Chairs
Mid-20th Century British Rococo Chairs
Composition
Mid-18th Century Swedish Rococo Antique Chairs
Mid-18th Century Italian Rococo Antique Chairs
Upholstery, Walnut
1950s French Rococo Vintage Chairs
1950s French Louis XV Vintage Chairs
Fabric, Oak
1950s French Vintage Chairs
Straw, Ash
1950s British Mid-Century Modern Vintage Chairs
Walnut, Plywood
Mid-20th Century European Mid-Century Modern Chairs
Oak
19th Century French Rococo Antique Chairs
Wood
Early 20th Century Chinese Ming Chairs
Rosewood
1920s Swedish Modern Vintage Chairs
Velvet, Oak
Late 19th Century European Rococo Revival Antique Chairs
Brass
Mid-20th Century Czech Mid-Century Modern Chairs
Ash, Beech, Bentwood
1950s French Modern Vintage Chairs
Steel
1950s Belgian Brutalist Vintage Chairs
Oak
2010s Spanish Country Chairs
Wrought Iron
Shop Antique and Vintage Chairs on 1stDibs: Lounge Chairs, Dining Chairs and Other Seating for Sale
Chairs are an indispensable component of your home and office. Can you imagine your life without the vintage, new or antique chairs you love?
With the exception of rocking chairs, the majority of the seating in our homes today — Windsor chairs, chaise longues, wingback chairs — originated in either England or France. Art Nouveau chairs, the style of which also originated in those regions, embraced the inherent magnificence of the natural world with decorative flourishes and refined designs that blended both curved and geometric contour lines. While craftsmanship and styles have evolved in the past century, chairs have had a singular significance in our lives, no matter what your favorite chair looks like.
“The chair is the piece of furniture that is closest to human beings,” said Hans Wegner. The revered Danish cabinetmaker and furniture designer was prolific, having designed nearly 500 chairs over the course of his lifetime. His beloved designs include the Wishbone chair, the wingback Papa Bear chair and many more.
Other designers of Scandinavian modernist chairs introduced new dynamics to this staple with sculptural flowing lines, curvaceous shapes and efficient functionality. The Paimio armchair, Swan chair and Panton chair are vintage works of Finnish and Danish seating that left an indelible mark on the history of good furniture design.
“What works good is better than what looks good, because what works good lasts,” said Ray Eames.
Visionary polymaths Ray and Charles Eames experimented with bent plywood and fiberglass with the goal of producing affordable furniture for a mass market. Like other celebrated mid-century modern furniture designers of elegant low-profile furnishings — among them Ludwig Mies van der Rohe and Finn Juhl — the Eameses considered ergonomic support, durability and cost, all of which should be top of mind when shopping for the perfect chair. The mid-century years yielded many popular chairs.
The Eameses introduced numerous icons for manufacturer Herman Miller, such as the Eames lounge chair and ottoman, molded plywood dining chairs the DCM and DCW (which can be artfully mismatched around your dining table) and a wealth of other treasured pieces for the home and office.
A good chair anchors us to a place and can become an object of timeless appeal. Take a seat and browse the rich variety of vintage, new and antique chairs on 1stDibs today.