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Empire Daybeds

EMPIRE STYLE

From 1804–15, Napoléon I reigned as the emperor of France, bringing the country into a new era of opulence after the fall of the monarchy and the tumultuous years of the French Revolution. He declared, “We must have very solid things, made to last 100 years.” Empire-style furniture followed suit, with imposing pieces constructed from mahogany and adorned with gilded ornaments. Expanding on the neoclassicism popularized in the previous century — such as in ​​Louis XVI style — Empire style borrowed from the great civilizations of antiquity, from Egypt to Greece and Rome, to connect this nascent empire to the power of the past.

Napoléon I believed the production of fine furniture would reflect the stature of the republic, with his official architects Charles Percier and Pierre-François-Léonard Fontaine leading the way with their work on his residences.

Luxurious materials, symmetrical shapes and bold colors characterize antique Empire-style bedroom furniture, armchairs, cabinets and other structures, with frequent motifs including mythological creatures, geometric designs, acanthus leaves, eagles, bees (the imperial emblem) and swans, a favorite of Empress Joséphine.

Flat surfaces, like marble tabletops, were accented with decadent details, such as the bronze furniture mounts made by sculptor Pierre-Philippe Thomire for the French palaces. Martin-Guillaume Biennais, who worked as the imperial goldsmith, crafted intricate luxury objects that mixed wood, fine metal, mother-of-pearl and ivory. Ormolu — or elaborate bronze gilding — was essential to French design in the 18th and 19th centuries as a cornerstone of the neoclassical and Empire styles.

The style became popular abroad, influencing the American Empire style. Stately pieces carved with sprigs of olives by cabinetmaker Pierre-Antoine Bellange were acquired by American President James Monroe for the White House in 1817.

Find a collection of antique Empire tables, lighting, seating and other furniture on 1stDibs.

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Style: Empire
French Empire Day Bed or Window Seat Upholstered in Linen on Walnut Frame
Located in Austin, TX
A fine French Empire day bed or window seat from the late 19th century featuring an elegant frame of patinated walnut often associated with the Louis Philippe or Empire style, recent...
Category

19th Century French Antique Empire Daybeds

Materials

Wood, Linen, Upholstery, Walnut

Antique Early 19th Century French Empire Daybed
Located in LOS ANGELES, CA
Category

Early 19th Century French Antique Empire Daybeds

Materials

Bronze

Superb Bronze Mounted Eagle French Empire Mahogany Empire Daybed Chaise
By Charles-Honoré Lannuier
Located in Swedesboro, NJ
This superb French Empire mahogany daybed chaise is a striking example of early 19th-century neoclassical elegance, richly adorned with gilded bronze mounts. Crafted in the Empire st...
Category

1850s French Antique Empire Daybeds

Materials

Bronze

19th Century French Empire Period Daybed
Located in Gloucestershire, GB
Elegant 19th Century French mahogany Period Empire meridienne or day bed of lovely proportions. With bronze escutcheons and floral roundels to both sides. Two bolster cushions. A bea...
Category

19th Century French Antique Empire Daybeds

Materials

Upholstery, Mahogany

Ebonized Empire Recamiere , Austria Ca. 1800's
Located in New York, NY
Fine ebonized Austrian Empire recamiere. Ebonized wood featuring elegantly curved sides and four highly detailed carved lions paw feet with giltwood accents.This fully restored large...
Category

Early 1800s Austrian Antique Empire Daybeds

Materials

Wood, Giltwood

French 19th Century Empire Mahogany & Bronze Twin Size Daybed
Located in Los Angeles, CA
French 19th Century Empire mahogany twin size daybed with applied bronze decorations. Structurally sound with repair done on legs, see photos. Nice finish, bolt together construction...
Category

Late 19th Century French Antique Empire Daybeds

Materials

Bronze

Antique 19th Century French Empire Gold Bronze & Mahogany "Lit de Repos" Daybed.
Located in New Orleans, LA
Antique 19th century French Empire Gold Bronze & Mahogany "Lit de Repos" Daybed.
Category

19th Century French Antique Empire Daybeds

Materials

Bronze

1980s Empire Style Sculptural Daybed Bench Ottoman
Located in Fort Lauderdale, FL
On offer on this occasion is one of the most stunning, versatile piece you could hope to find. This is an ultra-rare opportunity to acquire what is, unequivocally, the best of the be...
Category

1980s English Vintage Empire Daybeds

Materials

Upholstery, Wood

French Empire Recamier Mahogany & Painted Daybed 18Th. C.
Located in West Palm Beach, FL
French Empire Recamier Mahogany & Painted Daybed, late 18Th C. This Recamier can float in a room as the back is also upholstered or be against the wall. This fabulous large dayb...
Category

18th Century French Antique Empire Daybeds

Materials

Mahogany

French Empire Style Mahogany Daybed with Ormolu Mounts and Velvet Upholstery
Located in Chicago, IL
20th century French Empire style mahogany daybed on casters with ormolu gilt bronze mounts in floral/thistle decoration and original wood jo...
Category

20th Century French Empire Daybeds

Materials

Ormolu

Continental Austrian Mahogany Recamier
Located in Queens, NY
Continental Austrian Empire-style (Circa 1835) small mahogany recamier with bronze eagle trim and green upholstery
Category

19th Century Austrian Antique Empire Daybeds

Materials

Bronze

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Vladamir Kagan "Dune" Chaise/ Daybed by Barlow Tyrie
Located in Highland, IN
Kagan's design for Barlow Tyrie is a perfect example of his design aesthetic. The undulating, organic form that references a nautilus envelopes the sitter and provides a small table surface. The nesting ottoman...
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21st Century and Contemporary American Empire Daybeds

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Upholstery, Wicker

Sculptural form brass day bed by Osvaldo Borsani, Arredamento Borsani, circa 1958
Located in bergen op zoom, NL
Beautiful and important sculpturakl form brass single bed or day bed circa 1958-1963 by Osvaldo Borsani for 'Arredamento Borsani', Varedo , Italy. The small series of Borsani beds designed were produced in several different designs ,each in very limited numbers and all hand made by the Arredamento Borsani in Varedo, italy. This series of beds never went into serial industrial production , a fact confirmed to me by the Arredamento Borsani archives. Beginning in the late 1950s,Osvaldo Borsani went on to collaborate with many great artists such as Lucio Fontana, Fausto Melotti, Agenore Fabbri, Aligi Sassu and Arnaldo Pomodoro, amongst others entrusting each to provide decorative elements to his designs. The brass headboard features a series of heavy cast solid brass interlocking geometric elements each featuring a beautiful organic three dimensional surface finish creating a supremely elegant and timeless repetitive motif . The bed still retains all its original decorative brass nuts ,bolts and finials which feature the same three dimensional decorative finish as the decorative sculptural forms contained in the headboard. We have had a new bespoke mattress and bolster pillow made with a natural latex foam surface as they would have originally had which also has the benefit that latex breathes. The mattress has an opulent decorative buttoned finish . Botht the mattress and pillow have been finished in 100% wool 'PLOEGWOOL' fabric by the high quality Dutch fabric manufacturer DE PLOEG. MATTRESS DIMENSIONS : Width 100cm x length 200cm / 3ft 3.37inch x 6ft 6.74inch BOLSTER PILLOW DIMENSIONS: Width 100cm diameter 24cm / 3ft 3.37inch x 9.45inch The mattress is supported on a 20mm ( 0.75 inch ) thick plywood board ,with breathing holes, which spans across the transverse brass plated steel frame elements. When used as a day bed SEATING...
Category

1950s Italian Vintage Empire Daybeds

Materials

Brass

Sculptural form brass day bed by Osvaldo Borsani, Arredamento Borsani, circa 1958
Sculptural form brass day bed by Osvaldo Borsani, Arredamento Borsani, circa 1958
$6,800 Sale Price
30% Off
H 48.04 in W 42.13 in D 81.11 in
Upholstered Daybed Chaise Longues
Located in Sheffield, MA
Graceful and inviting, the recamier chaise with arched back and rolled arm. The fainting couch is upholstered but it does show some ware. Although made in the Victorian period, it ...
Category

Late 19th Century Antique Empire Daybeds

Materials

Upholstery

Upholstered Daybed Chaise Longues
Upholstered Daybed Chaise Longues
$2,400
H 34 in W 70 in D 32 in
Mahogany neoclassical daybed, 19th c.
Located in Lisboa, PT
Neoclassical lounge chair, daybed, recamier in carved mahogany with the back describing a wave. France, 19th c.
Category

19th Century French Antique Empire Daybeds

Materials

Mahogany

Mahogany neoclassical daybed, 19th c.
Mahogany neoclassical daybed, 19th c.
$4,233
H 40.16 in W 28.35 in D 78.75 in
French Restauration Period Mahogany and Gilt Bronze Daybed
Located in London, GB
This grand daybed would make a fantastic addition to a traditional lounge room: framed in dark mahogany and upholstered in green and gold striped silk, the daybed is a fine work of a...
Category

Early 19th Century French Antique Empire Daybeds

Materials

Ormolu, Bronze

French Restauration Period Mahogany and Gilt Bronze Daybed
French Restauration Period Mahogany and Gilt Bronze Daybed
$10,449
H 39.38 in W 78.75 in D 35.04 in
19th Century French Napoleon III Walnut Daybed or Bench
Located in Rio Vista, CA
Distinctive 19th century walnut daybed or bench seat made in the grand French Napoleon III period. The walnut frame features large round padd...
Category

19th Century French Antique Empire Daybeds

Materials

Fabric, Walnut

French Early 20th Century Folding Iron Bed
Located in Buchanan, NY
French iron bed, circa 1900, made to be used against the wall. The iron has a nice natural patina. The bed is sold alone, it does not include a mattre...
Category

Early 20th Century French Empire Daybeds

Materials

Iron

French Early 20th Century Folding Iron Bed
French Early 20th Century Folding Iron Bed
$2,800
H 39 in W 76 in D 48 in
19th Century French Louis XV Period Carved Walnut Daybed
Located in Miami, FL
Magnificent 18th century French Louis XV period daybed. The bed needs a reupholstered , we can do it with the color velvet you choose.
Category

Late 19th Century French Antique Empire Daybeds

Materials

Velvet, Walnut

19th Century French Louis XV Period Carved Walnut Daybed
19th Century French Louis XV Period Carved Walnut Daybed
$3,112 Sale Price
20% Off
H 31.5 in W 80.71 in D 34.26 in
Dovetailed Platform Bed in Ash, Queen Size
Located in Princeton, NJ
This bed is designed to accommodate a contemporary aesthetic. This design is carefully handmade, featuring detailed construction and traditional technique which utilizes the interloc...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary American Empire Daybeds

Materials

Ash

Dovetailed Platform Bed in Ash, Queen Size
Dovetailed Platform Bed in Ash, Queen Size
$3,850 / item
H 10 in W 85 in D 64 in
Hans J. Wegner Versatile Chaise Lounge or Daybed in Oak
Located in Waalwijk, NL
Hans J. Wegner for GETAMA, chaise lounge with ottoman model GE01, oak, metal, fabric, Denmark, design 1954 This chaise lounge consists out of two sections. An adjustable lounge chai...
Category

1950s Danish Vintage Empire Daybeds

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Metal

Hans J. Wegner Versatile Chaise Lounge or Daybed in Oak
Hans J. Wegner Versatile Chaise Lounge or Daybed in Oak
$12,900
H 14.97 in W 30.32 in D 49.22 in
Dovetailed Platform Bed in Ash, Full
Located in Princeton, NJ
This bed is designed to accommodate a contemporary aesthetic. This design is carefully handmade, featuring detailed construction and traditional technique which utilizes the interloc...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary American Empire Daybeds

Materials

Ash

Dovetailed Platform Bed in Ash, Full
Dovetailed Platform Bed in Ash, Full
$3,800 / item
H 10 in W 82 in D 58 in
Johannes Spalt 'Constanze' Convertible Daybed Sofa by Wittmann, Austria, 1970
Located in Hausmannstätten, AT
A freestanding sofa model 'Constanze' / 'Constance' with black steel and a fabric in a warm cognac / golden / ocher / mustard yellow / orange tone designed by Prof. Johannes Spalt fo...
Category

1960s Austrian Vintage Empire Daybeds

Materials

Metal

Previously Available Items
Antique French Empire Swan Neck Mahogany Daybed in Cream
Located in Astoria, NY
An exquisite early 19th-century French Empire daybed sourced from Paris, France. Crafted from solid mahogany, it features a graceful sleigh frame with hand-carved swan-neck corners. ...
Category

Early 19th Century French Antique Empire Daybeds

Materials

Fabric, Mahogany

French Newly Upholstered & Painted Iron Empire Daybed from Paris
Located in Hopewell, NJ
Classic French Louis XVI Neoclassical French Empire daybed newly reupholstered with modern plush bolster pillows. Bed frame is solid painted iron turn of the century from France and ...
Category

1920s French Vintage Empire Daybeds

Materials

Iron

French 19th Century Empire Daybed
Located in Baton Rouge, LA
A graceful 19th-century French Empire daybed, expertly carved from solid mahogany with curvaceous swan motif. Featuring a sleigh-like profile and perfectly symmetrical, allowing the ...
Category

19th Century French Antique Empire Daybeds

Materials

Textile, Mahogany

French 19th Century Empire Daybed
French 19th Century Empire Daybed
H 28.75 in W 72.75 in D 24.25 in
Early 19th Century Mahogany Daybed
Located in Paris, FR
Mahogany sleigh bed, circa 1805, by Jacob Frères and designed by the architect Louis-Martin Berthault. This rare model, practically identical to one made for Madame Récamier (See do...
Category

Early 19th Century French Antique Empire Daybeds

Materials

Bronze

Early 19th Century Mahogany Daybed
Early 19th Century Mahogany Daybed
H 41.74 in W 86.62 in D 51.58 in
Empire Gilded and Painted Daybed
Located in New Orleans, LA
19th century Empire daybed painted black with gilded carved accents. Elegant sleigh profile gilded in leaf pattern sits atop legs adorned with leaf detail gilding. Upholstered in com...
Category

19th Century French Antique Empire Daybeds

Materials

Wood

Empire Gilded and Painted Daybed
Empire Gilded and Painted Daybed
H 40 in W 86.5 in D 42.25 in
Empire Chaise Lounge, Austria Circa 1810
Located in New York, NY
Empire Recamiere in ash-tree veneered with fire gilt bronze rosettes on the curved backrest and feet. Measuring 155 cm in length with a seat height of 40 cm, this recamier has underg...
Category

1810s Austrian Antique Empire Daybeds

Materials

Bronze

Incredible Neoclassical French Empire Swan Neck Daybed or Single Bed
Located in Hopewell, NJ
Early 20th century French Empire daybed featuring carved swan neck ends. Crafted from rich walnut having gorgeous neoclassical motifs of rosettes ...
Category

Early 1900s French Antique Empire Daybeds

Materials

Upholstery, Walnut

Blue Sofa Recamier, France, around 1830. After renovation.
Located in Chorzów, PL
Sofa (recamier, daybed) produced in France in circa 1830s. Sofa in very good condition, after professional renovation. The furniture has been covered with a new ble velvet fabric. ...
Category

1830s French Antique Empire Daybeds

Materials

Velvet, Walnut

French Empire Period Walnut Window Seat Banquette After Jacob
Located in Benington, Herts
An unusual and well drawn early 19th Century French Empire walnut window seat / banquette after the celebrated Jacob family. French circa 1810. The padded over-scrolled ends with o...
Category

1810s French Antique Empire Daybeds

Materials

Walnut

Neoclassical French Empire Swan Neck Chaise Longue Recamier
Located in Rio Vista, CA
Early 19th century French empire Recamier, chaise longue, or daybed featuring carved swan neck ends. Crafted from rich fruitwood with neoclassic...
Category

19th Century French Antique Empire Daybeds

Materials

Fabric, Fruitwood

Stunning Versatile Antique French Empire Mahogany Daybed Sofa
Located in Hopewell, NJ
Stunning French Empire mahogany daybed of sofa having classic column accents and bronze pediments, newly upholstered in neutral quality linen cotton b...
Category

19th Century French Antique Empire Daybeds

Materials

Upholstery, Mahogany

Early 19th Century French Empire Cleopatra Daybed
Located in Antwerp, BE
A period French Empire mahogany Cleopatra daybed in original glory. Inside measurements are: Width 192 cm, 75.59 inch. Depth 93 cm, 36.61 inch. The slatted base is included....
Category

Early 19th Century French Antique Empire Daybeds

Materials

Wood, Mahogany, Oak

Empire daybeds for sale on 1stDibs.

Find a broad range of unique Empire daybeds for sale on 1stDibs. Many of these items were first offered in the Late 20th Century, but contemporary artisans have continued to produce works inspired by this style. If you’re looking to add vintage daybeds created in this style to your space, the works available on 1stDibs include seating, more furniture and collectibles and other home furnishings, frequently crafted with wood, fabric and other materials. If you’re shopping for used Empire daybeds made in a specific country, there are Europe, France, and Austria pieces for sale on 1stDibs. 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 daybeds differ depending upon multiple factors, including designer, materials, construction methods, condition and provenance. On 1stDibs, the price for these items starts at $2,720 and tops out at $27,500 while the average work can sell for $7,781.