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.
A Moorish ebonized parlour chair with Musharabieh turnings
Located in London, GB
Liberty and Co attributed. A Moorish ebonized parlour chair with Musharabieh turnings to each side of the back and also uniting the seat to the lower stretchers, with extending arched feet. With a beautiful original floral beaded tapestry...
Walnut
Moorish 19th Century Middle Eastern Inlaid Folding Chair
Located in Moreno Valley, CA
Antique Middle Eastern wood folding Moorish chair with intricate foliate carving inlays. Inlaid and hand carved with Arabic design motif and folia...
Wood
Moorish Wood Folding Chair, Hand-Carved with Inlays, Syria, 1880
Located in Moreno Valley, CA
Middle Eastern Moorish wood folding chair with intricate foliate carving and mother-of-pearl inlays. Inlaid with mother-of-pearl stars and moon designs, hand-carved with Arabic call...
Bone, Wood
Middle Eastern 19th Century Inlaid Moorish Folding Chair
Located in Moreno Valley, CA
Antique Middle Eastern Moorish walnut wood folding chair with intricate foliate carving and shell inlays. Inlaid with shell stars and moon designs, hand carved with Arabic calligraph...
Wood, Shell
Liberty & Co. Moorish Side or Childs Chair with Mashrabiya Turned Details
Located in London, GB
Liberty & Co. Moorish side or child's chair with Mashrabiya turned details to the backrest and on all four sides below the seats, with a red studded leather seat, with Moorish arched...
Walnut
Moroccan Moorish Style 1900s Side Chair with Richly Carved Décor and Star Inlay
Located in Atlanta, GA
A Moroccan Moorish style accent side chair from the early 20th century, with richly carved décor, mother-of-pearl inlay, Arabic calligraphy and X-Form base. Created in Morocco during...
Mother-of-Pearl, Wood
Set of Ten Moorish Style Handcrafted Iron Side Chairs, Spain
Located in West Palm Beach, FL
Ten Spanish side chairs in iron with a straight back and playful handcrafted partial backrest. This type of seated furniture is perfect for a Moorish or Spanish style. Wear consisten...
Metal, Iron
Middle Eastern 19th Century Moorish Folding Chair Shell Inlaid
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...
Shell, Mother-of-Pearl, Wood
Indian Rajasthani A pair of polychrome painted chairs with gilt chord embroidery
Located in London, GB
Indian Rajasthani. A rare pair of period side chairs finely painted in polychrome colours with the original floral gilt chord embroidery seats, the seats a little worn with minor los...
Wood
Moorish Folding Chairs, Hardwood, Stepped Crest, X-Frame Pair
Located in Rolling Hills Estates, CA
Vintage Moorish folding chairs, an X-frame pair that closes nearly flat along a central pivot. The crest rises to a stepped, crenellated profile above a recessed horseshoe arch, and ...
Wood
Small Damascus bench, oriental work from the mid-19th century
Located in Mouscron, WHT
Small Damascus bench, oriental work from the mid-19th century fine sculptures and bone inlay. The fabric is not perfect, but original
Wood
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 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
Antique Moorish Folding Chair, Walnut with Mother of Pearl Inlay, 1880
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
Antique Moorish Folding Chair, Walnut with Mother of Pearl Inlay, 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 style folding chair inlaid with mo...
Shell, Wood, Mother-of-Pearl
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
$760
H 24.81 in W 13.39 in D 27.56 in
Rustic African Tribal Hand Carved Folding Palaver Chair, Wabi Sabi, 1970s
Located in Odense, DK
Gorgeous unique African hand carved folding chair in solid wood. Also named the palaver chair as a traditional African furniture type. Beautifully handcr...
Wood
$2,881Sale Price|40% Off
H 49.61 in W 25.6 in D 25.79 in
Rare circa 1880 Burmese Solid Hardwood Hand Carved Floral Chair High Back Ornate
Located in West Sussex, Pulborough
We are delighted to this absolutely stunning solid Rosewood hand carved high back low seat Burmese chair A truly stunning piece, this type of furniture is just about as ornate as ...
Hardwood
$4,000
H 35.5 in W 23 in D 26 in
1940's Ebonized Gilt Regency Style Arm Chairs with Custom Cream Upholstery
Located in Brooklyn, NY
This striking pair of 1940s Regency Revival armchairs reflects the resurgence of neoclassical elegance in American design. Crafted with sculptural curved arms and an ebonized wood fr...
Silk, Wood
19th Century Anglo-Indian Slipper Chair
Located in Houston, TX
A 19th-century Anglo-Indian slipper chair with an original embroidered upholstered seat.
Upholstery, 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
$377
H 27.56 in W 18.31 in D 16.93 in
Oak & Straw Fireside Chair in the Manner of Charles Dudouyt, French, C. 1940s
Located in London, GB
A charming turned oak and straw low chair very much in the manner of Charles Dudouyt. French, c. 1940s.
Straw, Oak
Vintage Beech Wood B-751 Thonet Style Folding Chair
$1,980
H 19.69 in W 20.48 in D 21.26 in
Primitive Stump Chair in Pine, Hand Carved, Swedish Modern, Wabi Sabi, 1900s
Located in Odense, DK
A cute primitive stump chair made in solid pine with an iron ring attached. Hand carved by an unknown Swedish cabinetmaker in the early 1900s. A lovely wabi sabi piece for the modern...
Pine
$3,950Sale Price / set|38% Off
H 39.5 in W 16.25 in D 19.5 in
Pair of Italian 19th Century Baroque Style Carved Walnut Sgabello Side Chairs
Located in Los Angeles, CA
A fine pair of Italian 19th century Baroque Revival style carved walnut Sgabello figural side-chairs, each backrest with carvings of winged male figures, the base with female figures...
Walnut
$1,795
H 27.7 in W 17.6 in D 11.7 in
1880s French Napoleon III Style Ebonized Side Table With Floral Inlay
Located in High Point, NC
This 1880s French Napoleon III–style ebonized side table is a refined example of late 19th-century decorative artistry, blending elegant curves with richly detailed ornamentation. Th...
Wood
19th Century Combination Chair and Table
Located in Kramfors, SE
Primitive combined chair and table. This folk art combination furniture is a good example of 19th century compact living. The goal was to fit as many uses into the same item or a lim...
Pine
19th Century Portuguese Chair
Located in Houston, TX
19th century Portuguese Rococo style mahogany chair featuring a scrolled crest on a double yolk back centering a shaped flat splat, scalloped seat rail ...
Mahogany
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
Moresque Side Chair With Metal Inlay Circa 1910
Located in Petworth, GB
Moresque side chair Profusely inlaid with metal, possibly pewter Ebonised beech Italian In the style of Carlo Bugatti Circa 1910 Height 112cm. Width 29cm. Depth 36cm Seat Heigh...
Beech
Sold
H 52 in W 17.5 in D 19.5 in
19th -C. British Colonial / Moroccan Style Inlaid And Carved Side Chairs - Pair
Located in Kennesaw, GA
This is a pair of 19th century heavily carved Moorish side chairs. The mother of pearl inlay is in very good condition. Both seats are upholstered in carpet remnants. They are unmark...
Mother-of-Pearl, Wood
Pair of Antique Inlaid Syrian Damascus Armchairs
Located in London, GB
A stunning pair of antique Syrian Damascus armchairs, dating from around the 1900-1920 period. They are of extremely high quality, with absolutely stunning inlay throughout of var...
Mother-of-Pearl, Wood
19th C. Hammered Metal & Leather Moroccan Side Chair
Located in Saint Petersburg, FL
Upholstered in leather, chair displays intricate detailing - hand hammered metal, various studded detailing. Chair frame is wood and is raised on square inlaid legs with carved Arabi...
Metal
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
Hand Painted Indian Rajasthani Side Chair
By Southeast Asia
Located in Moreno Valley, CA
Indian Rajasthani low chair with handwoven seat. An antique Indian Moorish rustic low wooden chair. Charming our eyes with its rustic appearance, this low wooden chair features a straight back. With its nicely weathered appearance and delicate décor, this Indian wooden chair...
Cane, Wood
Pair of Spanish Moorish High Back Hall Chairs
Located in Moreno Valley, CA
Beautiful Spanish Moorish Revival chairs with hand carved wood Gothic details. Accent any setting with this unique hall chairs. Pair of Spanish High ba...
Wood
Set of 4 Painted Middle Eastern Side Chairs
Located in Laguna Beach, CA
Set of 4 painted and carved middle Eastern side chairs, circa 1930s. Height of seat without cushion 17". Height of seat with cushion 21".
Wood, Paint
Sold
H 38.25 in W 17 in
Liberty & Co. a Pair of Moorish Side Chairs with Carving & Moucharabieh Turnings
Located in London, GB
Liberty & Co. a pair of Moorish side chairs with stylised floral carvings to the top and moucharabieh turnings to the sweeping backs and below the seats to the front and to the sides...
Walnut
Pair of Ottoman Empire Mother-of-Pearl Inlaid Side Chairs
Located in Stamford, CT
Impressive pair of mother-of-pearl and metal inlaid chairs with intricate hardwood turnings. The skill and time that went into creating these chairs is remarkable. Each with a crest ...
Mother-of-Pearl
Pair of Middle Eastern Egyptian Moorish Armchairs
Located in Moreno Valley, CA
Pair of Egyptian armchairs with faux leather seat cushion with Moorish lattice fret work on side and back with Moorish arches design in the style of Carlo Bugatti. Hispano Moresque style, Alhambra design with Moorish Islamic arches...
Faux Leather, Wood