Armchairs
1910s Austrian Jugendstil Vintage Armchairs
Fabric, Bamboo
1910s Italian Art Nouveau Vintage Armchairs
Beech, Straw
1910s Austrian Art Deco Vintage Armchairs
Early 1900s Austrian Art Nouveau Antique Armchairs
Fabric, Wood
1960s American Modern Vintage Armchairs
Beech
Mid-20th Century American Chinese Chippendale Armchairs
Wood
2010s Brazilian Armchairs
Upholstery, Cane, Hardwood
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Mid-Century Modern Armchairs
Velvet, Wood, Ebony
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Armchairs
Straw, Beech
Early 20th Century Austrian Biedermeier Armchairs
Beech
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Armchairs
Straw, Beech
Early 20th Century Austrian Vienna Secession Armchairs
Bentwood
2010s Italian Modern Armchairs
Wool, Upholstery, Wood
Early 20th Century Austrian Art Deco Armchairs
Beech, Bentwood
Early 20th Century Austrian Jugendstil Armchairs
Beech
1910s Czech Vienna Secession Vintage Armchairs
Velvet, Beech
1910s English Vintage Armchairs
Leather
1910s Austrian Art Nouveau Vintage Armchairs
Leather, Wood
1910s English Edwardian Vintage Armchairs
Leather
1910s Austrian Vienna Secession Vintage Armchairs
Leather
1910s Austrian Art Nouveau Vintage Armchairs
Silk, Beech
1910s Vintage Armchairs
Leather
1910s Swedish Vintage Armchairs
Leather
1910s Austrian Vienna Secession Vintage Armchairs
Velvet
1910s Austrian Aesthetic Movement Vintage Armchairs
Bentwood
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.