William Plunkett Dining Chairs
Early 20th Century American Industrial Stools
Iron, Steel
People Also Browsed
Antique 1890s British Chippendale Stools
Fabric, Wood
Antique 19th Century French French Provincial Stools
Cane, Paint, Wood
Early 20th Century English Industrial Stools
Steel, Metal
Antique 17th Century French Louis XIII Stools
Bouclé, Walnut
Vintage 1950s American Mid-Century Modern Armchairs
Acrylic, Upholstery
Antique Early 1900s Stools
Leather
Antique Early 1900s American Industrial Chairs
Steel
Early 20th Century Philippine Mid-Century Modern Side Chairs
Wood
Vintage 1970s Mid-Century Modern Dining Room Tables
Metal
Vintage 1960s English Mid-Century Modern Daybeds
Stainless Steel
Antique Late 19th Century British Stools
Iron
Antique 1890s Austrian Art Nouveau Stools
Wood, Braid
Antique Early 1800s English Aesthetic Movement Armchairs
Oak
Early 20th Century Chinese Rustic Stools
Pine
Early 20th Century Chinese Qing Stools
Elm
Vintage 1960s British Mid-Century Modern Daybeds
Aluminum
A Close Look at industrial Furniture
Industrial floor lamps, bar stools, desks and other industrial-style furnishings have experienced a resurgence in popularity with the rise of interest in minimalist design.
It's a look that celebrates the past even as it suggests vigor, productivity and brawn. The newly chic industrial style of decor repurposes the simple, sturdy furniture of an earlier world of commerce — brushed-metal storage cabinets and display shelves, task lamps and pendant lights with enameled shades, work tables with worn wooden tops and cast-iron bases — and couples them with aesthetic touches emblematic of energy and optimism, from bright upholstery fabrics to flowers.
The rise in prominence of the industrial style has come hand-in-hand with the residential repurposing of former manufacturing and warehouse districts throughout the United States, Canada and Europe. In many loft apartments created in shuttered factories, the architectural envelope has been left intact.
Industrial-style interiors feature elements like raw brick walls, exposed steel beams and oak floors whose history is written in every pit and gouge. Iron and glass transom windows give definition and interest to small kitchen areas anchored by kitchen islands made of marble, steel and brass, while taxidermy or vintage neon signs serve as wall art in living rooms dotted with leather club chairs. Patina is the keynote to a decor in sync with such surroundings.
On 1stDibs you will find industrial furniture designs that wear their age beautifully — and were built to last.
Finding the Right stools for You
Stools are versatile and a necessary addition to any living room, kitchen area or elsewhere in your home. A sofa or reliable lounge chair might nab all the credit, comfort-wise, but don’t discount the roles that good antique, new and vintage stools can play.
“Stools are jewels and statements in a space, and they can also be investment pieces,” says New York City designer Amy Lau, who adds that these seats provide an excellent choice for setting an interior’s general tone.
Stools, which are among the oldest forms of wooden furnishings, may also serve as decorative pieces, even if we’re talking about a stool that is far less sculptural than the gracefully curving molded plywood shells that make up Sōri Yanagi’s provocative Butterfly stool.
Fawn Galli, a New York interior designer, uses her stools in the same way you would use a throw pillow. “I normally buy several styles and move them around the home where needed,” she says.
Stools are smaller pieces of seating as compared to armchairs or dining chairs and can add depth as well as functionality to a space that you’ve set aside for entertaining. For a splash of color, consider the Stool 60, a pioneering work of bentwood by Finnish architect and furniture maker Alvar Aalto. It’s manufactured by Artek and comes in a variety of colored seats and finishes.
Barstools that date back to the 1970s are now more ubiquitous in kitchens. Vintage barstools have seen renewed interest, be they a meld of chrome and leather or transparent plastic, such as the Lucite and stainless-steel counter stool variety from Indiana-born furniture designer Charles Hollis Jones, who is renowned for his acrylic works. A cluster of barstools — perhaps a set of four brushed-aluminum counter stools by Emeco or Tubby Tube stools by Faye Toogood — can encourage merriment in the kitchen. If you’ve got the room for family and friends to congregate and enjoy cocktails where the cooking is done, consider matching your stools with a tall table.
Whether you need counter stools, drafting stools or another kind, explore an extensive range of antique, new and vintage stools on 1stDibs.