“Dordogne” Style Chair with Woven Papercord Seat and Back, Europe ca 1960s

In mid-century furniture design, the marriage of organic materials and the brutalist style found its apotheosis in pieces such as this set of six chairs. These chairs, each a testame...

Mid-century designers were eager to break free from the aesthetics of the past and experiment with new forms, and techniques. At the same time, especially in Europe, the modernist design movement was often based on traditional styles and techniques, such as turned chairs. Turned chairs — sometimes called thrown chairs or spindle chairs — represent a style of Elizabethan or Jacobean turned furniture that had a vogue in the late 16th and early 17th century. The technique was carried on to the 20th century and was widespread in Europe as well, where craftsmen created durable pieces for various interiors and purposes. In turned furniture, the individual wooden spindles of the piece were made by shaping them with chisels and gouges while they were being spun, or turned between the centre points of a lathe. The construction of this pair is evocative of the more robust Arts and Crafts Movement, featuring subtle decorative elements such as the finials atop the backs. The sphere-shaped finials aren’t the only ornamentations on the design; the shape of the two splats on the back, the carved stretchers and carving on the feet are all decorative features that make this pair visually arresting. In later turned chairs, like this pair, rush seats were common. Here, the seats are woven around the frames with a light colour that beautifully contrasts to the dark, patinated wood. The partnership of the two natural materials is very effective as well; the wood and rush pair...

Pair of Unique Danish Dining Chairs Origin: Denmark Period: 1960s Manufacturer: Unknown These charming vintage dining chairs feature: • Sturdy teak wood frames, carefully refurbish...

A fine set of six Shaker style ebonized slat back maple dining chairs with shawl rails, two armchairs and four side chairs, with black and white woven raffia Shaker tape seats. The s...