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Art Nouveau Armchairs

ART NOUVEAU STYLE

In its sinuous lines and flamboyant curves inspired by the natural world, antique Art Nouveau furniture reflects a desire for freedom from the stuffy social and artistic strictures of the Victorian era. The Art Nouveau movement developed in the decorative arts in France and Britain in the early 1880s and quickly became a dominant aesthetic style in Western Europe and the United States.

ORIGINS OF ART NOUVEAU FURNITURE DESIGN

CHARACTERISTICS OF ART NOUVEAU FURNITURE DESIGN

  • Sinuous, organic and flowing lines
  • Forms that mimic flowers and plant life
  • Decorative inlays and ornate carvings of natural-world motifs such as insects and animals 
  • Use of hardwoods such as oak, mahogany and rosewood

ART NOUVEAU FURNITURE DESIGNERS TO KNOW

ANTIQUE ART NOUVEAU FURNITURE ON 1STDIBS

Art Nouveau — which spanned furniture, architecture, jewelry and graphic design — can be easily identified by its lush, flowing forms suggested by flowers and plants, as well as the lissome tendrils of sea life. Although Art Deco and Art Nouveau were both in the forefront of turn-of-the-20th-century design, they are very different styles — Art Deco is marked by bold, geometric shapes while Art Nouveau incorporates dreamlike, floral motifs. The latter’s signature motif is the "whiplash" curve — a deep, narrow, dynamic parabola that appears as an element in everything from chair arms to cabinetry and mirror frames.

The visual vocabulary of Art Nouveau was particularly influenced by the soft colors and abstract images of nature seen in Japanese art prints, which arrived in large numbers in the West after open trade was forced upon Japan in the 1860s. Impressionist artists were moved by the artistic tradition of Japanese woodblock printmaking, and Japonisme — a term used to describe the appetite for Japanese art and culture in Europe at the time — greatly informed Art Nouveau. 

The Art Nouveau style quickly reached a wide audience in Europe via advertising posters, book covers, illustrations and other work by such artists as Aubrey Beardsley, Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec and Alphonse Mucha. While all Art Nouveau designs share common formal elements, different countries and regions produced their own variants.

In Scotland, the architect Charles Rennie Mackintosh developed a singular, restrained look based on scale rather than ornament; a style best known from his narrow chairs with exceedingly tall backs, designed for Glasgow tea rooms. Meanwhile in France, Hector Guimard — whose iconic 1896 entry arches for the Paris Metro are still in use — and Louis Majorelle produced chairs, desks, bed frames and cabinets with sweeping lines and rich veneers. 

The Art Nouveau movement was known as Jugendstil ("Youth Style") in Germany, and in Austria the designers of the Vienna Secession group — notably Koloman Moser, Josef Hoffmann and Joseph Maria Olbrich — produced a relatively austere iteration of the Art Nouveau style, which mixed curving and geometric elements.

Art Nouveau revitalized all of the applied arts. Ceramists such as Ernest Chaplet and Edmond Lachenal created new forms covered in novel and rediscovered glazes that produced thick, foam-like finishes. Bold vases, bowls and lighting designs in acid-etched and marquetry cameo glass by Émile Gallé and the Daum Freres appeared in France, while in New York the glass workshop-cum-laboratory of Louis Comfort Tiffany — the core of what eventually became a multimedia decorative-arts manufactory called Tiffany Studios — brought out buoyant pieces in opalescent favrile glass. 

Jewelry design was revolutionized, as settings, for the first time, were emphasized as much as, or more than, gemstones. A favorite Art Nouveau jewelry motif was insects (think of Tiffany, in his famed Dragonflies glass lampshade).

Like a mayfly, Art Nouveau was short-lived. The sensuous, languorous style fell out of favor early in the 20th century, deemed perhaps too light and insubstantial for European tastes in the aftermath of World War I. But as the designs on 1stDibs demonstrate, Art Nouveau retains its power to fascinate and seduce.

There are ways to tastefully integrate a touch of Art Nouveau into even the most modern interior — browse an extraordinary collection of original antique Art Nouveau furniture on 1stDibs, which includes decorative objects, seating, tables, garden elements and more.

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Style: Art Nouveau
Number in Set: Set of 7
French 1900s Design Bistro Rattan and Wicker Chair
Located in Tourcoing, FR
French Bistro Design rattan and wicker chair composed of a rattan structure, braided wicker back and seat with a red outline, famous at the beginning of the 20th century in Paris, it...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary French Art Nouveau Armchairs

Materials

Wicker, Rattan

French 1900s Design Rattan and Braided Rattan Wicker Cane Armchair
Located in Tourcoing, FR
French 1900s Design rattan and wicker armchair composed of a rattan structure, braided rattan wicker cane back and seat , famous at the beginning of the 20th century all around Franc...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary French Art Nouveau Armchairs

Materials

Wicker, Rattan

Antoni Gaudi Calvet Armchair: a Timeless Piece of Art and Craftsmanship
Located in Barcelona, Barcelona
Introducing the Antoni Gaudi Calvet Armchair, a timeless piece of art and craftsmanship that is a must-have for design enthusiasts and collectors. Designed by the renowned architect ...
Category

2010s Spanish Art Nouveau Armchairs

Materials

Oak

Antoni Gaudi Calvet Armchair
Located in Barcelona, Barcelona
Calvet armchair designed by Antoni Gaudi manufactured by BD design. Solid varnished oak. Measures: 52 x 65 x 95 H cm. A company that has alwa...
Category

2010s Spanish Art Nouveau Armchairs

Materials

Oak

Unusual Art Nouveau Set, 1 Sofa, 2 Armchairs, 4 Chairs, Country, France, 1900
Located in Ciudad Autónoma Buenos Aires, C
Incredible Art Nouveau Game. 1 Sofa 2 Armchairs 4 chairs Material: Wood, reupholstered with springs and elastic band (as it was in the old days) Country: France If you are looking f...
Category

Early 1900s French Antique Art Nouveau Armchairs

Materials

Wood

Antoni Gaudi Calvet Armchair
Located in Barcelona, Barcelona
Calvet armchair designed by Antoni Gaudi manufactured by BD design, Solid varnished oak. Measures: 52 x 65 x 95 H cm. A company that has alwa...
Category

2010s Spanish Art Nouveau Armchairs

Materials

Oak

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Art Dèco Italian Walnut and Velvet Sofa Two Armchairs and Ottomans, 1920s
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Organic Handcrafted Wabi Sabi Armchair in Solid Wood, Swedish Modern, 1900s
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Lounge Italian Set Sofa and Two Armchairs Design Gigi Radice for Minotti, 1960s
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Travasa Giovanni per Bonacina Rattan and Wicker Garden Arm Chair, 1960
Located in Rome, IT
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Antique Bentwood Armchair or Bistro Chair, 1950s
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Antique Bentwood Armchair or Bistro Chair, 1950s
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Near Pair of 19th Century French Rattan Armchairs
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1900s French Upholstered Dining Chairs, Set of Six
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Previously Available Items
French 1900s Art Nouveau Design Style Rattan And Wicker Bistrot Chair
Located in Tourcoing, FR
French Bistro Design Style rattan and wicker chair composed of an all bent rattan structure adorned with handbraided wicker rattan seat. It will be perfe...
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21st Century and Contemporary Unknown Art Nouveau Armchairs

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French 1900s Art Nouveau Design Style Rattan and Wicker Bistrot Chair
Located in Tourcoing, FR
French Bistro Design style rattan and wicker chair composed of an all rattan structure adorned with handbraided wicker seat. It will be perfect in your t...
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JE T'attends Armchair Black Leather
Located in Milano, IT
JE T'attends armchair is part of the Esprit Noir Capsule Collection. JE T'attends armchair is composed of a wooden shell padded with differentiated density polyurethane foam with a ...
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2010s Italian Art Nouveau Armchairs

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Metal

JE T'attends Armchair Black Leather
JE T'attends Armchair Black Leather
H 28.35 in W 32.29 in D 41.34 in
JE T'Attends Armchair Velvet
Located in Milano, IT
JE T'Attends armchair is part of the Esprit Noir Capsule Collection. JE T'Attends armchair is composed of a wooden shell padded with differentiated density polyurethane foam with a ...
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JE T'Attends Armchair Velvet
JE T'Attends Armchair Velvet
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Art Nouveau armchairs for sale on 1stDibs.

Find a broad range of unique Art Nouveau armchairs for sale on 1stDibs. Many of these items were first offered in the 21st Century and Contemporary, but contemporary artisans have continued to produce works inspired by this style. If you’re looking to add vintage armchairs created in this style to your space, the works available on 1stDibs include seating, building and garden elements, more furniture and collectibles and other home furnishings, frequently crafted with wood, fabric and other materials. If you’re shopping for used Art Nouveau armchairs made in a specific country, there are Europe, Austria, and France pieces for sale on 1stDibs. While there are many designers and brands associated with original armchairs, popular names associated with this style include Jacob and Josef Kohn, Gebrüder Thonet Vienna GmbH, Josef Hoffmann, and Thonet. It’s true that these talented designers have at times inspired knockoffs, but our experienced specialists have partnered with only top vetted sellers to offer authentic pieces that come with a buyer protection guarantee. Prices for armchairs differ depending upon multiple factors, including designer, materials, construction methods, condition and provenance. On 1stDibs, the price for these items starts at $428 and tops out at $120,000 while the average work can sell for $3,766.

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