Tulipe Pierre
Vintage 1950s French Chairs
Aluminum, Steel
Mid-20th Century French Mid-Century Modern Dining Room Chairs
Aluminum
Vintage 1950s French Mid-Century Modern Chairs
Aluminum
Mid-20th Century French Mid-Century Modern Dining Room Chairs
Aluminum, Iron
Vintage 1960s French Mid-Century Modern Stools
Iron
Vintage 1950s French Coffee and Cocktail Tables
Metal
Mid-20th Century French Mid-Century Modern Dining Room Chairs
Aluminum, Iron
Vintage 1960s European Coffee and Cocktail Tables
Glass, Teak
Vintage 1950s French Mid-Century Modern Floor Lamps
Metal, Brass
Vintage 1960s European Armchairs
Fabric, Teak
Mid-20th Century French Mid-Century Modern Chairs
Aluminum
Vintage 1960s European Side Tables
Fabric, Teak
Vintage 1960s French Armchairs
Velvet, Glass, Teak
Late 20th Century European Armchairs
Metal
Antique 1840s Prints
Paper
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21st Century and Contemporary Spanish Minimalist Side Tables
Marble, Travertine
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Organic Modern Center Tables
Travertine
Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Dining Room Chairs
Wood
Mid-20th Century French Mid-Century Modern Daybeds
Steel
Vintage 1970s Italian Mid-Century Modern Beds and Bed Frames
Leather, Wood
2010s British Art Deco Lounge Chairs
Alpaca, Beech
2010s Austrian Jugendstil Chandeliers and Pendants
Silk
2010s American Modern Beds and Bed Frames
Hardwood, Walnut
2010s American Modern Beds and Bed Frames
Steel
2010s American Modern Coffee and Cocktail Tables
Composition
Mid-20th Century Italian Mid-Century Modern Dining Room Chairs
Brass
Vintage 1970s Colombian Modern Beds and Bed Frames
Chrome
Late 20th Century Italian Mid-Century Modern Lounge Chairs
Alpaca, Wood
21st Century and Contemporary Swedish Mid-Century Modern Table Lamps
Textile
21st Century and Contemporary Spanish Minimalist Coffee and Cocktail Tables
Marble, Travertine
Vintage 1960s Danish Scandinavian Modern Beds and Bed Frames
Rosewood
Recent Sales
Vintage 1950s Chairs
Metal
Vintage 1960s French Mid-Century Modern Chairs
Vintage 1960s French Mid-Century Modern Chairs
Aluminum
Vintage 1960s French Mid-Century Modern Chairs
Aluminum
Vintage 1950s French Mid-Century Modern Chairs
Metal, Aluminum
Vintage 1950s French Side Chairs
Aluminum, Metal
Vintage 1950s French Side Chairs
Aluminum, Metal
Vintage 1950s French Side Chairs
Aluminum, Metal
Vintage 1950s French Office Chairs and Desk Chairs
Late 20th Century French Armchairs
Metal
Vintage 1960s French Post-Modern Chairs
Aluminum, Iron
Vintage 1950s French Chairs
Aluminum, Metal
Vintage 1950s French Mid-Century Modern Chairs
Aluminum
Vintage 1950s French Mid-Century Modern Chairs
Aluminum
Vintage 1950s French Mid-Century Modern Chairs
Aluminum
Vintage 1960s French Mid-Century Modern Dining Room Chairs
Faux Leather, Beech
Vintage 1950s French Mid-Century Modern Lounge Chairs
Metal, Brass
Vintage 1960s French Mid-Century Modern Chairs
Aluminum
Vintage 1960s French Mid-Century Modern Chairs
Aluminum
Vintage 1950s French Mid-Century Modern Chairs
Aluminum, Steel
Mid-20th Century French Mid-Century Modern Dining Room Chairs
Aluminum, Iron
Mid-20th Century French Mid-Century Modern Dining Room Chairs
Aluminum, Iron
Vintage 1950s French Chairs
Metal
Vintage 1950s French Mid-Century Modern Wall Lights and Sconces
Metal, Brass, Steel
Vintage 1950s French Mid-Century Modern Floor Lamps
Brass
Vintage 1960s French Mid-Century Modern Armchairs
Vintage 1950s Side Chairs
Aluminum
Vintage 1950s French Mid-Century Modern Side Chairs
Vintage 1950s French Side Chairs
Vintage 1950s Chairs
Aluminum, Metal
Tulipe Pierre For Sale on 1stDibs
How Much is a Tulipe Pierre?
Pierre Guariche for sale on 1stDibs
The architect Pierre Guariche was one of the leading modern furniture and lighting designers of postwar France. Guariche can, in some ways, be thought of as the French version of Charles Eames: with his lean and angular chairs and slender, sculptural table lamps, he helped introduce a new aesthetic to the country’s interiors — and he was an eager pioneer in the use of new industrial materials and production techniques that emerged in the 1950s.
Guariche studied at the École Nationale Supérieure des Arts Décoratifs in Paris (the national design academy) under René Gabriel — a designer known for his quality, mass-produced furnishings, who served as a director of the postwar Ministry of Reconstruction. Two years after graduating in 1949, Guariche opened his own design firm, and he was soon creating pieces for numerous companies, including the lighting manufacturer Disderot.
Wood and metal were rationed in the years following the war and Guariche learned to do more with less. His chairs of the early 1950s include several designs with narrow, softly angular wooden frames; others, like the Tonneau chair, feature a single piece of molded plywood set atop metal legs. His lamps of the period are likely his best-known works. They include delicate compositions of slender steel tubes, and more flamboyant pieces such as the Kite lamp, with its curved metal reflector panel.
Always on the lookout for new materials, Guariche spent several years in the mid-1950s operating a firm making furniture in fiberglass and other plastics, along with Joseph André Motte and others. After 1957 — when Guariche was named head of design for the Belgian company Meurop and given a brief to create stylish, up-to-date chairs and cabinets — he began to look to America for ideas.
In the mid-1960s, Guariche produced several lines of deeply upholstered, rounded lounge chairs inspired by the Space Age look, and gave them names like Jupiter, Polaris and Luna. While Guariche always kept pace with his times, throughout his career he showed a consistent talent for producing elegant, eye-catching forms using a minimum of materials.
Find vintage Pierre Guariche furniture today 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.