Wright Imperial Tokyo Sofa
Vintage 1920s Art Deco Lounge Chairs
Fabric, Wood
People Also Browsed
2010s American Modern Wall Lights and Sconces
Brass, Bronze, Nickel
Vintage 1950s Italian Mid-Century Modern Armchairs
Brass
Vintage 1970s Italian Modern Beds and Bed Frames
Leather
Mid-20th Century Italian Mid-Century Modern Shelves
Brass
Vintage 1970s Space Age Lounge Chairs
Fabric, Fiberglass, Upholstery
Vintage 1970s Italian Mid-Century Modern Night Stands
Wood
2010s French International Style Daybeds
Fabric
Vintage 1970s American Mid-Century Modern Cabinets
Formica, Birch, Walnut
Vintage 1960s French Mid-Century Modern Lounge Chairs
Fabric, Oak
Vintage 1960s Italian Mid-Century Modern Vanities
Faux Leather
Mid-20th Century Dutch Art Deco Armchairs
Velvet, Oak
Mid-20th Century French Mid-Century Modern Sofas
Velvet, Oak
Mid-20th Century Italian Mid-Century Modern Dry Bars
Wood
Vintage 1960s German Bauhaus Lounge Chairs
Chrome
Vintage 1930s French Art Deco Chaise Longues
Mirror, Wood
Vintage 1970s American Mid-Century Modern Sofas
Chrome
Recent Sales
Vintage 1910s Italian Modern Sofas
Walnut, Leather
Vintage 1910s Italian Sofas
Leather, Walnut
Mid-20th Century Italian Prairie School Club Chairs
Frank Lloyd Wright for sale on 1stDibs
Without question the greatest architect the United States has ever produced, Frank Lloyd Wright and his philosophy of “organic architecture” — of buildings that exist in harmony with their natural surroundings — had a profound influence on the shape of modern life.
Wright gave us some of the most elegant and iconic buildings in America: residences such as Fallingwater, in rural Pennsylvania, the Robie House in Chicago, and Taliesin, Wright’s own home; and masterful institutional structures that include the Unity Temple in Oak Park, Illinois, the Johnson Wax headquarters in Racine, Wisconsin, and the Guggenheim Museum in New York. Whenever possible, Wright designed the furniture for his projects, to ensure an affinity between a building’s exterior and interior.
Wright’s wooden chairs and tables for his “Prairie Houses” of the early 1900s have sleek, attenuated forms, influenced by both the simplicity of traditional Japanese design and the work of Gustav Stickley and other designers of the Arts and Crafts movement.
For Taliesin and several residential projects, Wright designed severely geometric chairs that are marvels of reductivist design. He revisited many of these forms in the 1950s in furniture licensed to the North Carolina firm Henredon, adding a decorative frieze-like element to the edges of tables and stools. Owing to a cross-licensing agreement between Henredon and Heritage at the time, Wright's lines of the era are usually labeled Heritage-Henredon.
The works on 1stDibs also show how happily Wright embraced new forms and materials. His desks and chairs for Johnson Wax have a streamlined look and use tubular steel to the same effect as designer Warren McArthur, who collaborated with Wright in the interiors of the Arizona Biltmore Hotel. For the Price Tower (1956) in Oklahoma, Wright designed angular wooden desks as well as upholstered pedestal chairs made of chromed steel — audacious furniture for his tallest completed building project.
The beauty of Frank Lloyd Wright’s furniture designs is that while many of us wish we could live in one of his houses, his vintage sofas, storage cabinets and armchairs connect us directly to his architecture, and to the history he made.
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.
- 1stDibs ExpertApril 5, 2022Frank Lloyd Wright's architecture style was known as the Prairie Style; his principles led to a better life for all. From low-pitched roofs to overhanging eaves against closed-in Victorian era designs, prevalent in their confined spaces, among other things. Find vintage and modern Frank Lloyd Wright's pieces from top sellers on 1stDibs.