There is rare surviving furniture from ancient Greece, yet this classical style has informed design for centuries. Interiors of houses in antiquity were minimal, with much of a room’s color coming from frescoes on the walls and mosaics on the floors. Classical Greek furniture was sparing but finely crafted and influenced by Egyptian furniture design through Mediterranean trade.
Furnishings of the period were usually made from local wood like cypress, cedar, oak and willow from ancient Greece’s plentiful forests, although some pieces were carved from marble, such as a 300–200 B.C. throne with lion legs and a curved back now at the Getty Villa. Comfort and clean lines characterized designs during the Classical era, the symmetry and thoughtful proportions reflecting the architecture of Greek temples.
Some pieces of ancient Greek furniture were simple, rectangular platforms like the klinē, a multipurpose ancestor of today’s couches or daybeds that held cushions stuffed with wool, dry grass or down. These structures were used for both sleeping and dining, which wealthy Greeks did while reclining. At night, oil lamps illuminated rooms that frequently surrounded a garden courtyard.
Most of what scholars have learned about Greek furniture design owes to its representations in art like vases and stelae. The portable diphros stool, with its backless design and four turned legs, was one of the more common types of seating in daily Greek life — it appears as such for the gods on the Parthenon frieze. Stools without backs have been found in early Roman tombs, while benches were also common Greek seating furniture created for use in theaters. In houses of the Hellenistic period, benches seemingly functioned as tables, too.
Some designs evolved through adaptations by the Romans, including the klismos chair. After prominent archaeological excavations at Pompeii and Herculaneum, the klismos chair — with its four saber legs and the elegant curves that define its back — was a source of inspiration for aesthetics in eras ranging from 18th-century neoclassicism to 20th-century Art Deco.
Find a collection of Classical Greek decorative objects, wall decorations and building and garden elements on 1stDibs.
$1,950 / item
Lucite Klismos Chair in Malachite Print Fabric
Located in North Hollywood, CA
Lucite Klismos chair upholstered in malachite print fabric in the style of Charles Hollis Jones. It is made in 2012 by Los Angeles based company Shahrooz. Total two chairs available....
Lucite
$4,920 / item
Contemporary Iron Klismos Chair
Located in New Orleans, LA
The classic iron klismos chair from the Tara Shaw Maison collection is adorned with palm frond motifs and a delicate bronze-colored knot. This chair makes a statement with a variety ...
Iron
Customizable Black Woven Leather Saber Legs Klismos Chairs Other Colors Possible
Located in IT
Klismos customizable dining chairs with saber legs, black lacquered wood and black woven leather seats. Available in other colors and upholstery. Klismos are walnut wood chairs wi...
Leather, Walnut
$4,650 / set
Pair of Italian Hollywood Regency Klismos Chairs
Located in Houston, TX
Stunning pair of Italian Hollywood Regency klismos style chairs. These chic high style Italian side chairs are painted a soft gray/green with gilt accents and have great splayed legs or saber legs. Our vintage Klismos chairs...
Wood
A Pair of Art Deco Style "Klismos" Chairs
Located in Chicago, IL
These luxurious horseshoe-back chairs exude modern glamour while their design recalls the "klismos" chairs of ancient Greece. The erect seating posture, with outward-splayed legs and...
Walnut
" Klismos"chair, 19th century
Located in Paris, Ile-de-France
"Klismos" chair Stained walnut Of unusual design, the chair has a curved back attached to the seat by a triple support, Square seat, saber feet. England or Northern Europe, mid or late 19th century A design developed by the Greeks in the 5th century BC, the Klismos chair...
Wood
Pair of Italian Mid-Century Modern Side Chairs
Located in Buchanan, NY
A sophisticated pair of 1950s Italian sidechairs in green leather with wicker backs and brass detailing. Add some classic mid-century modern elegance to your home with this gorgeous pair of 1950s Italian side chairs...
Upholstery
Klismos black chair
By Pescetta
Located in IT
Classic and elegant Klismos customizable dining chairs with saber legs, black lacquered wood and leather seats. Available in other colors and upholstery. Italian artisanal production by Pescetta Home Decoration...
Leather, Wood
$21,500 / set
H 35.44 in W 29.93 in D 22.84 in
Early Matching Pair, T.H. Robsjohn-Gibbings Klismos Chairs for Saridis of Athens
By Saridis, T.H. Robsjohn-Gibbings
Located in Dronten, NL
Exceptional pair of early Klismos chairs by T.H. Robsjohn-Gibbings for Saridis of Athens, crafted in dark-stained walnut and retaining their original character and authenticity throu...
Leather, Walnut
Eames Time Life Chair in Black Leather for Herman Miller, 1980s USA
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Classic Eames Time Life swivel chair in black leather for Herman Miller. Original black leather with wear as shown. Extremely comfortable and worn in. Chair swivels. Chair reclines. ...
Aluminum
$1,950 / set
H 31.25 in W 20.25 in D 15 in
Vintage Boho Donghia “Anziano” Leather Klismos Chairs - A Pair
By Donghia
Located in West Palm Beach, FL
Discover an icon of modern design with this striking pair of Vintage Donghia "Anziano" Klismos Chairs, a testament to sleek sophistication and architectural elegance. Originally conc...
Metal
Fabricius Kastholm Leather 'Bird' Chairs
By Jørgen Kastholm & Preben Fabricius, Kill International
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Beautiful modern leather and aluminum office chairs in original black leather. Higher back version. Designed in the 60s by Jørgen Kastholm & Preben Fabricius for Alfred Kill's KILL I...
Aluminum
Black Kilta Chair by Olli Mannermaa
Located in Dronten, NL
This elegant Kilta chair was designed by Finland designer Olli Mannermaa for Martela. The Kilta chair is a Finnish design Classic. Kilta’s timeless design and very comfortable seati...
Steel
Golden Woven Leather Saber Legs Klismos Style Chairs
Located in IT
Klismos customizable dining chairs with saber legs, golden lacquered wood and black woven leather seats. Available in other colors and upholstery. Italian artisanal production by Pescetta Home Decoration. Klismos are walnut wood chairs with deep and large seat and back wraparound feeling backrest. These chairs are made in Italy. They are realized according to the historical model named "Klismos" which is a type of ancient Greek chair...
Wood
Pair of 19th Century Klismos Chairs
Located in New York, NY
A pair 19th century Danish Klismos chairs. Collected in Copenhagen elegant pair of late 19th century Danish Klismos Chairs. Ebonized hardwood wi...
Hardwood
Pair of Regency Ebonized Klismos Side Chairs
Located in Essex, MA
Each with a curved wide seat rail with grape leaves and grapes central decoration, upholstered seat, raised on exaggerated saber legs. Provenance; Estate of William Hodgins, Interior...
Wood
Boston Classical Mahogany Side Chair
Located in Essex, MA
Reupholstered rounded back and straight seat raised on turned legs and casters.
Mahogany
Contemporary Klismos Chair in Stainless Steel and Fine Leather Seat Mesh
Located in San Francisco, CA
We know about klismos chairs thanks to ancient Greek art, but how did this forgotten furniture item actually work its way back into our homes? That story begins in 1748 CE. Surveyors in southern Italy accidentally unearthed parts of an ancient Roman city, buried in layers of volcanic ash. The discovery of Pompeii and Herculaneum sparked a cultural obsession with all things Greek and Roman. In art, neoclassical sculpture flourished. In architecture, Greek and Roman Revival styles spread through major cities. After 1776, even the brand new United States jumped eagerly on the neoclassical bandwagon, seeing this as a way to create an ideological parallel between Roman and American republics. So, what exactly defines the klismos chair...
Stainless Steel
Italian Brass Chair with Greek Key Design
Located in St.Petersburg, FL
An unusual Italian brass chair with Greek key design, circa 1960s.
Brass
T.H. Robsjohn-Gibbings Walnut Klismos Chair, circa 1965
Located in New York, NY
T.H. Robsjohn-Gibbings (1905-1976) A classical klismos style Greek walnut side chair with warm brown finish and caramel-colored leather woven seat. Executed by Saridis, Athens Signed with metal label under seat American, circa 1965 This chair model is notably documented on the cover of "Furniture of Classical Greece," written by Robsjohn-Gibbings and Carlton W. Pullin in 1963. We love what Pilar Viladas said about this iconic design in the New York Times in 2010: "T. H. Robsjohn-Gibbings’s klismos chair looks ancient and modern at the same time, because it is. Based on ancient Greek models, which had been widely copied in the 18th and 19th centuries, Robsjohn-Gibbings’s version made the klismos shape famous again in the 20th century. Obsessed with its elegant lines, he designed versions of the chair throughout his career, but the most recent examples have been made by Saridis in Athens since the early 1960s, when the designer met the company’s owners and settled in the Greek capital. It's simple but opulent curves hint at sleek penthouses with butlers who serve cocktails on the terrace at sunset. (Indeed, Robsjohn-Gibbings’s Saridis...
Leather, Wood
Pair of Klismos Style Side Chairs
Located in Chicago, IL
A modern take on the Greek classic, these chairs feature U-shaped barrel-like backs and deep bucket seats. Raised on square tapered legs—the front straight, while the back are splaye...
Upholstery, Walnut