Eames Shell Chairs
Vintage 1960s Side Chairs
Zinc
Vintage 1970s American Mid-Century Modern Chairs
Fiberglass
Vintage 1950s American Swivel Chairs
Aluminum
Vintage 1960s American Dining Room Chairs
Vintage 1960s American Mid-Century Modern Rocking Chairs
Vintage 1950s American Mid-Century Modern Dining Room Chairs
Metal
Mid-20th Century Dining Room Chairs
Fiberglass
Vintage 1950s Side Chairs
Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Chairs
Fiberglass
Vintage 1950s American Mid-Century Modern Chairs
Metal
Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Office Chairs and Desk Chairs
Fiberglass
Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Lounge Chairs
American Mid-Century Modern Lounge Chairs
Chrome
Vintage 1960s American Mid-Century Modern Side Chairs
Naugahyde, Fiberglass
Vintage 1960s American Mid-Century Modern Chairs
Chrome
Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Lounge Chairs
Zinc
Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Dining Room Chairs
Fiberglass
20th Century American Chairs
Metal
20th Century American Lounge Chairs
Iron
Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Dining Room Chairs
Fiberglass
20th Century American Armchairs
Steel
Vintage 1960s American Mid-Century Modern Dining Room Chairs
Fiberglass
Vintage 1950s Mid-Century Modern Armchairs
Steel
Vintage 1950s American Mid-Century Modern Armchairs
Metal
Vintage 1960s American Mid-Century Modern Armchairs
Zinc
Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Armchairs
Metal
Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Armchairs
Fiberglass
Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Armchairs
Fiberglass
Vintage 1960s American Mid-Century Modern Armchairs
Zinc
Mid-20th Century European Mid-Century Modern Armchairs
Aluminum
American Armchairs
Fiberglass
Vintage 1950s Armchairs
Fiberglass
20th Century American Armchairs
Metal
Vintage 1950s American Mid-Century Modern Armchairs
Vintage 1950s American Mid-Century Modern Dining Room Chairs
Fiberglass
20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Armchairs
Mid-20th Century Dining Room Chairs
Steel
Late 20th Century American Modern Chairs
Metal
Vintage 1950s American Chairs
Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Chairs
Fiberglass
Vintage 1960s American Mid-Century Modern Chairs
Fiberglass
Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Chairs
Fiberglass
Vintage 1950s American Mid-Century Modern Chairs
Metal
20th Century American Chairs
Aluminum
Vintage 1960s American Mid-Century Modern Chairs
Metal
Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Chairs
Fiberglass
Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Dining Room Chairs
Fiberglass
Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Chairs
Fiberglass
Vintage 1950s American Mid-Century Modern Office Chairs and Desk Chairs
Metal
Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Chairs
Metal
Vintage 1950s American Mid-Century Modern Lounge Chairs
Fiberglass
Vintage 1960s American Mid-Century Modern Chairs
Aluminum, Steel
Vintage 1960s American Mid-Century Modern Chairs
Aluminum, Steel
Vintage 1950s American Lounge Chairs
Metal
Vintage 1950s Mid-Century Modern Side Chairs
Fiberglass
Vintage 1950s Armchairs
Fiberglass
Vintage 1950s American Armchairs
Metal
- 1
Eames Shell Chairs For Sale on 1stDibs
How Much are Eames Shell Chairs?
Materials: Plastic Furniture
Arguably the world’s most ubiquitous man-made material, plastic has impacted nearly every industry. In contemporary spaces, new and vintage plastic furniture is quite popular and its use pairs well with a range of design styles.
From the Italian lighting artisans at Fontana Arte to venturesome Scandinavian modernists such as Verner Panton, who created groundbreaking interiors as much as he did seating — see his revolutionary Panton chair — to contemporary multidisciplinary artists like Faye Toogood, furniture designers have been pushing the boundaries of plastic forever.
When The Graduate's Mr. McGuire proclaimed, “There’s a great future in plastics,” it was more than a laugh line. The iconic quote is an allusion both to society’s reliance on and its love affair with plastic. Before the material became an integral part of our lives — used in everything from clothing to storage to beauty and beyond — people relied on earthly elements for manufacturing, a process as time-consuming as it was costly.
Soon after American inventor John Wesley Hyatt created celluloid, which could mimic luxury products like tortoiseshell and ivory, production hit fever pitch, and the floodgates opened for others to explore plastic’s full potential. The material altered the history of design — mid-century modern legends Charles and Ray Eames, Joe Colombo and Eero Saarinen regularly experimented with plastics in the development of tables and chairs, and today plastic furnishings and decorative objects are seen as often indoors as they are outside.
Find vintage plastic lounge chairs, outdoor furniture, lighting and more on 1stDibs.
Finding the Right Seating for You
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.
- 1stDibs ExpertMay 5, 2023What makes the Eames chair so special is its innovative design pioneered by Charles and Ray Eames. It features supple leather upholstery and a bentwood frame produced using a handmade apparatus that the duo developed. Ever fascinated by ergonomics, the Eameses carefully calibrated the pitch of the seat. It has enough flexibility for comfort but not so much that stability is sacrificed. This precise shape comes by way of three connected plywood pieces. On 1stDibs, shop a range of Eames chairs.
Read More
The 21 Most Popular Mid-Century Modern Chairs
You know the designs, now get the stories about how they came to be.
Mies van der Rohe’s Barcelona Chair Shook Modernism and Charmed Hollywood
The enduring appeal of the Barcelona chair is in the details.
Herman Miller Got Its Start in the Office, but Its Legacy Is in the Home
The brand that turned Charles and Ray Eames, Isamu Noguchi and George Nelson into mid-century household names is just as relevant today as it was six decades ago.
May’s Most Popular Interiors on Instagram
Our feed is filled with the world's most beautiful spaces. See the rooms our followers have deemed the best of the best this month.
April’s Most-Liked Interiors on Instagram
Our feed is filled with the world's most beautiful spaces. See the 10 our followers have deemed the best of the best this month.
See How New York City Designers Experiment on Their Own Homes
There are many lessons to be learned from the lofts, apartments and townhouses of architects and decorators in Manhattan and beyond.
Jeff Andrews Captures Old Hollywood Glamour in His Cinematic Spaces
Having created extravagant homes for reality TV’s biggest stars, the designer is stepping into the spotlight with his first book.
New Orleans’ Lee Ledbetter Makes Design Magic by Mixing Past and Present
The Louisiana-born and -bred architect talks to 1stdibs about the art of making timeless places that matter.