After the Muslim conquest of the Iberian Peninsula in the eighth century, Islamic Spain became a cultural mix of influences that shaped both private homes and religious spaces. Moorish design was the name given to this style, which evolved through the 15th century with vibrant tile work, horseshoe arches and lavish ornamentation, most visible at sites such as Granada’s Alhambra and the Mosque-Cathedral of Córdoba. Moorish furniture was often similarly ornate, and featured pieces inlaid with wood, ivory and bone.
When European designers began studying Moorish art and architecture in the early 19th century, it led to a Moorish Revival. Appropriating the style’s decorative flourishes and architectural elements, it promoted a romantic view of Islamic design. Travelers could bring home a memento of what they witnessed in the Middle East, a trend that aligned with a fad for themed interiors. Men’s smoking rooms arranged with ottomans, divans and settees and inlaid tables were especially popular, as were cafés where coffee was served amid bead curtains and colorful floor mats. (Handwoven rugs are a centerpiece of Moorish interiors.) Octagonal rooms with domed ceilings were created for wealthy homes, frequently with furnishings like pipe stands, filigree plasterwork and arched doorways. The horseshoe arch is an iconic attribute of Moorish architecture that, in addition to Spain, can be found in Sicily, Morocco and elsewhere.
Several late 19th to early 20th-century movements featured Moorish touches. The American and English Aesthetic Movement, for example, borrowed liberally from global decorating styles, as seen in furniture designed by Lockwood de Forest, a New York-born artist who mixed Eastern and Western forms. The visual vocabulary of Art Nouveau also references the elegant use of geometry in Moorish design, with Milanese Art Nouveau furniture designer Carlo Bugatti drawing inspiration from the style. The Arts and Crafts movement, which prized expressive yet simple design, incorporated Moorish influences; hand-painted furniture and tile work created by William De Morgan, a British designer and potter who made furnishings for the likes of Morris & Co., were informed by techniques from Moorish Spain.
Find a collection of Moorish lighting, decorative objects, folk art and more furniture on 1stDibs.
19th Century Moorish Egyptian Pearl Inlaid Folding Chair
Located in Moreno Valley, CA
Antique Middle Eastern Moorish walnut wood folding chair with intricate foliate carving and mother of pearl, shell inlays. Moroccan Moorish style folding chair inlaid with mother of...
Wood
Moorish Egyptian 19th Century Folding Chair Inlaid
Located in Moreno Valley, CA
Antique Middle Eastern Moorish walnut wood folding chair with intricate foliate carving and mother of pearl, shell inlays. Moroccan Moorish style folding chair inlaid with mother of...
Wood
Moorish Folding Chair, Walnut Wood, Mother of Pearl Inlay, Egypt, 1880
Located in Moreno Valley, CA
Antique Middle Eastern Egyptian Moorish walnut wood folding chair with intricate foliate carving and mother of pearl, shell inlays. Arabian Syrian styl...
Wood
Moorish Moroccan 19th Century Folding Chair Inlaid
Located in Moreno Valley, CA
Antique Middle Eastern Moorish walnut wood folding chair with intricate foliate carving and mother of pearl, shell inlays. Moroccan Moorish style folding chair inlaid with mother of...
Wood
Chinese Hongmu Corner Chair, 19th Century
Located in Ottawa, Ontario
A Chinese Hongmu corner chair, 19th century. The horseshoe-form back with molded crest above a pair of open carved splats with fruiting and fl...
Wood
Late 19th Century Tete-a-Tete
Located in New York, NY
Late 19th century Tete a Tete with carved wood frame and an upholstered, linen-blend, cushioned seats.
Upholstery, Wood
Pair of 19th Century Carved Oak Corner Chairs
Located in High Point, NC
Pair of 19th century carved oak corner chairs from England with a wonderfully carved back, supports and arms, all depicting acanthus leaves and scrolls. The seats have wonderful carv...
Oak
$395Sale Price|55% Off
H 33.25 in W 27 in D 21.5 in
Chinese Mother of Pearl Intricately Inlaid Corner Chair
Located in Miami, FL
Chinese Mother of Pearl Fine Intricately Inlaid Corner Chair Offered for sale is a lovely Chinese mother-of-pearl inlaid padouk wood corner chair with sturdy cross stretchers suppo...
Mother-of-Pearl, Padouk
$1,903
H 29.53 in W 15.36 in D 35.44 in
African Solid Wood Folding Chair Design Ethnic Carved, circa 1970
Located in Ternay, Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes
African chair made of solid wood, known as a "palaver" chair. The two-part structure can be disassembled, handcrafted and decorated with geometric patterns on the seat and along the ...
Wood
Moorish Style Burmese Elephant Howdah Seat, 19th Century Rosewood
Located in Waxahachie, TX
19th Century Burmese Elephant Howdah Seat. The upholstered seat cushion is newer than the wood seat. The cushion is probably 1960-70s. Has zipper...
Rosewood
Mid-Century Modern Ninfea Folding Side Chair by Gio Ponti, Italy
By Gio Ponti
Located in West Palm Beach, FL
A light-brown, vintage Mid-Century Modern Italian Ninfea folding side chair made of hand crafted polished Walnut, designed by Gio Ponti, in good condition. The seat backrest of singl...
Leather, Walnut
$2,855Sale Price / set|20% Off
H 41.74 in W 30.71 in D 31.5 in
Pair of English Armchairs in Velvet and Walnut Wood
Located in Milano, IT
Gorgeous pair of velvet armchairs of English manufacture of the late 1800s. The beautiful armchairs have a walnut wood structure and have been lined with sand colored velvet tending...
Velvet, Walnut
$6,700Sale Price|28% Off
H 32 in W 25 in D 29 in
Alan Siegel Post-Modern Craftsman 'Tongue' Chair, Signed & Dated 1981
By Alan Siegel
Located in Los Angeles, CA
This work of Post-Modern functional art is called the 'Tongue' chair by artist and sculptor Alan Siegel, exhibited in 1981 at the Betsy Rosenfield Gallery in Chicago. Signed and dated (1981) by the artist underneath the seat. Carved from Maple and Black Walnut, this gorgeous piece of art is something unique, fun and whimsical, and ideal for art and design collectors and investors. This incredible chair, which in of itself is a sculpture of collectible fine art, was designed as a figural man's head where the backrest is comprised of the hair and eyes along with a sculpted nose, teeth and mustache. The tongue makes the seat and below that for the legs of the chair is the beard and chin. Other Alan Siegel chairs were present in the exhibition such as the 'Smiling Bandit' chair and 'Laughing Bandit' chair which were also carved from Maple and Black Walnut. Ideal for Modern and Post-Modern homes, also consider for Mid-Century Modern, Contemporary, Transitional and Mixed-styled rooms. Works great as a side chair, hallway chair, entryway chair, occasional chair, captains chair for a dining table or game table, reading chair or fireside chair, or office desk or guest chair. ARTIST EXHIBITIONS: 2017 Galeria Nudo, San Miguel de Allende, Mexico 2013 Kleinart James Gallery, Woodstock, NY 2013 Galeria Manuel Chacon, Fabrica La Aurora, San Miguel de Allende, Mexico 2011 Galeria Atelier, San Miguel de Allende, Mexico 2004 Galeria le Noir, Mexico 2002 Franklin Parrasch Gallery, New York, NY 2001 Franklin Parrasch Gallery, New York, NY 2000 Elena Zang Gallery, Woodstock (Shady), NY Nancy Hoffman...
Wood
$450
H 30.5 in W 17.75 in D 22.5 in
Mid-Century Saarinen Style Dining or Cocktail Chair in Light Teal Velvet
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Mid-Century dining or cocktail chair. Designed in a style that's very reminiscent of Finnish designing great Eero Saarinen. The chair has handsomely tapered blonde wood legs and has ...
Upholstery, Wood
Pair of Coconut Shell Chairs with Mother of Pearl Inlay
Located in New York, NY
Pair of coconut shell chairs with curved backs and mother-of-pearl inlay detail at top. Paris, France, circa 1990s.
Coconut
Classic Vintage Charles and Ray Eames for Herman Miller DCM chair
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Classic Vintage Charles and Ray Eames for Herman Miller DCM chair.
Chrome
19th Century Middle Eastern Egyptian Moorish Corner Chairs
Located in Moreno Valley, CA
Antique late 19th century Middle Eastern Egyptian Moorish side chairs finely hand carved with intricate wood fretwork and inlaid with shell. Nice mouchar...
Wood, Shell