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.
$14,950Sale Price|21% Off
French 19th Century Renaissance Revival Style Gilt-Bronze & Walnut Coffee Table
Located in Los Angeles, CA
A Fine and Rare French 19th Century Renaissance Revival Style Gilt-Bronze and Walnut coffee table with marble top. The assembled Corinthian gilt-bronze capital, now converted into a ...
Marble, Bronze
Coppia di Basi Per Tavolini Capitelli Intagliati a Foglia di Acanto Firenze 1900
Located in Milano, MI
Coppia di Capitelli Intagliati a Foglia di Acanto Firenze 1900, coppia di piedistalli fiorentini basi per tavoli in legno scolpito, decorate sui quattro lati da un profondo intaglio ...
Hardwood
Antique Swedish Oval Painted Center Table, circa 1900–1910
Located in Atlanta, GA
A Swedish oval center table from the early 20th century, circa 1900–1910, painted in a soft blend of green and grey that has aged into a fine patina. The oval top is supported by a s...
Pine
$42,129Sale Price|20% Off
H 30.71 in W 43.71 in D 43.71 in
Tavolo attribuito a Guglielmo Ulrich per Arca
Located in Lugo, IT
Tavolo teca attribuito a Guglielmo Ulrich per Arca. La parte superiore in vetro si apre ed e possibile inserire fiori o altro all'interno. Nella parte superiore il legno si e mosso c...
Glass, Wood
Italian Circa 1900's Limestone Fossilized Round Entry Pedestal Table
Located in Round Top, TX
Beautiful Italian limestone pedestal with great character in the stone. There is a small chip on the bottom that's shown in one of the photos and some loss under the top where rust s...
Limestone
19th Century French Renaissance Revival Pedestal Center Table
Located in Astoria, NY
French 19th Century Renaissance Revival pedestal table sourced in Provence. The table features an original carved walnut base dating to the 19th century, raised on four scrolling leg...
Maple, Walnut
19th century style Spanish walnut coffee table
Located in Cheshire, GB
19th century style Spanish walnut coffee table with a moulded rectangular plank top raised on heavy turned, splayed and stretchered supports united by two scrolling and overlapping c...
Walnut
Carlo Di Carli Center Table, Italy 1950's
Located in New York, NY
Unusual version of this model with a grooved edge both on top and legs, solid walnut legs and sun marquetry top.
Walnut
$3,890
H 19.69 in W 48.04 in D 27.56 in
Late 19th Century Spanish Carved Coffee table with Wood Stretchers
Located in Miami, FL
Spanish church table or altar from the 19th century with wooden columns and top with a fine line of hand carved marquetry. An unusual shape with a nice shiny patina. Good size for...
Walnut
Vintage Oak Center Table From France, Circa 1900
Located in Nashville, TN
Vintage Oak Center Table From France, Circa 1900. Solid oak construction with very nice patina and wear.
Oak
$22,500
H 31.75 in W 100.5 in D 31.25 in
Italian 19th Century Renaissance Style Walnut Refectory Table
Located in Troy, NY
Italian 19th Century Renaissance Style Walnut Refectory Table with a massive two-inch thick 17th century two-plank top above a 19th century associated boldly carv...
Walnut
$9,200Sale Price|38% Off
H 31 in W 67.75 in D 52 in
19th Century Renaissance Revival Carved Solid Oak Dining Table
Located in Southampton, NY
19th century Renaissance Revival carved oak dining table. Made of solid oak, heavily carved with scrolling acanthus leaves on either side of central medallion. Robust turned legs with gem and bun feet and central H-stretcher. This table has the capability to extend to 155" long. Additional leaves would need to be fabricated if interested. It also has two sets of legs that drop down from underneath the table for extra support for a very long dining table...
Oak
19th Spanish Carved Walnut Renaissance Center or Coffee Table
Located in Miami, FL
In grand, gothic style, this Spanish library / writing table has a deeply carved edge and this is just the tip of the proverbial iceberg, as the carving never really stops. It goes o...
Walnut
$1,989
H 18.51 in W 22.45 in D 17.72 in
Late 19th Century Tuscan Renaissance Centre Side Table Ebonized Walnut, Restored
Located in Vigonza, Padua
Late 19th Century Tuscan Renaissance centre side table in ebonized walnut, restored and polished to wax. Measure cm: H 47 x W 57 x D 45.
Walnut
Marble Center Circular Dining Table
Located in Cranbrook, Kent
Marble Center Circular Dining Table. 1970s Chrome and Marble circular table with Greek key swept in leg design set with a joining brass band sup...
Marble
20th C. Cast Bronze Satyr Figure Pedestal Base Glass Top Dining Center Table
Located in Philadelphia, PA
20th Century Cast Bronze Satyr Figure Pedestal Base Glass Top Center Table. Item features heavy cast bronze pedestal base with 4 satyr (Greek mythical figures) paw feet, desirable pa...
Bronze