Native American Folk Art
Native American broadly describes any Indigenous people in North America and encompasses hundreds of tribes and groups, all with distinct cultures. Native American–style furniture and decor likewise varies widely, from pieces created by Indigenous people to those appropriated by non-native designers.
Indigenous furniture’s rich heritage includes the bentwood boxes of the Northwest Coast carved from cedar for storing household or ceremonial objects. Generations of Native American people have made baskets for holding household items, with those in the Northeast using sweetgrass and those in the Southeast using pine needles and wicker. Artisans in the Plateau region wove watertight pieces like cradles from plant materials. Although these objects were intricately made, they were usually utilitarian rather than decorative.
The colonization of North America and the removal of Indigenous people from their lands led to the suppression of these practices. Many styles that used Native American motifs — such as Southwestern style, which was heavily influenced by the geometric patterns of Navajo textiles — have historically not involved Indigenous creators and, instead, have taken their traditions without their tribal context.
When decorating a home with Native American–style furniture, it is important to do so respectfully, by understanding the origins of motifs and objects and examining who profits from their sale. There are now Indigenous-led companies, such as Cherokee designer Cray Bauxmont-Flynn’s Amatoya and Totem House Design, promoting Indigenous work in furniture and home decor. Supporting Indigenous artists and artisans is essential to confronting the still pervasive issue of cultural appropriation in design.
Find a collection of Native American living room furniture, folk art, rugs and carpets, decorative objects and other items on 1stDibs.
Late 19th Century American Antique Native American Folk Art
Hide, Beads
Mid-20th Century American Native American Folk Art
Wood
Early 20th Century American Native American Folk Art
Wood
Early 20th Century American Native American Folk Art
Wood
Late 19th Century American Antique Native American Folk Art
Cotton, Beads
19th Century American Antique Native American Folk Art
Wood
Mid-20th Century American Native American Folk Art
Wool
Late 20th Century American Native American Folk Art
Other
Late 20th Century American Native American Folk Art
Cedar
1890s American Antique Native American Folk Art
Wool
Late 20th Century American Native American Folk Art
Other
Early 20th Century American Native American Folk Art
Wood
20th Century Canadian Native American Folk Art
Leather, Beads, Animal Skin
Early 20th Century American Native American Folk Art
Natural Fiber, Willow
21st Century and Contemporary Canadian Native American Folk Art
Wood
Early 20th Century American Native American Folk Art
Hide
1890s American Antique Native American Folk Art
Hemp
20th Century Canadian Native American Folk Art
Fur, Leather, Beads
Early 20th Century American Native American Folk Art
Wood, Paint
20th Century Canadian Native American Folk Art
Fur, Leather, Beads
Mid-20th Century American Native American Folk Art
Wood
20th Century American Native American Folk Art
Ceramic, Felt, Paint
Late 19th Century American Antique Native American Folk Art
Wool
20th Century American Native American Folk Art
Clay
1920s American Vintage Native American Folk Art
Willow
16th Century American Antique Native American Folk Art
Bone, Driftwood
20th Century Canadian Native American Folk Art
Fur, Leather, Wool
Mid-20th Century Canadian Native American Folk Art
Beads
20th Century American Native American Folk Art
Leather, Wood, Paint
20th Century American Native American Folk Art
Wool
Mid-20th Century Canadian Native American Folk Art
Birch
Mid-20th Century American Native American Folk Art
Wood
Late 19th Century American Antique Native American Folk Art
Hide
20th Century American Native American Folk Art
Wood, Paint
Early 20th Century American Native American Folk Art
Natural Fiber
1990s Native American Folk Art
Leather, Shell, Beads
Early 20th Century Mexican Native American Folk Art
Clay
Mid-20th Century Canadian Native American Folk Art
Soapstone
1990s Unknown Native American Folk Art
Ceramic
Mid-20th Century American Native American Folk Art
Wood
20th Century American Native American Folk Art
Ceramic, Paint
Late 19th Century American Antique Native American Folk Art
Wool
Late 20th Century American Native American Folk Art
Cedar
Mid-20th Century Canadian Native American Folk Art
Paper
Late 19th Century American Antique Native American Folk Art
Wool
Late 19th Century American Antique Native American Folk Art
Wool
Early 20th Century American Native American Folk Art
Wool
Early 20th Century Canadian Native American Folk Art
Straw
20th Century American Native American Folk Art
Fur, Leather, Wood, Paint
Mid-20th Century Canadian Native American Folk Art
Stone
Early 20th Century American Native American Folk Art
Wool
Early 20th Century American Native American Folk Art
Wool
2010s American Native American Folk Art
Cedar
20th Century American Native American Folk Art
Leather, Feathers, Wood, Paint
Early 20th Century American Native American Folk Art
Wool
Early 20th Century American Native American Folk Art
Wood
20th Century North American Native American Folk Art
Wool
Late 19th Century American Antique Native American Folk Art
Hide, Beads