Moorish Seating
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.
Early 1900s African Antique Moorish Seating
Wood
1930s Moroccan Vintage Moorish Seating
Leather, Wood
Late 19th Century Moroccan Antique Moorish Seating
Mother-of-Pearl, Wood
Late 19th Century Moroccan Antique Moorish Seating
Mother-of-Pearl, Wood
1890s English Antique Moorish Seating
Walnut
1990s Moroccan Moorish Seating
Leather
Late 20th Century Moroccan Moorish Seating
Fabric
20th Century Moroccan Moorish Seating
Silk
Mid-20th Century Moorish Seating
Brass
1930s Moroccan Vintage Moorish Seating
Velvet, Wood
Late 20th Century Moroccan Moorish Seating
Fabric
21st Century and Contemporary Asian Moorish Seating
Iron
Mid-20th Century Turkish Moorish Seating
Metal, Brass
20th Century Asian Moorish Seating
Ebony, Mother-of-Pearl, Walnut
Early 20th Century Moroccan Moorish Seating
Mother-of-Pearl, Wood
Late 19th Century Syrian Antique Moorish Seating
Tin
Early 20th Century Moroccan Moorish Seating
Mother-of-Pearl, Wood
Mid-18th Century Spanish Antique Moorish Seating
Pine, Rush
20th Century Moorish Seating
Wood
20th Century Moroccan Moorish Seating
Leather
Early 20th Century Moroccan Moorish Seating
Mother-of-Pearl, Wood
19th Century French Antique Moorish Seating
Walnut
Early 20th Century Moroccan Moorish Seating
Mother-of-Pearl, Wood
19th Century Asian Antique Moorish Seating
Wood, Bone, Leather
Late 19th Century Syrian Antique Moorish Seating
Brass
19th Century Egyptian Antique Moorish Seating
Walnut
Early 20th Century Egyptian Moorish Seating
Wood
Late 19th Century Syrian Antique Moorish Seating
Tin
Mid-18th Century Spanish Antique Moorish Seating
Pine, Rush
Early 1900s Indian Antique Moorish Seating
Wood
Mid-20th Century Syrian Moorish Seating
Mother-of-Pearl, Wood, Hardwood
19th Century Asian Antique Moorish Seating
Mother-of-Pearl, Walnut
1880s British Antique Moorish Seating
Walnut
20th Century Moroccan Moorish Seating
Leather
Late 19th Century Syrian Antique Moorish Seating
Bone, Shell, Walnut
Late 20th Century North American Moorish Seating
Velvet, Ebony
Early 2000s Moroccan Moorish Seating
Fabric, Damask, Satin, Velvet
19th Century Maghreb Antique Moorish Seating
Walnut
Late 19th Century Egyptian Antique Moorish Seating
Wood, Shell
Early 1900s African Antique Moorish Seating
Wood
20th Century Moorish Seating
Wood, Mother-of-Pearl, Fabric, Upholstery, Walnut
Late 19th Century Egyptian Antique Moorish Seating
Wood
20th Century Moorish Seating
Mother-of-Pearl, Wood
Early 20th Century Moroccan Moorish Seating
Bone, Abalone, Walnut
Mid-20th Century Moorish Seating
Bone, Wood
Mid-20th Century Indian Moorish Seating
Shell, Teak
Late 20th Century Asian Moorish Seating
Wood
Mid-20th Century French Moorish Seating
Mother-of-Pearl
20th Century Turkish Moorish Seating
Brass
19th Century Egyptian Antique Moorish Seating
Shell, Mother-of-Pearl, Wood
20th Century Moorish Seating
Olive
Late 20th Century Moroccan Moorish Seating
Leather
19th Century Egyptian Antique Moorish Seating
Shell, Mother-of-Pearl, Wood
Late 19th Century Moroccan Antique Moorish Seating
Bone, Wood
Late 19th Century Moroccan Antique Moorish Seating
Wood
19th Century Asian Antique Moorish Seating
Walnut
1930s Moroccan Vintage Moorish Seating
Leather, Wood
Late 19th Century Turkish Antique Moorish Seating
Wood, Shell
Mid-19th Century Moroccan Antique Moorish Seating
Wood, Bone
1890s English Antique Moorish Seating
Walnut
20th Century Moroccan Moorish Seating
Stone
1890s English Antique Moorish Seating
Walnut
Mid-20th Century Moroccan Moorish Seating
Leather, Cedar
Late 19th Century English Antique Moorish Seating
Leather, Walnut