Eames Shell Chairs
Vintage 1950s American Mid-Century Modern Armchairs
Fiberglass
Vintage 1960s Mid-Century Modern Armchairs
Vintage 1960s American Mid-Century Modern Stools
Fiberglass, Walnut
20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Armchairs
Steel
Vintage 1960s American Armchairs
Metal
Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Benches
Aluminum
Vintage 1950s American Mid-Century Modern Armchairs
Metal
Vintage 1970s American Mid-Century Modern Benches
Metal, Aluminum
20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Armchairs
Metal
Vintage 1950s American Mid-Century Modern Armchairs
Iron, Steel
Vintage 1970s Central American Mid-Century Modern Armchairs
Leather, Rosewood
Vintage 1950s American Mid-Century Modern Armchairs
Metal
Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Side Chairs
Zinc
Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Chairs
Fiberglass
Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Chairs
Fiberglass
Vintage 1960s Chairs
Aluminum, Steel
Vintage 1980s American Mid-Century Modern Chairs
Steel
Vintage 1960s American Mid-Century Modern Chairs
Metal
Vintage 1950s American Mid-Century Modern Dining Room Chairs
Steel
Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Chairs
Aluminum
Vintage 1970s Mid-Century Modern Chairs
Fiberglass
Vintage 1970s American Mid-Century Modern Benches
Metal, Aluminum
Vintage 1960s Mid-Century Modern Chairs
Vintage 1950s American Mid-Century Modern Chairs
Metal
Vintage 1970s American Mid-Century Modern Chairs
Aluminum
Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Lounge Chairs
Fiberglass
Vintage 1960s American Mid-Century Modern Chairs
Steel
Vintage 1960s American Mid-Century Modern Chairs
Steel
Mid-20th Century North American Mid-Century Modern Side Chairs
Steel
Mid-20th Century Mid-Century Modern Chairs
Metal
Mid-20th Century Mid-Century Modern Chairs
Metal
Vintage 1950s American Mid-Century Modern Chairs
Metal
Vintage 1980s American Mid-Century Modern Chairs
Metal, Aluminum
Vintage 1960s American Mid-Century Modern Swivel Chairs
Aluminum, Iron
Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Dining Room Chairs
Metal
Mid-20th Century Mid-Century Modern Chairs
Metal
Vintage 1950s American Mid-Century Modern Office Chairs and Desk Chairs
Aluminum, Steel
Late 20th Century North American Mid-Century Modern Side Chairs
Fiberglass
Vintage 1970s Mid-Century Modern Office Chairs and Desk Chairs
Metal
Mid-20th Century Mid-Century Modern Chairs
Fiberglass
Vintage 1970s American Mid-Century Modern Chairs
Metal
Vintage 1950s American Chairs
Iron
Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Lounge Chairs
Aluminum
Vintage 1970s American Mid-Century Modern Swivel Chairs
Metal
Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Lounge Chairs
Aluminum
Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Rocking Chairs
Chrome
Vintage 1960s American Mid-Century Modern Dining Room Chairs
Aluminum
20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Dining Room Chairs
Aluminum, Steel
Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Swivel Chairs
Aluminum
Vintage 1980s Mid-Century Modern Chairs
Vintage 1960s American Mid-Century Modern Office Chairs and Desk Chairs
Fiberglass
Vintage 1960s American Mid-Century Modern Dining Room Chairs
Metal
Vintage 1970s Swiss Mid-Century Modern Dining Room Chairs
Metal
20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Office Chairs and Desk Chairs
Aluminum, Steel
Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Lounge Chairs
Chrome
Vintage 1950s American Mid-Century Modern Chairs
Steel
Vintage 1970s American Mid-Century Modern Office Chairs and Desk Chairs
Metal, Chrome
- 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.
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