Middle Eastern 19th Century Moorish Folding Chair Shell Inlaid
Located in Moreno Valley, CA
Some mother of pearl inlay missing, great antique patina 19th century mother of pearl inlaid Arabian chair, circa 1880 DIMENSIONS: 18"W × 13.5"D × 41"H.
Shell, Mother-of-Pearl, Wood
Antique Victorian Velvet Upholstered Clam Shell Chair 19th Century
Located in Stow on the Wold, GB
Wonderful Victorian upholstered clam shell chair. A lovely clam shell chair easy with Mahogany legs and castors to the rear legs. The chair has been expertly reupholstered at some ...
Upholstery, Mahogany
$4,777Sale Price / set|30% Off
Antique 19th Century Set of 8 Inlaid Mahogany Dining Chairs – Shell Marquetry
Located in Wisbech, England
Antique 19th Century Set of 8 Inlaid Mahogany Dining Chairs – Shell Marquetry This exceptional 19th Century set of eight inlaid mahogany dining chairs exudes charm and character, wi...
Wood
Middle Eastern 19th Century Inlaid Moorish Folding Chair
Located in Moreno Valley, CA
Some inlay missing, great antique patina 19th century folding wood hand carved and shell inlaid Arabian Islamic chair, circa 1880.
Wood, Shell
Renaissance Revival Curule Side Chairs, Carved Shell Crest, Pair
Located in Rolling Hills Estates, CA
This pair of Renaissance Revival chairs is built on an interlaced curule X-frame, the curved slats crossing at the sides and pivoting at the crossings, rising from sledge feet to a s...
Wood
Antique French Carved Upholstered Wood Grotto Shell Motif Chairs - A Pair
Located in Oklahoma City, OK
A beautiful pair of petite antique hand-carved wood grotto chairs. Imported from France, this pair of antique side chairs will be a fabulous addition to a dining room or dressing tab...
Metal
19th Century Moorish Carved Wood Folding Chair with Mother-of-Pearl Inlay
Located in Moreno Valley, CA
A striking late 19th-century Moorish folding chair, circa 1880, handcrafted in dark wood and richly ornamented with intricate carving and delicate mother-of-pearl inlay.
Shell, Wood
Antique Egyptian Moorish Mother-of-Pearl Inlaid Folding Chair, circa 1880
Located in Moreno Valley, CA
An exceptional late 19th-century Egyptian Moorish folding chair, circa 1880, finely hand-carved in dark wood and embellished with delicate mother-of-pearl and shell inlay.
Shell, Mother-of-Pearl, Wood
$3,840Sale Price|68% Off
China Fine Antique Chair With Dream Stones And Mother Pearl Inlay
Located in South Burlington, VT
Finest Quality Dreamstone Inlaid Chair China- an extraordinary prolifically crafted example of an antique hand carved hardwood chair inlaid with multiple natural dream stone "painti...
Marble
Unavailable
H 77 in W 65 in D 79 in
Late 19th century pair of blue velvet armchairs with wooden shell and carved and
Located in Firenze, FI
Late 19th century pair of blue velvet armchairs with wooden shell and carved and gilded feet
Velvet
Shell Shape Armchairs
Located in Madrid, ES
A pair of entire upholstered shell shaped and ebonized carved legs, late Victorian period and style
Unavailable
H 31.25 in W 24.875 in D 23.5 in
Parchment Pair (2) 1st Generation Zenith Eames DAX Dining Arm Shell Chair
By Charles and Ray Eames
Located in Loughborough, Leicester
A matching pair of original parchment 1st generation Zenith Eames DAX arm shell chairs, what more needs to be said? They are in great vintage condition and look stunning on their bla...
Fiberglass
Pair of Gilded Portuguese Chairs
Located in San Francisco, CA
Completely restored heavily carved chairs with remnants of water guilding combined with gold leaf paint. New seat cushions upholstered in a faux ostrich leather. Nail head trim.
Shell
Pair of 19th Century English Oak Shell Back Hall Chairs
Located in Water Mill, NY
Pair of 19th century English oak shell back hall chairs with carved shell backs and turned front legs.
Oak
Sold
H 33.86 in W 15.75 in D 15.75 in
Regency Style Hall-Chair, Shell-Back, Gillows Model, Late 19th Century
Located in Saint-Ouen, FR
Seat with canted corners tightened backwards. Back carved as shells with two C-scrolls beneath. Model created by Gillows of London and Lancaster, founded, circa 1730, one of the mos...
Mahogany
Pair of Shell-Back Hall Chairs, Late 18th-Early 19th Century
Located in Charlottesville, VA
A pair of especially finely carved shell-back hall chairs, late 18th-early 19th Century, likely Irish, Mahogany with later upholstered seats.
Wood
Six Italian 19th Century Painted Side Chairs with Shell-Carved Back
Located in Charlottesville, VA
Six Italian 19th century klismos side chairs with elaborate shell-carved back rails, parcel-gilt and painted in green and cream.
Cane, Wood
Victorian Upholstered Shell Back Chair
By Joseph Meeks
Located in New York, NY
Stylish Victorian upholstered lounge, side chair. Upholstered back and seat on rosewood legs, with original porcelain coaster wheel feet. Great for a boudoir, fireside, or decorative...
Rosewood, Upholstery
19th Century Italian Carved Wood Grotto Chair
Located in East Hampton, NY
19th century Venetian Grotto shell chair.
Wood
A Fine Pair of English Antique Shell Back Hall Chairs
By Gillows of Lancaster & London
Located in Faversham, GB
A beautiful pair of carved scallop shell back hall chairs attributed to Gillows of Lancaster and London. This fine pair of chairs in oak displays wide panel seats and turned reeded ...
Oak
Sold
H 42 in W 25 in D 26 in
19th Century Mahogany Chippendale Style Ball and Claw Shell Carved Side Chair
Located in Philadelphia, PA
Antique 19th century solid mahogany Chippendale style shell carved side chair.
Mahogany
Early 19th Century Georgian Shell Back Hall Chair with Lion Carving
Located in Stamford, CT
A Georgian shell back hall chair with lion carving and great patina. English, circa 1810.
Mahogany
Pair of Regency Period Mahogany Shell Back Hall Chairs
Located in Lincolnshire, GB
A Regency pair of carved mahogany shell back hall chairs of superb color and patiation.
Mahogany
19th Century Middle Eastern Egyptian Moorish Corner Chairs
Located in Moreno Valley, CA
Antique late 19th century Middle Eastern Egyptian Moorish side chairs finely hand carved with intricate wood fretwork and inlaid with shell.
Wood, Shell
Late 19th c. Venetian Polychrome and Gilded Shell Top Grotto Chair
By Pauly et Cie
Located in San Francisco, CA
The pedestal base is shaped into rock formations, polychrome decorated. This is a very rare chair of this type, attributed to Pauly & Cie, Venice, Third Quater 19th Century.
Gold Leaf
Pair of Regency Period Shell Back Hall Chairs
Located in Lincolnshire, GB
A super pair of Gillow design shell back hall chairs with a fabulous depth and detail to the carving of the shells. Standing proudly on turned and reeded legs. Great color and patina.
Mahogany
Pair Of Regency Mahogany Shell Back Hall Chairs
Located in Essex, MA
With scallop shell form carved backs with spiral shell carved splat and wood seat and circular tapered legs.
Mahogany
Rare Set of Four Boulle Side Chairs, 19th Century
By André-Charles Boulle
Located in Brighton, Sussex
A rare and unusual set of four 19th century French Boulle tortoiseshell and brass inlaid side chairs, each with gilded ormolu mounts, the inlay depicting foliate scrolls and exotic b...
Tortoise Shell
Pair Syrian Moorish Style Inlaid Folding Chairs
Located in Tarry Town, NY
Introducing a refined near pair of late 19th-century antique Syrian carved walnut folding scribe chairs.
Bone, Shell, Walnut
Sold
H 45 in W 22 in D 24.5 in
8 Antique Mahogany Georgian Chippendale Shell Carved Ball and Claw Dining Chairs
Located in Philadelphia, PA
8 antique carved mahogany Georgian Chippendale style shell carved dining side chairs. Item features tall shell carved backs, solid wood construction, beautiful wood grain, finely car...
Mahogany
A Pair of Antique Biedermeier Side Chairs with Shell Inlay
Located in Atlanta, GA
A striking pair of antique Biedermeier chairs made of mahogany circa 1820s', likely from Vienna, Austria. The chairs features a domed and curved back, creating a historical yet simpl...
Mahogany, Satinwood, Wool
Sold
H 45 in W 24 in D 25.5 in
Antique Mahogany Georgian Chippendale Style Shell Carved Ball and Claw Armchair
Located in Philadelphia, PA
Antique carved mahogany Georgian Chippendale style shell carved ball and claw dining armchair. Item features a tall shell carved back, solid wood construction, beautiful wood grain, ...
Mahogany
Boulle Inlaid Armchair with Gilt Bronze Mounts
By André-Charles Boulle
Located in London, GB
This magnificent armchair, or throne chair, is a majestic work of seated furniture, decorated to exacting standards in the highly detailed and complex Boulle technique. It is a rare ...
Ormolu, Brass, Bronze, Pewter
Sold
H 0.4 in W 0.4 in D 0.4 in
19th Century French Boulle Set Desk Cabinet and Chairs Andre Charles Boulle
By André-Charles Boulle
Located in Palermo, Sicily
Original Pieces 19th century French Boulle set desk cabinet and chairs Andre Charles Boulle Louis XV Napoleon III. Measures: Cabinet height cm.112, width cm.132, depth cm.43. Pre...
Brass
Six Italian 19th Century Painted Side Chairs with Shell-Carved Back
Located in Doylestown, PA
Six Italian 19th century klismos side chairs with elaborate shell-carved back rails, parcel-gilt and painted in green and cream.
Shell
Pair of 19th Century English Mahogany Shell-Back Hall Chairs
Located in New York, NY
Pair of English mahogany carved shell-back hall chairs, circa 1830.
Mahogany
Sold
H 34.65 in W 23.23 in D 24.41 in
19th Century Venetian Grotto Shell Chair, Silver Gilt, Pauly et Cie, Italian
By Pauly et Cie
Located in Totnes, GB
‘Grotto’ furniture was popular with European nobility who built shell-encrusted grottos in the ground of their grand houses during the 18th and 19th Centuries.
Gold Leaf, Silver Leaf
With entire areas of our homes reserved for “sitting rooms,” the value of quality antique and vintage seating cannot be overstated.
Fortunately, the design of side chairs, armchairs and other lounge furniture — since what were, quite literally, the early perches of our ancestors — has evolved considerably.
Among the earliest standard seating furniture were stools. Egyptian stools, for example, designed for one person with no seat back, were x-shaped and typically folded to be tucked away. These rudimentary chairs informed the design of Greek and Roman stools, all of which were a long way from Sori Yanagi's Butterfly stool or Alvar Aalto's Stool 60. In the 18th century and earlier, seats with backs and armrests were largely reserved for high nobility.
The seating of today is more inclusive but the style and placement of chairs can still make a statement. Antique desk chairs and armchairs designed in the style of Louis XV, which eventually included painted furniture and were often made of rare woods, feature prominently curved legs as well as Chinese themes and varied ornaments. Much like the thrones of fairy tales and the regency, elegant lounges crafted in the Louis XV style convey wealth and prestige. In the kitchen, the dining chair placed at the head of the table is typically reserved for the head of the household or a revered guest.
Of course, with luxurious vintage or antique furnishings, every chair can seem like the best seat in the house. Whether your preference is stretching out on a plush sofa, such as the Serpentine, designed by Vladimir Kagan, or cozying up in a vintage wingback chair, there is likely to be a comfy classic or contemporary gem for you on 1stDibs.
With respect to the latest obsessions in design, cane seating has been cropping up everywhere, from sleek armchairs to lounge chairs, while bouclé fabric, a staple of modern furniture design, can be seen in mid-century modern, Scandinavian modern and Hollywood Regency furniture styles.
Admirers of the sophisticated craftsmanship and dark woods frequently associated with mid-century modern seating can find timeless furnishings in our expansive collection of lounge chairs, dining chairs and other items — whether they’re vintage editions or alluring official reproductions of iconic designs from the likes of Hans Wegner or from Charles and Ray Eames. Shop our inventory of Egg chairs, designed in 1958 by Arne Jacobsen, the Florence Knoll lounge chair and more.
No matter your style, the collection of unique chairs, sofas and other seating on 1stDibs is surely worthy of a standing ovation.
Modern icons are showing up in gracefully layered dining nooks, living rooms and lounges — proof that great design only gets better with context.
Andrianna Shamaris has filled her epic new home with pieces of her own design.
Top interior designers show — and tell — us how to create delectable spaces for hosting dinner parties.
With its plush cushions, cane details and dazzlingly colorful back, it’s inviting from every angle.
You know the designs, now get the stories about how they came to be.
The plush Cove Slipper 2.5 Seater sofa is just one of many convenient combinations from the London-based maker.
Sam Klemick's cool stool is edgy, cozy and environmentally sustainable all at once.
From his massive collaborative workshop in a former paper factory, the designer concocts funky furniture from disused materials, as well as luxe hotel interiors like the new Mix Brussels.