redesign President Georges Pompidou’s private apartment in the Élysée Palace. In three years, Paulin transformed the staid rooms into futuristic environments with curved, fabric-clad walls and furnishings such as bookcases made from an arrangement of smoked-glass U shapes, flower-like pedestal chairs and pumpkin-esque loungers.
Ten years later, the Mobilier National called on Paulin again, this time to furnish the private office of President François Mitterand. Paulin responded with an angular, postmodern take on neoclassical furniture, pieces that looked surprisingly at home in the paneled, Savonnerie-carpeted Louis XVI rooms. As those two Élysée Palace projects show, Paulin furniture works well both in a total decor or when used as a counterpoint to traditional pieces. His creations have a unique personality: bright and playful yet sophisticated and suave.
Find vintage Pierre Paulin lounge chairs, armchairs, coffee tables 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.