There is rare surviving furniture from ancient Greece, yet this classical style has informed design for centuries. Interiors of houses in antiquity were minimal, with much of a room’s color coming from frescoes on the walls and mosaics on the floors. Classical Greek furniture was sparing but finely crafted and influenced by Egyptian furniture design through Mediterranean trade.
Furnishings of the period were usually made from local wood like cypress, cedar, oak and willow from ancient Greece’s plentiful forests, although some pieces were carved from marble, such as a 300–200 B.C. throne with lion legs and a curved back now at the Getty Villa. Comfort and clean lines characterized designs during the Classical era, the symmetry and thoughtful proportions reflecting the architecture of Greek temples.
Some pieces of ancient Greek furniture were simple, rectangular platforms like the klinē, a multipurpose ancestor of today’s couches or daybeds that held cushions stuffed with wool, dry grass or down. These structures were used for both sleeping and dining, which wealthy Greeks did while reclining. At night, oil lamps illuminated rooms that frequently surrounded a garden courtyard.
Most of what scholars have learned about Greek furniture design owes to its representations in art like vases and stelae. The portable diphros stool, with its backless design and four turned legs, was one of the more common types of seating in daily Greek life — it appears as such for the gods on the Parthenon frieze. Stools without backs have been found in early Roman tombs, while benches were also common Greek seating furniture created for use in theaters. In houses of the Hellenistic period, benches seemingly functioned as tables, too.
Some designs evolved through adaptations by the Romans, including the klismos chair. After prominent archaeological excavations at Pompeii and Herculaneum, the klismos chair — with its four saber legs and the elegant curves that define its back — was a source of inspiration for aesthetics in eras ranging from 18th-century neoclassicism to 20th-century Art Deco.
Find a collection of Classical Greek decorative objects, wall decorations and building and garden elements on 1stDibs.
21st Century Studio Irvine Betti Concrete Stool in Ink Grey Cement Handmade
Located in Rome, Lazio
Surrealism, primitivism, metaphysics and brutalism. Art together with architecture and design build a scenario of inspirations and continuous references through which the material ri...
Concrete, Metal
21st Century Studio Irvine Betti Concrete Stool in Blue Grey Cement Handmade
Located in Rome, Lazio
Surrealism, primitivism, metaphysics and brutalism. Art together with architecture and design build a scenario of inspirations and continuous references through which the material ri...
Concrete, Metal
21st Century Studio Irvine Betti Concrete Stool in Silver Grey Cement Handmade
Located in Rome, Lazio
Surrealism, primitivism, metaphysics and brutalism. Art together with architecture and design build a scenario of inspirations and continuous references through which the material ri...
Concrete, Metal
21st Century Studio Irvine Betti Concrete Stool in Powder Beige Cement Handmade
Located in Rome, Lazio
Surrealism, primitivism, metaphysics and brutalism. Art together with architecture and design build a scenario of inspirations and continuous references through which the material ri...
Concrete, Metal
21st Century Studio Irvine Betti Concrete Stool in Yellow Cream Cement Handmade
Located in Rome, Lazio
Surrealism, primitivism, metaphysics and brutalism. Art together with architecture and design build a scenario of inspirations and continuous references through which the material ri...
Concrete, Metal
21st Century Studio Irvine Betti Concrete Stool in Brown Cement Handmade
Located in Rome, Lazio
Surrealism, primitivism, metaphysics and brutalism. Art together with architecture and design build a scenario of inspirations and continuous references through which the material ri...
Concrete, Metal
$2,096Sale Price / item|20% Off
H 32.68 in W 20.48 in D 20.08 in
21st Century Brummell Bar Stool Walnut Wood Handmade in Portugal by Wood Tailors
Located in RIO TINTO, PT
Famous for his friendship with the Prince of Wales, Beau Brummell was deemed the leader of fashion at the beginning of the 19th century. Beau, the father of dandyism, stands alone as the forefather of the men’s style by introducing the suit and tie. Inspired by the arbiter of men’s fashion and the timeless rattan trend, the Wood Tailors designers conceived this Brummell bar stool. Designed for sophisticated home bar spaces, this rustic bar stool...
Walnut
$4,361
H 10.63 in W 5.91 in D 5.91 in
Porcelain & Ceramic Sculptural Vase Italy Contemporary, 21st Century
Located in London, GB
"TuttiTappi (Venus doppelgänger)", 2016, glazed earthenware and porcelain, measures: H 27 x 15 x 15cm Andrea Salvatori (Italy, 1975) is an internationally renowned visual artist w...
Ceramic, Porcelain
$1,388
H 11.03 in W 11.03 in D 11.03 in
21st century design brown and grey ceramic stool or low table by B. Chassang 1/2
Located in Neuilly-en- sancerre, FR
Brigitte Chassang Unique handmade woodfiring stoneware ceramic stool or low table Brown or grey ceramic colors Realised in 2024 Height 28 cm Large 28 cm
Ceramic
$5,134
H 29.53 in W 17.33 in D 20.08 in
Head of Asclepius, Modern Plaster Cast after the Antique, 21st Century
Located in Greding, DE
High-quality and finely detailed plaster cast depicting the head of Asclepius. Based on a fragment of an over life-size marble statue: a Roman copy dated 14–27 AD after a Hellenistic...
Iron
Mid Century Wool Ram Sheep Stool Sculpture
Located in Las Vegas, NV
A beautiful mid century ram sheep sculpture, most likely of Scandinavian origin. These sheep sculptures are beloved for their whimsical wooly appearance. They make great conversatio...
Wool, Hide
$644Sale Price / item|20% Off
H 10.24 in W 8.67 in D 8.27 in
Hermes - Dark Grey - Design Sculpture Paolo Giordano Concrete Cement Cast
Located in MILANO, ML
Contemporary Paolo Giordano Hermes abstract sculpture concrete cement cast grey Hermes is concrete sculpture. It's part of a large work that is also photographic: 'Digital Journey i...
Concrete, Cement
$2,200
H 20.08 in Dm 20.48 in
21st Century Customized Beth Fringes Stool Nobuck Handmade in Portugal by Ottiu
Located in RIO TINTO, PT
Beth Taylor achieved her iconic status for the way she looked. With her blue eyes and porcelain skin, Taylor was considered one of the most sensual women on earth. Such ethereal beau...
Leather
$6,500 / item
H 43 in W 13 in D 13 in
TOTEM Modern Stackable Stools in White Oak & Concrete by Estudio Persona
Located in Los Angeles, CA
TOTEM is an sculptural looking piece, formed by four different elements: two stackable wooden stools, a heavy concrete base and a wooden top tray. Both stools and the tray are made...
Concrete
$2,223Sale Price / item|20% Off
H 19.3 in Dm 17.72 in
21st Stefan Stool Wood Linen Leather Handmade in Portugal by Wood Tailors
Located in RIO TINTO, PT
Member of one of London's exceptional gentlemen's clubs, the Brook's, Ivan Vane Stefan Ivanovic was a British Yugoslavian political activist, diplomat, writer, and philanthropist. In addition to being one of the founders of the European Movement and general council of Monaco in London. As a legitimate gentleman, Ivanovic devoted most of his life to the idea of Yugoslav unity. Authenticity, attention to detail, and interesting use of wood are hallmarks of the Wood Tailors Club...
Leather, Linen, Walnut
$8,700Sale Price|20% Off
H 71 in W 34 in D 34 in
21st Century Sculptural Modern Handmade Led Chandelier in Brass and Lost Wax
Located in Miami, FL
21st century sculptural large modern spiralling chandelier in brass Pendant lamp Handmade It created with lost wax technique reproducing w...
Brass
$1,839Sale Price / item|20% Off
H 29.93 in Dm 16.54 in
21st Century Fur Andy Stool Brass Genuine Sheepskin Handmade in Portugal - Ottiu
Located in RIO TINTO, PT
Andy Mid-Century Modern stool is the perfect trendy addition to the coziest corner of your contemporary living space. Inspired by the Andy Warhol that emerged as a significant artist...
Brass
21st Century Abstract Bronze Floral Sculpture
Located in Augusta, GA
Bronze abstract floral sculpture Hand made in the Brutalist-style by local Atlanta artist Made with a beautiful verdigris patina Made in the ...
Brass, Bronze
c. 1920s Brass Stool by Oscar Bruno Bach
Located in Chapel Hill, NC
Circa 1920s x-form stool designed by Oscar Bruno Bach, New York City. Made entirely of heavy solid brass & iron in the Classical style with female figures surrounded by c-scrolls, ur...
Brass, Iron
Sold
H 17.33 in W 24.81 in D 24.81 in
Pair of Neonakis "Archaic" Stools c.1980 in the manner of T. H. Robsjohn-Gibbing
Located in London, GB
This pair of 'Archaic' stools have an artisanal aesthetic, combined with classical techniques and design. Made by Stravos Neonakis of Athens c. 1980, in the manner of T. H. Robsjohn...
Wood