Folk Art Seating
FOLK ART STYLE
Folk art is a genre of art that shares the creator’s traditions, offering not just an artistic display but an opportunity to learn about a culture. Antique, new and vintage folk art typically reflects a heritage or location. It can include utilitarian objects and handmade art as diverse as weather vanes, duck decoys, portraiture and paintings, carnival art and quilts.
Quilts are a quintessential part of American folk art but their roots are international, with quilting dating back to Ancient Egypt. The practice spread to Europe and was especially prominent in the Middle Ages, with one of the oldest surviving examples being the Tristan quilt made in Sicily in the 14th century. They were made as bedcovers and clothing, including as a layer for knights to wear beneath their armor. Native American folk art includes functional objects reflecting their heritage, such as baskets, textiles and wooden pieces.
Elsewhere, the vast range of work associated with Mexican folk art includes masks made by Mexican craftspeople for traditional celebrations and ceremonial dances. Mexican masks are part of the country’s folk-art traditions that go back thousands of years and play a role in festivals and theater.
Works in the folk art tradition are valuable because of the skills involved, like weaving, hand-carving wood and even stonework. Many folk artists are self-taught, while some train as apprentices within their community. By using available materials and taking a personal approach to their creations, artists ensure each piece is unique and conveys a story.
During the Great Depression, artistic materials in America were hard to come by, so artisans used discarded wood from cigar boxes and shipping crates to make highly stylized, notched pieces — most often picture frames and boxes — that are today sought after by collectors. This folk art style is called tramp art and was popular from roughly 1870 until the 1940s.
Folk art brings vibrant culture and traditions into your home. Browse an extensive collection of antique, new and vintage folk art on 1stDibs.
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Style: Folk Art
Antique Colliapsible W.S. Tubbs SnoShu Folding Canoe Chair c.1900
Located in San Francisco, CA
ABOUT
Turn of the century Snowshoe chair with Ash frame, rawhide lacing and steel brackets. These lightweight, portable chairs were used in canoes for...
Category
Early 20th Century American Folk Art Seating
Materials
Leather, Wood, Ash
$424 Sale Price
20% Off
A Set of 6 BRUTALIST Handcrafted RUSTIC MID-CENTURY-MODERN Chairs, France 1960
Located in PARIS, FR
A set of 6 surprising tripod chairs, Modernist, Brutalist, Folk Art, Tribal Art, sculpted in massive wood, with beautiful floral organic motifs, to be attributed, France 1950.
This ...
Category
1950s French Vintage Folk Art Seating
Materials
Wood
Beautiful Folk Art Wood Carved Chair Foot Rest Stool, Vintage German 1920s
Located in Nuernberg, DE
An interesting brutalist stool with hand carved legs, seat and great patina. Great piece of functional sculpture. It is in great vintage condition and is structurally sound. Nice add...
Category
1920s German Vintage Folk Art Seating
Materials
Wood
Antique Swedish Spindle Lounge Chair with Completely New Upholstery and Padding
Located in Kramfors, SE
Antique Swedish spindle chair or lounge chair from the mid 1800s. The chair is comfortable and generous with a frame in blackened wood and a padded seat, back- and armrests. Unusual ...
Category
Mid-19th Century Swedish Antique Folk Art Seating
Materials
Wood
early 20th Century Wabi Sabi 3 Leg Stool, Austria Around 1920s - 1900s
Located in Nuernberg, DE
This early 20th century wabi sabi 3 leg milking stool from Austria is an excellent example of this style. The piece has a square, rustic-looking seat made of wood and is supported by...
Category
Late 19th Century Austrian Antique Folk Art Seating
Materials
Wood
Swedish Stump Chair late 1700 century
Located in Farsta, SE
Exceptional Swedish Stump Chair ca 1650–1700
Crafted from driftwood sourced in Dalarna, Northern Sweden, this remarkable chair is made from a sing...
Category
1690s Swedish Antique Folk Art Seating
Materials
Pine
Artist-Made Studio Craft Twig Chair + Woven Checkerboard Seat
Located in Round Top, TX
Artisan crafted, sculptural birch twig chair with woven checkerboard seat. We love this unique, one-of-a-kind chair. Procured from an eclectic estate in Northern Colorado, this speci...
Category
Late 20th Century American Folk Art Seating
Materials
Textile, Twig
Beautiful Hand Painted Thai Woman Wooden Sculpture
Located in Pasadena, TX
This beautiful sculpture is hand carved and painted. It depicts a beautiful Thai woman dress in adornment. It's beautifully painted and hand carved.
Category
Late 20th Century Thai Folk Art Seating
Materials
Wood, Paint
early 20th Century Wabi Sabi 3 Leg Workshop Stool, German Folkart Around 1910s
Located in Nuernberg, DE
This early 20th century wabi sabi 3 leg workshop stool from Germany is an excellent example of this style. The piece has a square, rustic-looking seat made of wood and is supported b...
Category
Early 20th Century German Folk Art Seating
Materials
Wood
Swedish Folk Art 'Spinning-Chair' late 19th century
Located in Farsta, SE
Swedish Folk Art 'Spinning-Chair' late 19th century
This chair was partially made from old spinning wheel parts.
Made out of pine, featuring old repairs and a beautiful patina.
Hei...
Category
Late 19th Century Swedish Antique Folk Art Seating
Materials
Pine
Vintage Beaded African Ceremony or Nobility Chair
Located in AMSTERDAM, NH
Mid 20th century vibrant red and white hand beaded African ceremony chair.
Originally crafted for Yoruba tribe kings and queens, these chairs boast a meticulous process involving th...
Category
Mid-20th Century Nigerian Folk Art Seating
Materials
Cotton, Wood, Beads
Patinated Swedish Folk Art Side Chairs in Pinewood from 19th. Century
Located in Odense, DK
Charming patinated Swedish folk art chairs made in the 19th. century. All in pinewood and original paint. Great for a side chair or as a small table.
Category
19th Century Swedish Antique Folk Art Seating
Materials
Pine
Original Folk Art Painted Bench with Storage, Hungary circa 1900's
Located in Round Top, TX
Original hand painted folk art pine bench displays traditional brown faux wood background and colorful floral motif.
Back has 3 decorative spindles, slightly curved armrests and hing...
Category
Early 20th Century Hungarian Folk Art Seating
Materials
Pine, Paint
19th C Childs Ladder Back Chair with Original Rush Seat
Located in Los Angeles, CA
19th C childs ladder back chair with original rush seat. The seat is so beautiful. Pristine condition.
Category
19th Century American Antique Folk Art Seating
Materials
Rattan, Wood
$716 Sale Price
20% Off
Vintage Folk Art Equipale Leather Ostrich Armchair Mexico 1970s
Located in Sakskøbing, DK
This unique Folk Art leather chair, crafted by Equipale in Mexico during the 1970s, features an exotic woven wooden frame covered in luxurious ostrich leather. Completely handmade, i...
Category
1970s Mexican Vintage Folk Art Seating
Materials
Ostrich Leather, Cedar
Late 18th Century Folk Art Chair, Norway 1790’s
Located in Valby, 84
An exceptional Scandinavian folk art chair dating to circa 1790, originating from the border region between Norway and Sweden. Hand-carved from solid wood, this remarkable piece embo...
Category
1790s Norwegian Antique Folk Art Seating
Materials
Wood, Paint
Pair of Maxie Lane Artist-made Tall Sculptural Bar Stools
Located in Sherborne, GB
A pair of sculptural stools made by the artist Maxie Lane. Carved out of one piece of wood, they are unique and rustic.
The stools are tall perching seats. The raw and open wood fini...
Category
1990s English Folk Art Seating
Materials
Driftwood
$1,320 Sale Price
20% Off
Danish Folk Art Armchair in Solid Oak & Gotland Sheepskin, Mid 19th Century
Located in Odense, DK
Step back in time and immerse yourself in the rich heritage of Denmark with this extraordinary Danish Folk Art armchair from the mid-19th century. Handcrafted with remarkable attenti...
Category
Late 20th Century Danish Folk Art Seating
Materials
Lambskin, Wool, Oak
Göran Malmvall Classic Swedish pine chairs set of 7
Located in Forest, BE
Set of 7 classic, minimal and elegant lightweight comfortable pinewood chairs from Sweden around 1950. These are massive pine that shows a nice warm colour. They were completely restored.
_________________________________________________________
Swedish art refers to the visual arts produced in Sweden or by Swedish artists. Sweden has existed as a country for over 1,000 years, and for times before this, as well as many subsequent periods, Swedish art is usually considered as part of the wider Nordic art of Scandinavia. It has, especially since about 1100, been strongly influenced by wider trends in European art. After World War II, the influence of the United States strengthened substantially. Due to generous art subsidies, contemporary Swedish art has a big production per capita...
Category
1950s Swedish Vintage Folk Art Seating
Materials
Hardwood, Pine
Original Hand Painted Pine Bench with Storage, Hungary circa 1920-40
Located in Round Top, TX
Original hand painted folk art pine bench displays traditional brown faux wood background and colorful floral motif.
Back has 3 decorative spindles, slightly curved armrests and hing...
Category
Early 20th Century Hungarian Folk Art Seating
Materials
Pine, Paint
Folk Art Oakwood Rocking Chair by Cabinetmaker Hans Dau, Denmark, 1930s
Located in Odense, DK
Wonderful rocking chair in solid oakwood by Danish Cabinetmaker Hans Dau (1871-1956). Original embroidered fabric upholstery the seat.
Hans Dau was a renowned master carpenter who ha...
Category
1930s Danish Vintage Folk Art Seating
Materials
Oak
Folk Art Carved Eagle Chairs
Located in Hanover, MA
Very unusual pair of chairs, hand carved, possibly using a chainsaw as well as other blades, of a fierce looking eagle with unfurled wings, its talons on the feet of a man on all fou...
Category
Mid-20th Century Unknown Folk Art Seating
Materials
Walnut
$4,800 / set
Swedish Rustic Folk Art Primitive Chair
Located in Kramfors, SE
Rustic folk art chair from Northern Sweden. The chair is unique and hand-made into a primitive example of an antique chair. The pine has never been pa...
Category
Early 19th Century Swedish Antique Folk Art Seating
Materials
Pine
Mid 19th Century Swedish Antique Rustic Small Folk Art Sofa
Located in Boden, SE
A charming antique sofa from the mid-1800s. The sofa is from Boden Norrbotten, Northern Sweden It's petite and compact, perfect for smaller spaces.
The sofa has a foldable lid tha...
Category
Mid-19th Century Swedish Antique Folk Art Seating
Materials
Pine
Painted Pine Storage Bench or Settle
Located in Baltimore, MD
This massive pine double storage bench has a long straight back rail with an applied crest about five inches high. The back rails and stiles frame two short flat panels, a pattern re...
Category
Early 20th Century Hungarian Folk Art Seating
Materials
Pine
Vernacular Green-Painted Swedish Stool
Located in Houston, TX
Vernacular green-painted Swedish stool with back, dating to 19th century. True folk art piece constructed in pine circa 1860-1879. Green painted finish on upper part of chair is larg...
Category
Late 19th Century Swedish Antique Folk Art Seating
Materials
Pine
Vintage Swiss/German Carved and Painted Board Chair
Located in Centennial, CO
A charming vintage Swiss or southern German carved and painted board chair with turned legs. Skillfully painted and structurally strong this chair would be a sweet accent chair in a ...
Category
Mid-19th Century Swiss Antique Folk Art Seating
Materials
Pine, Paint
late 19th Century Wabi Sabi 3 Leg Stool, Austria Around 1890s - 1900s
Located in Nuernberg, DE
This late 19th century wabi sabi 3 leg milking stool from Austria is an excellent example of this style. The piece has a square, rustic-looking seat made of wood and is supported by ...
Category
Late 19th Century Austrian Antique Folk Art Seating
Materials
Wood
Early 19th Century Northern Swedish Charming Pine Folk Art Stool
Located in Kramfors, SE
Northern Swedish charming folk art stool from the early 19th century. The stool is made in pine and it has the original worn patina of time. The model and construction is primitive b...
Category
Early 19th Century Swedish Antique Folk Art Seating
Materials
Pine
Primitive Pine Stool ca 1830 from Härjedalen, Sweden
Located in Farsta, SE
Primitive Pine Stool ca 1830 from Härjedalen, Sweden
Shaped by the elements and the passage of time, this brutalist stool showcases a raw patina that embodies timeless presence and ...
Category
1820s Swedish Antique Folk Art Seating
Materials
Pine
Rare Folk Art Chair
Located in Vlimmeren, BE
This mysterious chair will surely catch the attention of any visitor. We can’t say much about the age, but this chair could certainly be 200 years old. It is for sure an European cha...
Category
19th Century Antique Folk Art Seating
Materials
Wood
$2,710
Antique Folk Art Swedish Rustic Kubbstol
Located in Kramfors, SE
Folk Art rustic Kubbstol from northern Sweden. A Kubbstol is a chair made of a single piece of wood that's been hewn out to form the seat, back and frame. It's a primitive constructi...
Category
Late 18th Century Swedish Antique Folk Art Seating
Materials
Pine
19th Century Swedish Folk Art Chair
Located in Allerum, SE
19th century Swedish Folk Art chair in it's original condition. Ca 1820 Sweden.
Category
Early 19th Century Swedish Antique Folk Art Seating
Materials
Pine
early 20th Century Wabi Sabi 3 Leg Workshop Stool, German Folkart Around 1910s
Located in Nuernberg, DE
This early 20th century wabi sabi 3 leg workshop stool from Germany is an excellent example of this style. The piece has a square, rustic-looking seat made of wood and is supported b...
Category
Early 20th Century German Folk Art Seating
Materials
Wood
Mid 19th century rustic Swedish hand painted pine bench
Located in Debenham, Suffolk
Mid 19th century rustic Swedish painted pine bench circa 1860.
Here we present a traditional Swedish bench, complete in it's original hand painted deep red and green colour scheme.
...
Category
Mid-19th Century Swedish Antique Folk Art Seating
Materials
Pine, Paint
Rare Norwegian Kubbestol, circa 1850, Origin Telemark, Norway
Located in New York, NY
Rare Norweigen Kubbestol, circa 1850, origin: Telemark, Norway
Rosemaling and acanthus carvings in this extraordinary Kubbestol indicate it is most likely from Telemark, Norway, a region known for this exact carving and painting. A Kubbestol is a traditional Scandinavian chair carved from a single log...
Category
19th Century Norwegian Antique Folk Art Seating
Materials
Fir, Paint
Genuine Antique Rare Folk Art Northern Swedish Bench or Sofa
Located in Kramfors, SE
Rare folk art bench or sofa from northern Sweden, unusually well-crafted with decorative panels and sculpted legs. It features carved wooden decorations at the top of the backrest an...
Category
Early 19th Century Swedish Antique Folk Art Seating
Materials
Pine
Swedish 19th Century Folk Art Side Chairs in Patinated Pinewood
Located in Odense, DK
A pair of beautifully patinated folk art chairs made in Sweden in the 19th century. Made from pinewood with black lacquered seats. Traditionally, these primitive chairs stood in the ...
Category
19th Century Swedish Antique Folk Art Seating
Materials
Pine
Original Red Painted Kubbestol Log Chair, Sweden circa 1860-80
Located in Round Top, TX
Antique carved and painted kubbestol, a traditional Scandinavian chair crafted from a single log.
The lovely original red paint is accented by a carved and black painted band. Much o...
Category
Late 19th Century Swedish Antique Folk Art Seating
Materials
Wood, Paint
Beachcomber Spindle Back Chair in Walnut
Located in Los Angeles, CA
During the 18th century, a profound design movement took place in Wales. It was led by peasant-carpenters who, simply in an effort to create a practical seating option, produced one of the most elegant spindle back chairs of that time. It is known as the 'Welsh Stick Chair...
Category
2010s American Folk Art Seating
Materials
Oak, Walnut
$2,300 / item
Sculptural African Low Stool of the Lobi Tribe
Located in Fort Collins, CO
This is a low stool, made in Burkina Faso sometime in the early 20th century. It was carved from a single piece of African hardwood, and has a beautiful, weathered patina.
It featur...
Category
20th Century Burkinabe Folk Art Seating
Materials
Hardwood
early 20th Century Wabi Sabi 3 Leg Workshop Stool, German Folkart Around 1910s
Located in Nuernberg, DE
This early 20th century wabi sabi 3 leg workshop stool from Germany is an excellent example of this style. The piece has a square, rustic-looking seat made of wood and is supported b...
Category
Early 20th Century German Folk Art Seating
Materials
Wood
Pair of Antique High Back Windsor Chairs with Hexagonal Sheet
Located in Sammu-shi, Chiba
A high-back windsor chair with a very rare hexagon seat. An excellent design with a sense of tension. An antique product with a very good overall atmo...
Category
1880s British Antique Folk Art Seating
Materials
Ash
Swedish Maker, Small Chair, Pine, 19th Century
Located in High Point, NC
A solid pine side chair designed and produced in Sweden, 19th century.
18.5" seat height
Category
19th Century Swedish Antique Folk Art Seating
Materials
Pine
early 20th Century Wabi Sabi 3 Leg Workshop Stool, German Folkart Around 1910s
Located in Nuernberg, DE
This early 20th century wabi sabi 3 leg workshop stool from Germany is an excellent example of this style. The piece has a square, rustic-looking seat made of wood and is supported b...
Category
Early 20th Century German Folk Art Seating
Materials
Wood
Mid-Century Modern Brutalist Wood Tripod Chair Foot Rest Stool, Spain Vintage
Located in Nuernberg, DE
An interesting brutalist stool with hand carved legs and great patina. Great piece of functional sculpture. It is in great vintage condition and is structurally sound. Nice addition ...
Category
1970s Spanish Vintage Folk Art Seating
Materials
Wood
Antique Swedish Charming Folk Art Chair, Original Condition with Genuine Patina
Located in Kramfors, SE
Swedish folk art chair, an antique so called höstol. Chairs like this would often stand in the hallway and during the winter hay or straw was stored in the drawer which was then used...
Category
Mid-19th Century Swedish Antique Folk Art Seating
Materials
Pine
19th Century Swedish Antique rustic Stamp chair folk Art " Kubb "chair
Located in Boden, SE
Swedish "Kubb "chair from the 18th-19th century. The "Kubb"chair is an old type of furniture, and is probably the first chair. It is found on depictions from the Viking Age...
Category
Mid-19th Century Swedish Antique Folk Art Seating
Materials
Pine
Handmade Vintage Small Folk Art Carved and Painted Vanity Bench Stool
Located in Keego Harbor, MI
A vintage, handmade floral folk art vanity bench/stool. This wonderful little seat features a full wood construction, with stunning hand carved floral design side panels. Each side i...
Category
20th Century Unknown Folk Art Seating
Materials
Wood
English Ladder Back Armchair, Early 19th Century
Located in London, GB
English Ladder back armchair, Early 19th Century
A country-made early 19th century ladder back armchair. Made in Ash with great patina and origi...
Category
Early 19th Century English Antique Folk Art Seating
Materials
Ash
Brutalist Set of 3 Stools and 1 Coffee Table, Solid Wood, France, 1960s
Located in leucate, FR
This primitive set was produced by a French craftsman in the 1960s.
The stools all have a slightly different shape, the table is of the same construc...
Category
1960s French Vintage Folk Art Seating
Materials
Wood
Swedish Folk Art, Farmers Stool, Wood, Sweden, 19th Century
Located in High Point, NC
A farmers wooden stool produced in Sweden, 19th century. Signed "B" on the seat.
Category
19th Century Swedish Antique Folk Art Seating
Materials
Wood
Early 20th Century French Folk Art Chair
Located in Chicago, IL
This early 20th-century French Folk Art side chair, hand-carved from pine, embodies a modernist spirit with its playful silhouette and chunky saddle seat. What truly sets it apart is...
Category
Early 20th Century French Folk Art Seating
Materials
Pine
$1,350 Sale Price
25% Off
Antique Swedish Folk Art Stump Chair
Located in Kramfors, SE
Antique Swedish stump chair in folk art. The chair has a round shape and is made from a hollowed pine tree stump. The chair is in untouched conditi...
Category
Early 19th Century Swedish Antique Folk Art Seating
Materials
Pine
Charming 19th Century Swedish Folk Art Chair
Located in Kramfors, SE
Charming Swedish folk art chair from Hälsingland in Sweden. The chair is made during the early 1800s in Swedish pine. It has the original paint which has become naturally distressed ...
Category
Early 19th Century Swedish Antique Folk Art Seating
Materials
Pine
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...
Category
Mid-19th Century Swedish Antique Folk Art Seating
Materials
Pine
Swedish Designer, Side Chair, Wood, Sweden, 1930s
Located in High Point, NC
A wood side or lounge chair designed and produced in Sweden, c. 1930s.
Seat height: 15”
Category
1930s Swedish Vintage Folk Art Seating
Materials
Wood
Antique Swedish Rustic Folk Art Stool
Located in Kramfors, SE
Antique Swedish rustic stool in folk art made with three legs. The stool has a round seat and is in its untouched original condition. The paint has become distressed with time and the resulting patina is full of rustic charm and character. This stool is from northern Sweden and made around the 1820s. Older stools...
Category
Early 19th Century Swedish Antique Folk Art Seating
Materials
Pine
Antique Charming Primitive Folk Art Stool, Swedish Handmade in Solid Pine
Located in Kramfors, SE
Charming folk art stool made by hand in solid pine. This stool has a primitive construction and organic shape with a cut out handle in the centre. Made in northern Sweden around the ...
Category
Early 19th Century Swedish Antique Folk Art Seating
Materials
Pine
Rustic Folk Art Bench, Spain, 19th Century
Located in Antwerp, BE
Folk Art; Primitive Bench; Monoxylite Wood; 19th century; Spain; Wabi Sabi; Rustic; Craftsmanship; Arts & Crafts;
Rustic two-seater bench from 19th century Spain, with a charming ...
Category
19th Century Spanish Antique Folk Art Seating
Materials
Wood
Folk Art seating for sale on 1stDibs.
Find a broad range of unique folk art seating for sale on 1stDibs. Many of these items were first offered in the 21st Century and Contemporary, but contemporary artisans have continued to produce works inspired by this style. If you’re looking to add vintage seating created in this style to your space, the works available on 1stDibs include seating, folk art, tables and other home furnishings, frequently crafted with wood, softwood and other materials. If you’re shopping for used Folk Art seating made in a specific country, there are Europe, Scandinavia, and Sweden pieces for sale on 1stDibs. While there are many designers and brands associated with original seating, popular names associated with this style include Alix Coco, Berber Tribes of Morocco, Bobby Falwell, and Thomas Chippendale. 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 seating differ depending upon multiple factors, including designer, materials, construction methods, condition and provenance. On 1stDibs, the price for these items starts at $251 and tops out at $89,500 while the average work can sell for $2,400.
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