Terrazza Chair

A de Sede piece lends a strong personality to the room it occupies. One of the world’s most respected furniture design houses, de Sede’s quality Swiss craftsmanship has its foundation in a long history of making expertly designed saddles. Founded in 1965 to build on a successful family-run saddler’s workshop in Klingnau, Switzerland, de Sede now is a leading manufacturer of leather goods and furniture, including sofas, chairs and beds.

At the core of de Sede’s philosophy is a reverence for the complexity and beauty of handcrafted furniture in an age when mass-produced objects are the norm. Over the years, the atelier has built a name for itself in its modular furniture pieces, which are made using the highest quality leather upholstery. The sleek, elegant pieces incorporate functionality with beauty. Amongst their best-selling designs is the DS-600 introduced in 1972. Also known as the Non Stop sofa, it is a sensually curved, snaking modular sofa whose individual pieces can be zipped together to create multiple variations and arcs.

De Sede has collaborated with some of the world's finest design minds, enhancing the prestige and individuality of their products. Designers like Santiago Calatrava, Antonella Scarpitta, Stephan Hürlemann, Gordon Guillaumier and Philippe Malouin have all created pieces with the atelier. Ubald Klug’s 1974 DS-1025, also known as the Terrazza sofa, is an enduring favorite with its cascading levels of leather. In 2017, de Sede expanded its product line to include high-quality leather handbags, which are as thoughtfully designed and beautifully crafted as its furniture. De Sede AG is now part of the Volare Group AG and continues to handcraft its fine furniture and other goods from its factory in Klingnau.

Find authentic de Sede seating, tables and decorative objects today on 1stDibs.

While this specific seating is known to all for its comfort and familiar form, the history of how your favorite antique or vintage lounge chair came to be is slightly more ambiguous.

Although there are rare armchairs dating back as far as the 17th century, some believe that the origins of the first official “lounge chair” are tied to Hungarian modernist designer-architect Marcel Breuer. Sure, Breuer wasn’t exactly reinventing the wheel when he introduced the Wassily lounge chair in 1925, but his seat was indeed revolutionary for its integration of bent tubular steel.

Officially, a lounge chair is simply defined as a “comfortable armchair,” which allows for the shape and material of the furnishings to be extremely diverse. Whether or not chaise longues make the cut for this category is a matter of frequent debate.

The Eames lounge chair, on the other hand, has come to define somewhat of a universal perception of what a lounge chair can be. Introduced in 1956, the Eames lounger (and its partner in cozy, the ottoman) quickly became staples in television shows, prestigious office buildings and sumptuous living rooms. Venerable American mid-century modern designers Charles and Ray Eames intended for it to be the peak of luxury, which they knew meant taking furniture to the next level of style and comfort. Their chair inspired many modern interpretations of the lounge — as well as numerous copies.

On 1stDibs, find a broad range of unique lounge chairs that includes everything from antique Victorian-era seating to vintage mid-century modern lounge chairs by craftspersons such as Hans Wegner to contemporary choices from today’s innovative designers.