Native American Seating
Native American broadly describes any Indigenous people in North America and encompasses hundreds of tribes and groups, all with distinct cultures. Native American–style furniture and decor likewise varies widely, from pieces created by Indigenous people to those appropriated by non-native designers.
Indigenous furniture’s rich heritage includes the bentwood boxes of the Northwest Coast carved from cedar for storing household or ceremonial objects. Generations of Native American people have made baskets for holding household items, with those in the Northeast using sweetgrass and those in the Southeast using pine needles and wicker. Artisans in the Plateau region wove watertight pieces like cradles from plant materials. Although these objects were intricately made, they were usually utilitarian rather than decorative.
The colonization of North America and the removal of Indigenous people from their lands led to the suppression of these practices. Many styles that used Native American motifs — such as Southwestern style, which was heavily influenced by the geometric patterns of Navajo textiles — have historically not involved Indigenous creators and, instead, have taken their traditions without their tribal context.
When decorating a home with Native American–style furniture, it is important to do so respectfully, by understanding the origins of motifs and objects and examining who profits from their sale. There are now Indigenous-led companies, such as Cherokee designer Cray Bauxmont-Flynn’s Amatoya and Totem House Design, promoting Indigenous work in furniture and home decor. Supporting Indigenous artists and artisans is essential to confronting the still pervasive issue of cultural appropriation in design.
Find a collection of Native American living room furniture, folk art, rugs and carpets, decorative objects and other items on 1stDibs.
1990s American Native American Seating
Leather
Mid-20th Century American Native American Seating
Rush, Oak
Mid-20th Century American Native American Seating
Reed, Walnut
1920s American Vintage Native American Seating
Horn
2010s Lebanese Native American Seating
Copper
1890s Italian Antique Native American Seating
Fabric, Walnut
Late 19th Century English Antique Native American Seating
Mahogany
Mid-20th Century Dutch Native American Seating
Metal
1970s American Vintage Native American Seating
Aluminum
1970s Austrian Vintage Native American Seating
Wood
20th Century American Native American Seating
Walnut
Mid-20th Century Native American Seating
Leather
1950s Dutch Vintage Native American Seating
Plywood
20th Century Italian Native American Seating
Plywood
Early 20th Century Native American Seating
Cane
1950s Vintage Native American Seating
Wood
Mid-20th Century Dutch Native American Seating
Metal
1990s American Native American Seating
Leather
Late 20th Century American Native American Seating
Steel
1990s Australian Native American Seating
Iron
Late 20th Century Native American Seating
Fabric, Mahogany
Late 20th Century American Native American Seating
Textile, Wool
2010s American Native American Seating
Wool
Early 20th Century American Native American Seating
Leather, Wood
19th Century American Antique Native American Seating
Leather, Wicker