Chairs
1790s French Directoire Antique Chairs
Wood
Mid-18th Century English Chippendale Antique Chairs
Mahogany
18th Century Portuguese Rococo Antique Chairs
Wood, Jacaranda, Fabric, Upholstery
1720s French Regency Antique Chairs
Early 20th Century French Louis XVI Chairs
Giltwood, Fabric
1940s French Art Deco Vintage Chairs
Mahogany, Faux Leather
1980s Chippendale Vintage Chairs
Mahogany
1960s American Hollywood Regency Vintage Chairs
Brass
1760s English Chippendale Antique Chairs
Upholstery, Mahogany
Late 19th Century Swedish Biedermeier Antique Chairs
Birch
19th Century English Regency Antique Chairs
Other
Early 18th Century French Louis XV Antique Chairs
Wood
20th Century English Chippendale Chairs
Hardwood
1950s French Louis XV Vintage Chairs
Walnut
19th Century English Regency Antique Chairs
Other
1930s Chippendale Vintage Chairs
Cotton, Mahogany
Late 18th Century Swedish Gustavian Antique Chairs
Wood
1750s French Louis XV Antique Chairs
Wood
18th Century and Earlier French Rococo Antique Chairs
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.
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