Native American Decorative Art
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.
20th Century American Native American Decorative Art
Wood
21st Century and Contemporary Mexican Native American Decorative Art
Cotton
1980s Vintage Native American Decorative Art
Paper, Glass, Wood
Early 20th Century American Native American Decorative Art
Other
1990s Native American Decorative Art
Paint, Paper
Late 19th Century North American Antique Native American Decorative Art
Hide
Early 2000s American Native American Decorative Art
Antler, Fur, Leather, Beads, Feathers
20th Century American Native American Decorative Art
Wool
Early 20th Century American Native American Decorative Art
Wool
20th Century Mexican Native American Decorative Art
Wool
20th Century American Native American Decorative Art
Wood
Mid-19th Century Antique Native American Decorative Art
Paper
1990s European Native American Decorative Art
21st Century and Contemporary Chinese Native American Decorative Art
Silver Leaf
1970s American Vintage Native American Decorative Art
Cotton, Wood, Driftwood
Early 1800s Japanese Antique Native American Decorative Art
Fabric, Silk
20th Century Belgian Native American Decorative Art
Wool, Cotton
Early 20th Century American Native American Decorative Art
Leather, Wood
20th Century American Native American Decorative Art
Shell, Fabric
2010s Ukrainian Native American Decorative Art
Wood
Early 20th Century Thai Native American Decorative Art
Wood
21st Century and Contemporary Uzbek Native American Decorative Art
Cotton, Silk
Mid-19th Century Antique Native American Decorative Art
Paper
1970s American Vintage Native American Decorative Art
Acrylic, Paper
Mid-20th Century American Native American Decorative Art
Terracotta, Burlap, Plywood
Mid-20th Century American Native American Decorative Art
Wool
1950s Mexican Vintage Native American Decorative Art
Wood, Feathers
15th Century and Earlier American Antique Native American Decorative Art
Stone
Late 19th Century American Antique Native American Decorative Art
Canvas
Early 1900s North American Antique Native American Decorative Art
Cane
Early 20th Century Canadian Native American Decorative Art
Burlap
20th Century American Native American Decorative Art
Plexiglass, Wood, Giltwood, Paper
20th Century American Native American Decorative Art
Cotton, Linen, Rope, Lucite, Wood, Feathers
1880s French Antique Native American Decorative Art
Ceramic, Faience, Majolica