Armchairs
1890s British Jugendstil Antique Armchairs
Mahogany
2010s Italian Armchairs
Textile
19th Century Antique Armchairs
Beech
Mid-20th Century Scandinavian Armchairs
Fabric, Walnut
2010s Italian Armchairs
Textile
2010s Portuguese Modern Armchairs
Upholstery, Wood, Velvet
1950s Italian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Armchairs
Fabric, Wood
19th Century American Victorian Antique Armchairs
Mahogany
Early 20th Century American British Colonial Armchairs
Fabric, Oak
Mid-20th Century French Mid-Century Modern Armchairs
Upholstery, Oak
Mid-20th Century English Armchairs
Leather
19th Century Italian Empire Antique Armchairs
Velvet, Mahogany
Mid-20th Century Italian Mid-Century Modern Armchairs
Metal
2010s Italian Armchairs
Wood
2010s Italian Armchairs
Textile
2010s Italian Armchairs
Leather
20th Century German Mid-Century Modern Armchairs
Wood
1870s British Victorian Antique Armchairs
Beech
19th Century Antique Armchairs
Wood
1970s Danish Mid-Century Modern Vintage Armchairs
Oak, Sheepskin
Mid-20th Century Polish Mid-Century Modern Armchairs
Velvet, Beech
Mid-20th Century French Mid-Century Modern Armchairs
Walnut, Upholstery
2010s Italian Mid-Century Modern Armchairs
Polyester
2010s Italian Mid-Century Modern Armchairs
Polyester
19th Century Antique Armchairs
Beech
2010s Italian Mid-Century Modern Armchairs
Polyester
Early 1900s Swedish Antique Armchairs
Fabric, Oak
18th Century French Louis XVI Antique Armchairs
Silk, Beech
2010s Italian Armchairs
Iron
1950s Italian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Armchairs
Steel
1850s Swiss Antique Armchairs
Pine
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Armchairs
Upholstery, Velvet, Wood, Trimming
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Armchairs
Upholstery
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Armchairs
Upholstery
20th Century Armchairs
Leather
2010s Italian Modern Armchairs
Steel
2010s Italian Mid-Century Modern Armchairs
Wood
20th Century French Napoleon III Armchairs
Upholstery, Wood
1990s Italian Louis XV Armchairs
Leather, Wood
19th Century French Napoleon III Antique Armchairs
Textile, Wood
1960s Finnish Scandinavian Modern Vintage Armchairs
Brass
2010s Italian Mid-Century Modern Armchairs
Wood
2010s Italian Armchairs
Textile
1960s Italian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Armchairs
Leather, Wood
1940s American Rococo Vintage Armchairs
Upholstery, Walnut
2010s Italian Armchairs
Metal
Mid-20th Century Polish Mid-Century Modern Armchairs
Fabric, Velvet, Beech
2010s Italian Armchairs
Wood
2010s Italian Armchairs
Wood
Early 20th Century Louis XVI Armchairs
Velvet, Wood
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Armchairs
Stainless Steel
1950s Italian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Armchairs
Bouclé, Beech
2010s Italian Armchairs
Wood
2010s Italian Mid-Century Modern Armchairs
Oak
2010s Portuguese Mid-Century Modern Armchairs
Upholstery, Velvet, Wood
Early 20th Century Swedish Mid-Century Modern Armchairs
Lambskin, Birch
2010s Italian Mid-Century Modern Armchairs
Walnut
1950s Finnish Scandinavian Modern Vintage Armchairs
Sheepskin, Wood
2010s Italian Armchairs
Textile
1980s Italian Post-Modern Vintage Armchairs
Fabric
Antique and Vintage Armchairs for Sale on 1stDibs
Armchairs have run the gamut from prestige to ease and everything in between, and everyone has an antique or vintage armchair that they love.
Long before industrial mass production democratized seating, armchairs conveyed status and power.
In ancient Egypt, the commoners took stools, while in early Greece, ceremonial chairs of carved marble were designated for nobility. But the high-backed early thrones of yore, elevated and ornate, were merely grandiose iterations of today’s armchairs.
Modern-day armchairs, built with functionality and comfort in mind, are now central to tasks throughout your home. Formal dining armchairs support your guests at a table for a cheery feast, a good drafting chair with a deep seat is parked in front of an easel where you create art and, elsewhere, an ergonomic wonder of sorts positions you at the desk for your 9 to 5.
When placed under just the right lamp where you can lounge comfortably, both elbows resting on the padded supports on each side of you, an upholstered armchair — or a rattan armchair for your light-suffused sunroom — can be the sanctuary where you’ll read for hours.
If you’re in the mood for company, your velvet chesterfield armchair is a place to relax and be part of the conversation that swirls around you. Maybe the dialogue is about the beloved Papa Bear chair, a mid-century modern masterpiece from Danish carpenter and furniture maker Hans Wegner, and the wingback’s strong association with the concept of cozying up by the fireplace, which we can trace back to its origins in 1600s-era England, when the seat’s distinctive arm protrusions protected the sitter from the heat of the period’s large fireplaces.
If the fireside armchair chat involves spirited comparisons, your companions will likely probe the merits of antique and vintage armchairs such as Queen Anne armchairs, Victorian armchairs or even Louis XVI armchairs, as well as the pros and cons of restoration versus conservation.
Everyone seems to have a favorite armchair and most people will be all too willing to talk about their beloved design. Whether that’s the unique Favela chair by Brazilian sibling furniture designers Fernando and Humberto Campana, who repurposed everyday objects to provocative effect; or Marcel Breuer’s futuristic tubular metal Wassily lounge chair; the functionality-first LC series from Charlotte Perriand, Le Corbusier and Pierre Jeanneret; or the Eames lounge chair of the mid-1950s created by Charles and Ray Eames, there is an iconic armchair for everyone and every purpose. Find yours on 1stDibs right now.