Steve Chase Martin Brattrud

Steve Chase lived in and worked out of Palm Springs, California, but he created luxury spaces and furniture for projects that took shape all over the world. A consummate art collector and brilliant interior designer, Chase was involved in every aspect of the rooms he designed and attracted many high-profile clients, including Gerald and Betty Ford, Farrah Fawcett and Gene Hackman.

Chase was born in New Hampshire and attended the Rhode Island School of Design as well as the ArtCenter in Los Angeles. After completing his studies, he joined Arthur Elrod and Associates — a celebrated Palm Springs-based firm that created colorful interiors and furniture for a range of Hollywood stars and more during the height of the mid-century modern era. Chase worked with Elrod for more than a decade before establishing his own business in 1980.

Chase designed his furniture to meet the sensibilities and personalities of his clients, and his work ranged from the traditional to the tastefully unconventional. While he created sculptural brass side tables that boast striking brutalist forms, there were also understated chrome-framed coffee tables with fossil shell tops. For his seating, Chase’s palette ranged from bright pastels to modest earth tones, and his vintage sofas are known for their signature tufted-channel backrests and seats. The plush cushioning was most prevalent in his Monterey seating collection of chairs, sectionals and sofas manufactured by the firm Martin Brattrud Inc., which produced most of Chase's designs during the 1970s and '80s.

Chase supported a number of charitable organizations and strongly advocated for the Desert AIDS Project (DAP), a volunteer-led initiative to combat the HIV epidemic in Coachella Valley. He lent his design talents to improve their office space, and used his influence with celebrities to enlist their help on the project. Chase also joined the Contemporary Art Council Acquisitions Committee at the Palm Springs Art Museum and eventually bequeathed more than 130 works to the institution when he passed away in 1994.

In 1996, the DAP created the annual Steve Chase Humanitarian Awards to honor him. Today he is remembered for his humanitarian giving as often he is for his furniture designs and lively interiors.

On 1stDibs, explore an array of vintage Steve Chase chairs, tables and lighting.

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.