The style of 18th-century French furniture was guided by the court. When Louis XV, who reigned from 1715–74, focused royal life on the smaller salons of Versailles rather than its grand chambers, it transformed the aesthetics away from the imposing and angular furniture that characterized the style of Louis XIV. A broader focus on comfort and more delicate forms define antique Louis XV furniture, with nature-inspired carvings, wood inlays, curved cabriole legs, asymmetrical shapes and rounded oval seat backs. The furnishings changed throughout the king’s life, as he ascended to the throne as a child and then grew to establish his own tastes.
Pieces like the bergère, an upholstered armchair with a wide cushion that fit the flowing dresses in fashion at the time, reflected this more informal court. Introduced at the start of Louis XV’s reign, bergère chairs in this style were deeper and broader than other chairs of the period.
Louis XV tapestries and carpets tended to be floral and colorful, and design elements were borrowed from Asia. Dutch-born cabinetmaker Bernard van Risenburgh brought lacquer techniques influenced by Japan and China into his luxuriously made furniture. Along with its fine details, the furniture of the era also featured new innovations including mechanical devices. Jean François Oeben, a royal cabinetmaker, created such intricate pieces as a mechanical table for Madame de Pompadour, Louis XV’s mistress. It involved a sliding top and a writing surface that extended from its marquetry panels.
During the later years of Louis XV’s reign, there was a shift from the ostentatious rocaille style, part of the exuberantly decorative Rococo movement in Europe for which designers such as Nicolas Pineau and Juste-Aurèle Meissonier are known. The style under Louis XVI would return to boxier forms, but with a neoclassical touch inspired by the ancient world.
Find antique Louis XV bedroom furniture, seating, tables and decorative objects on 1stDibs.
Antique French Louis XV Style Slipper Chair, Late 19th Century
Located in West Palm Beach, FL
Very sweet Louis XV style French slipper chair newly upholstered in white fabric with blue silk back & welting. Sumptuous down seat cushion.
Wood, Paint
Pair of Italian Rococó Louis XV Fauteuils or Slipper Chairs
Located in Miami, FL
Pair of Italian Rococó Fauteuils or slipper chairs.
Fabric, Wood
Elegant Pair of French Louis XV Gold Slipper Chairs
Located in Hopewell, NJ
Really lovely pair of French Louis XV giltwood antique slipper chairs with intricate floral carving on the apron and top of backrest. The single ...
Upholstery, Giltwood
Vintage French Louis XV Style Cream & Pink Painted Boudoir Slipper Chair - Pair
Located in Philadelphia, PA
Please message us with your zip code to request a more reasonable domestic U.S. shipping quote. Vintage French Louis XV Style Cream & Pink Painted Boudoir Slipper Chairs with Floral...
Fabric, Wood
$2,396Sale Price / set|20% Off
Pair of Paint Decorated French Louis XV Boudoir Slipper Chairs Circa 1920
Located in Swedesboro, NJ
This pair of French Louis XV boudoir slipper chairs, circa 1920, exudes timeless charm and sophistication with their elegant paint-decorated frames and graceful proportions. Crafted ...
Walnut
$1,996Sale Price / set|20% Off
Very Low Seat Height Antique Tea Gossip Chairs in The French Louis XV Style
Located in Swedesboro, NJ
Discover timeless elegance with this exquisite pair of Very Low Seat Height Antique Tea Gossip Chairs, beautifully crafted in the iconic French Louis XV style. These unique chairs of...
Walnut
French Louis XV Provincial Style Five Leg Peach Painted Boudoir Slipper Chair
Located in Philadelphia, PA
Vintage French Louis XV Provincial Style Five Leg Peach Painted Boudoir Slipper Chair. Circa Mid 20th Century. Measurements: 40" H x 19" W x 22" ...
Fabric, Wood
Antique French Louis XV Style Painted and Giltwood Chair
Located in Houston, TX
Antique French Louis XV style painted and giltwood chair. Chic French Louis XV style painted and gilt wood side chair, slipper chair, chauffeuse ...
Fabric, Wood
Petite French Slipper Chair With Silk Damask Upholstery
Located in Locust Valley, NY
A petite Louis XV slipper chair with silk damask upholstery. The walnut French chair is carved with beautiful details to the curved frame back, seat apron and legs. The luxurious c...
Silk, Walnut
French Louis XV Provincial Style Yellow Boudoir Curved Back Gold Slipper Chair
Located in Philadelphia, PA
French Louis XV Provincial Style Yellow Boudoir Curved Back Slipper Chair. Item features a nicely carved solid wood frame, overstuffed loose seat cushion and classic French Louis XV ...
Fabric, Wood
Maison Jansen, Louis XV, Slipper Chairs, Beige Carved Wood, Scalamandre Fabric
Located in Stamford, CT
Pair of Maison Jansen slipper chairs in Scalamandre upholstery in fine frames. This is simply the finest pair of painted carved French frames one can wish to own. The silk Scalamandre upholstery is very clean with a lace welting. The frames themselves having the finest carvings in a painted finish done in the Louis XV Fashion. The top center bearing the initials MJ...
Wood
Pair of Louis XV Style Maison Jansen Attributed Boudoir/Slipper or Side Chairs
Located in Stamford, CT
Pair of Louis XV style Maison Jansen boudoir side chairs. Pair of diminutive ladies chairs each having a mahogany frame with a Muslim fabric supported by brass tacks.
Fabric
Companion Pair of Louis XV Style Chairs
Located in Swedesboro, NJ
This elegant companion pair of Louis XV style chairs beautifully captures the charm and refinement of French provincial design. Each chai...
Upholstery, Wood
Pair of French Louis XV Style Carved Bergere Chairs
Located in Swedesboro, NJ
Dimensions - H: 34 1/2 in W: 27 1/2 in D: 28 1/2 in SH: 19 1/4 in Introduce timeless French elegance to your interior with this exceptional Pair of Mid-20th Century French Louis XV ...
Upholstery, Wood
$3,750 / set
H 34.5 in W 23.5 in D 28.5 in
Mid Century Ebonized Slipper Chairs in the Style of Robsjohn-Gibbings
Located in Philadelphia, PA
These Mid Century Ebonized Slipper Chairs are crafted in the iconic style of Robsjohn-Gibbings. The ebonized finish adds a touch of elegance and sophistication to any space. Its slee...
Wood
$2,450
H 32.75 in W 21.5 in D 30 in
19th Century Napoleon III Scroll Back Slipper Chair, Ready to Upholster
Located in Atlanta, GA
Beautiful 19th century French Napoleon III slipper chair featuring an elegant scroll back and refined proportions characteristic of the period. The frame displays graceful lines and ...
Fabric, Wood
Pair Of Antique Provincial French Slipper Chairs
Located in Bridgeport, CT
A fine pair of Custom upholstered Slipper Chairs having a Blue and White Stripe fabric with nail head trim. The black and green painted frames with Cabriole legs, shaped Stretcher an...
Fabric, Wood
A large mid 19th century walnut slipper chair c1860
Located in Batley, GB
A large sized mid 19th century walnut slipper chair with a serpentine front rail. Raised on quality walnut turned front legs with splayed walnut legs to the rear and all with the ori...
Walnut
$3,570
H 29.5 in W 21 in D 17 in
French Louis XIV Style Walnut and Upholstered Fireside Chair, mid 19th century
Located in Atlanta, GA
designed specifically to be low to the ground but with ample seat and comfort level it was used to warm oneself at the hearth of a fireplace, the open back with turned finials with a...
Walnut
19th Century French Slipper Chair, Ready to Upholster
Located in Atlanta, GA
Elegant 19th century French slipper chair featuring a low-profile silhouette and refined proportions. The frame exhibits the graceful lines and craftsmanship associated with quality ...
Wood
$1,570
H 28.35 in W 25.6 in D 27.17 in
19th Century Button-Tufted Slipper Chair with Turned Beech Legs
Located in LA CIOTAT, FR
This elegant slipper chair dates from the 19th century and reflects the refined taste of Napoleon III seating furniture. The chair features a generously cushioned seat and a graceful...
Velvet, Beech
$10,830 / set
H 23.63 in W 22.84 in D 29.53 in
Pair of pine slipper Chairs, René Martin, Méribel, France circa 1955.
By Charlotte Perriand, René Martin
Located in Paris, Ile-de-France
Pair of " Chalet" slipper chairs. Pinewood structure with slatted back, holding 2 cushions. Designed by René Martin, this low chair follow the work of Charlotte Perriand in the Alps...
Pine, Fabric
Pair of French Louis XV style Bergere Chairs, C. 1940
Located in Philadelphia, PA
The wood frames are carved with the top rails decorated with floral crests with painted gilt details, all over fluffy cushions and seat rails supported by the cabriole legs. Ready to...
Fabric, Wood
Elegant Pair of Slipper Chairs with Lucite Legs
Located in New York, NY
Pair of deep slipper chairs with Lucite legs. Newly recovered in blue boucle. Sold as a pair. Available and currently on display in our NYC showroom.
Fabric, Upholstery, Lucite, Wood
A French Louis XV style Painted Boudoir Chair, C. 1920.
Located in Philadelphia, PA
Charming and elegant, this petite chair features a carved and painted frame in the Louis XV style with a shapely back and cabriole legs. The overstuffed seat cushion is upholstered i...
Upholstery, Wood, Paint
Mid 20th Century Louis XV Style Slipper Chairs, A Pair
Located in New York, NY
A charming pair of Louis XV style slipper chairs with a painted finish, a tight back and loose seat cushion, trimmed in nail heads. Upholstered in a lovely blue, this duo would be pe...
Velvet
18th Century Louis XV French Fauteuil Armchairs, a Pair
Located in Winter Park, FL
A pair of 18th century Louis XV French fauteuils, or armchairs, each with sturdy polychrome painted beechwood frames with hand-carved floral decoration. Upholstered in 19th century ...
Tapestry, Upholstery, Walnut
Exquisite French 19th Century Ebonized Napoleon III Side or Parlor Chair
Located in Hopewell, NJ
Lovely French Louis XV ebony chair newly reupholstered in a neutral high end British linen cotton blend. There are brass rolling casters on the front, intricate floral carving on the...
Linen, Wood
Sold
H 34 in W 17 in D 20 in
Pair of Elsie De Wolfe Louis XV Style Painted Slipper Chairs with Striped Fabric
By Elsie de Wolfe
Located in Atlanta, GA
A pair of Elsie De Wolfe Louis XV style slipper chairs from the early 20th century, with cabriole legs and striped salmon upholstery. Made in the USA du...
Upholstery, Wood
Louis XV Style Beechwood Slipper Chair
Located in Astoria, NY
Louis XV style beechwood slipper chair, or chauffeuse, with floral-carved crestrail above molded sides the geometric upholstered back above a shaped rectangular seatrail on floral-ca...
Upholstery, Wood
18th Century Louis XV French Fauteuil Armchair
Located in Winter Park, FL
A small 18th century Louis XV French fauteuil, or armchair, with sturdy walnut frame and fine hand carved decoration. Upholstered in 19th century petit point tapestry. Pegged constru...
Upholstery, Tapestry, Walnut
Antique White Painted French Carved Boudoir Bedroom Chair circa 1900
Located in Swedesboro, NJ
This is a nice way to add charm to your bedroom. This boudoir chair is a classic French Louis XV design that can easily blend into to any environment and add just enough class to set...
Walnut
Pair of Diminutive French Louis XV Rococo Boudoir Slipper Chairs
Located in Brooklyn, NY
Petite Louis XV-style boudoir / vanity chairs with carved oak frames and scroll cabriole legs (ca. 1900, France). Features carved acanthus and leaf motif throughout. Floral silk up...
Silk, Oak
Louis XV Style Slipper Chairs
Located in New York, NY
A charming pair of Louis XV style slipper chairs with a painted finish, a tight back and loose seat cushion, trimmed in nail heads. Upholstered in a lovely blue, this duo would be pe...
Velvet
Pair of Romantic 19th Century French Carved Walnut Slipper Chairs
Located in Hopewell, NJ
19th century French Louis XV style slipper chairs having rounded carved backs connected to seats raised on four cabriole legs with scrolled acanthus leaves on the apron carved in the front. Recent immaculate high end silk upholstery is an eye catching eggshell blue...
Upholstery, Wood
Sold
H 36 in W 25 in D 20 in
Single French Louis XV Cane Walnut Carved Boudoir or Corner Chair, Circa 1940
Located in Swedesboro, NJ
This chair features a cane seat and a cane back. The seat is pushed in and the cushion does work to hide that. But that's the way it is. The dimensions are 36 tall x 25 wide x 20 dee...
Cane, Walnut