Baker Stately Homes Collection Rolled Arm Empire Sofa
By Baker Furniture Company
Located in North Canton, OH
From Baker Furniture Stately Homes Collection. Monumental Empire Revival Scrolled Arm Sofa.
Upholstery
$7,950
H 35.4 in W 86.6 in D 29.1 in
Swedish Egyptian Revival Period 1790s Painted Sofa with Carved Pharaonic Heads
Located in Atlanta, GA
, inviting you to relax and unwind in style. In your home, this Egyptian Revival sofa can take on various
Upholstery, Wood
Unavailable
H 35.43 in W 82.68 in D 36.22 in
1980 Italian Design, Neo Barocco Velvet Sofa, Versace Style
By Versace Home Collection
Located in Saint-Ouen, FR
This amazing night blue velvet couch in Versace style is enhanced with a royal blue and gold
Velvet, Wood
$1,340 / set
H 29.93 in W 17.72 in D 19.69 in
Post Modern Zeta Dining Chairs by Martin Haksteen for Harvink, The Netherlands
By Harvink
Located in Almelo, NL
Post Modern Zeta Dining chairs by Martin Haksteen for Harvink, The Netherlands 1980s Tripod post-modern design dining chairs, model 'Zeta' designed by Martin Haksteen for Harvink....
Steel
$36,000Sale Price|20% Off
H 66 in W 52 in D 5.25 in
French Empire Style 19th Century Napoleon III Giltwood Mirror with Sphinxes
Located in Los Angeles, CA
A very fine French Empire style 19th century Napoleon III giltwood and gesso carved figural mirror frame, flanked by a pair of sitting winged sphinxes, with carved scrolls, garlands ...
Gesso, Mirror, Wood
Surreal Italian 1960s Brass and Faux Leather Double Bed
Located in Milan, IT
Surreal Italian 1960s Brass and Faux Leather Double Bed
Brass
Majorelle Art Deco Cerused Oak Game Table Mid-Century France, 1940s
By Atelier Majorelle
Located in New York, NY
Majorelle deco cerused oak game dining table Mid-Century, France, 1930s-1940s Beautiful game table that has two positions. The side portions pull-out to make room for leaf that ex...
Oak
Pair Of Louis XVI Style Candelabra
Located in Stamford, CT
Magnificent pair of French 19th Century Louis XVI style six light candelabra in urn form. Having the highest quality dore bronze and marble.
Marble, Bronze
19th Century Silver Plate Epergne and Cruet Service
Located in New Orleans, LA
This elegant silver plate epergne is a rarity in that it also includes a full, cut-glass cruet set. This service’s delicate central basket is elevated above a plateau holding ten fin...
Silver Plate
On Hold|$95 / item
H 37 in W 21 in D 23.5 in
Pierre Paulin 'Boston' Garden Chairs for Henry Massonnet in Black and Red
By Pierre Paulin
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Boston garden chairs by French furniture designer Pierre Paulin and manufactured by Henry Massonnet/STAMP in 1988. Paulin was influenced here by (and built on the work of) Dutch "De...
Plastic
$651,300
H 20 in W 31 in D 18 in
Important, Rare French Ormolu Sevres Style Porcelain Jewelry Box on Bronze Table
Located in Long Island City, NY, NY
A rare and important French ormolu/bronze and Sevres style turquoise porcelain jewelry box casket on matching French ormolu/bronze table with Sevres style porcelain plaques. Of pala...
Bronze, Enamel, Ormolu
Egyptian Pine Doors
Located in Haywards Heath, GB
1880s Width for the pair 107cm Width per door 53,5cm
Pine
Pair of French gilt bronze table candelabra
Located in London, GB
Pair of French gilt bronze table candelabra French, 19th Century Height 75cm, diameter 35cm The fine gilt bronze candelabra in this pair are crafted in the eclectic style that preva...
Ormolu
Early Pierre Chapo Double Godot Daybed With Square Legs c. 1960
By Pierre Chapo
Located in Brooklyn, NY
Early Pierre Chapo double Godot daybed with square legs France, early 1960's French elm, ivory cotton canvas Measurements: 57.5" width, 77.5" length, 11.5" frame height, 15.5" se...
Elm
French Art Nouveau Walnut Dining Table
By Eugène Gaillard
Located in Queens, NY
French Art Nouveau walnut 2 section dining table with stretcher. (GAILLARD - page 386, Collectors Encyclopedia of Antiques) (Related Item: 051039)
Walnut
Big stainless steel dinning Tecno table
By Tecno
Located in grand Lancy, CH
Large dinning table in stainless steel with metal base signed Tecno , little scratches on the top see photo
Metal, Stainless Steel
Custom Brass Bed
By On Madison
Located in Pasadena, CA
The Babylon brass bed from the Modern Envy collection by On Madison. Custom poster bed of polished brass with upholstered headboard. Shown in shagreen embossed leather. Fabric is C.O...
Brass
Antique Irish Marble Fireplace
Located in Tyrone, Northern Ireland
Impressive mid-19th century carved statuary marble fireplace. The fireplace has a deep and moulded break fronted shelf, upheld by two large carved corbels with perched eagles, preeni...
Statuary Marble
Jugendst Table Lamp, circa 1908
Located in Wien, AT
Jugendst table lamp, circa 1908 Polished and stove enameled.
Brass
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.