R Y Augousti Bench
21st Century and Contemporary French Art Deco Benches
Fur, Shagreen Stingray
1990s French Post-Modern Benches
Parchment Paper
20th Century French Organic Modern Benches
Fabric, Wood
21st Century and Contemporary French Art Deco Benches
Brass, Stainless Steel, Chrome
21st Century and Contemporary French Art Deco Benches
Brass
21st Century and Contemporary French Art Deco Benches
Brass
21st Century and Contemporary French Art Deco Benches
Quartz, Brass
21st Century and Contemporary French Art Deco Benches
Quartz, Brass
21st Century and Contemporary French Art Deco Benches
Quartz, Brass
21st Century and Contemporary French Art Deco Benches
Quartz, Brass
21st Century and Contemporary French Art Deco Benches
Brass
21st Century and Contemporary French Art Deco Benches
Brass
21st Century and Contemporary French Art Deco Benches
Brass
21st Century and Contemporary French Art Deco Benches
Quartz, Brass
21st Century and Contemporary French Art Deco Benches
Brass
21st Century and Contemporary French Art Deco Benches
Brass
21st Century and Contemporary French Art Deco Benches
Brass
21st Century and Contemporary French Art Deco Benches
Brass
21st Century and Contemporary French Art Deco Benches
Brass
21st Century and Contemporary French Art Deco Benches
Brass
21st Century and Contemporary French Art Deco Benches
Brass
21st Century and Contemporary French Art Deco Benches
Brass
21st Century and Contemporary French Art Deco Benches
Brass
21st Century and Contemporary French Art Deco Benches
Fur, Shagreen Stingray
21st Century and Contemporary French Art Deco Benches
Brass
21st Century and Contemporary French Art Deco Benches
Brass
21st Century and Contemporary French Art Deco Benches
Quartz, Brass
21st Century and Contemporary French Art Deco Benches
Quartz, Brass
21st Century and Contemporary French Art Deco Benches
Brass
21st Century and Contemporary French Art Deco Benches
Brass
21st Century and Contemporary French Art Deco Benches
Brass
21st Century and Contemporary French Art Deco Benches
Brass
21st Century and Contemporary French Art Deco Benches
Brass
21st Century and Contemporary French Art Deco Benches
Brass
Early 20th Century Art Deco Benches
Shagreen, Upholstery
Late 20th Century English Post-Modern Vanities
Wood, Shagreen Stingray, Mirror
21st Century and Contemporary French Art Deco Stools
Brass
21st Century and Contemporary French Art Deco Stools
Fur, Shagreen Stingray
21st Century and Contemporary French Art Deco Stools
Brass
21st Century and Contemporary French Art Deco Stools
Brass
21st Century and Contemporary French Art Deco Stools
Brass
20th Century English Mid-Century Modern Benches
Brass
21st Century and Contemporary French Art Deco Benches
Brass
Late 20th Century English Mid-Century Modern Benches
Shagreen
Mid-20th Century French Mid-Century Modern Benches
Shagreen
20th Century English Benches
Wood, Leather
20th Century French Art Deco Benches
Bronze
20th Century French Mid-Century Modern Footstools
Wood
20th Century French Art Deco Vanities
Late 20th Century French Vanities
Early 2000s French Art Deco Vanities
Brass
20th Century French Mid-Century Modern Benches
Shagreen, Wood
21st Century and Contemporary French Art Deco Benches
Brass
21st Century and Contemporary French Art Deco Benches
Brass
21st Century and Contemporary French Art Deco Benches
Brass
Vintage 1980s Vanities
20th Century French Benches
Brass
Late 20th Century French Modern Vanities
Wood, Shagreen
21st Century and Contemporary Desks and Writing Tables
Wood
21st Century and Contemporary French Art Deco Nesting Tables and Stackin...
Granite, Brass
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R Y Augousti Bench For Sale on 1stDibs
How Much is a R Y Augousti Bench?
R & Y Augousti for sale on 1stDibs
R&Y Augousti was founded in 1989 by husband-and-wife team Ria and Yiouri Augousti. The pair works with pen shell, metal and an array of exotic skins — including ostrich, snake, eel and crocodile — to create Art Deco-inspired furniture that echoes the influences of their unique friends and draws on the experiences they’ve shared on their global travels.
Ria Augousti (née Macasaet) was born in Manila. Her family relocated to Cebu and, at age 15, she went to New York City to study art. She continued her studies in England and graduated from the London School of Furniture Making.
Born in Cyprus, Yiouri Augousti studied architecture at London’s Architectural Association. He was drawn to interior design that reflected a revival of Art Deco that took shape during his years as a young adult.
Ria was working at the interior design firm of John Stefanidis, in London, when Yiouri joined the firm. “We got on like a house on fire,” Ria has said of the beginnings of their relationship. The couple established R&Y Augousti in 1989 and married in 1990. The business grew swiftly — R&Y Augousti moved permanently to Paris in 1994, and in 2011, the couple opened their first American showroom. There, in the New York Design Center, the range of decorative objects on offer from R&Y Augousti included dining tables, side tables and decorative objects such as candleholders and picture frames in shagreen.
The initial popularity that shagreen enjoyed as furniture covering fizzled when the Art Deco era faded. Modernist designer Jean-Michel Frank was an enthusiast of the textured hide, and during the 1960s, Karl Springer covered desks, chairs and tables with it. Ria Augousti wanted to revive shagreen’s use as a finish in one of their very first designs. Their sculptural, sensuous shagreen Sylvie chair, with its slender and towering backrest, makes a statement in any space and has seen a fair amount of praise over the years. The Sylvie has been photographed in a number of high-profile spaces including Alexander Wang's New York City loft apartment designed by Ryan Korban. (And shagreen reemerged as a luxe material among designers and decorators in 2017.)
R&Y Augousti has since expanded into fashion accessories, and drawings by the couple’s daughter, designer Kifu Augousti, have been embroidered on some of the brand’s luxurious handbags.
Find R&Y Augousti tables, seating and decorative objects on 1stDibs.
Finding the Right seating for You
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.