While the origins of Sibast can be traced back to wooden furnishings created in a modest cabinetmaker’s workshop in 1908, the Danish company is best known for the vintage dining chairs, desks, armchairs and other pieces it produced during the postwar years. Owing largely to the creative direction of designer Helge Sibast during that period, the manufacturer is internationally revered today for its wide range of sleek and collectible Scandinavian modern furniture.

Sibast was established by cabinetmaker Peder Olsen Sibast in 1908 as a small carpentry shop in rural Denmark. Peder's son Helge was born that year and began apprenticing alongside his father at a young age. In the 1940s, when the elder Sibast passed away, Helge assumed a management role at the company alongside his siblings, Ole and Emma.

Helge was tasked with leading design, production and product development at a time when what we now call mid-century modernist furniture design was gaining popularity with American consumers and elsewhere, and his own designs reflected a focus on craftsmanship and an emphasis on clean lines as well as the use of organic materials in their construction. Sibast also enlisted the talents of other renowned Danish modernists including Piet Hein, Arne Vodder and Grete Jalk. Vodder designed many of the brand’s armchairs, dining tables and dining chairs that were exported to the United States throughout the ‘50s and ‘60s.

In 1953, the company introduced two of Helge Sibast's most celebrated creations — the Sibast No. 7 and No. 8 chairs. The popular Sibast No. 7 dining chair is noted for its floating backrest and expressive form. With its sturdy Y-frame, the unassuming Sibast No. 8 was a worldwide hit when it debuted, and its simple and functional mid-century modern appeal made it an instant classic. In the 1960s, Sibast chairs were even purchased for interiors at the White House.

The Sibast family sold the company in 1984 but retained the copyrights to Helge's designs. In 2012, Helge's grandson Ditlev and his wife Anna relaunched the Sibast furniture company. The brand’s offerings include many of Helge's original creations alongside new designs that adhere to the company's long-held tradition of creating sculptural, innovative and functional furniture.

Find vintage Sibast storage pieces, seating and tables 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.