Mah Jong
Early 2000s Italian Modern Sectional Sofas
Fabric
Vintage 1920s Chinese Art Nouveau Antiquities
Wood, Bamboo
Early 20th Century Japanese Games
Metal, Brass
Vintage 1970s Austrian Post-Modern Sectional Sofas
Fabric
Vintage 1970s Sectional Sofas
Velvet, Wood
Vintage 1970s Sectional Sofas
Velvet, Wood
Late 20th Century French Colonial Revival Desks and Writing Tables
Leather, Bamboo, Wood
Vintage 1980s Mid-Century Modern Sofas
Leather
Vintage 1980s Mid-Century Modern Club Chairs
Leather
Vintage 1950s Chinese Chinese Export Antiquities
Bamboo
Vintage 1950s Italian Game Tables
Ormolu
Mid-20th Century German Mid-Century Modern Living Room Sets
Wool
Vintage 1970s French Mid-Century Modern Sofas
Early 20th Century Chinese Other Games
Vintage 1980s European Mid-Century Modern Sofas
Silk
21st Century and Contemporary American Sofas
Velvet
2010s European Modern Sectional Sofas
Early 2000s French Mid-Century Modern Sofas
2010s European Mid-Century Modern Lounge Chairs
Cotton, Velvet
Early 2000s French Mid-Century Modern Sofas
Vintage 1970s French Mid-Century Modern Sectional Sofas
Velvet
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Mid-Century Modern Sectional Sofas
Textile
Vintage 1970s French Mid-Century Modern Chaise Longues
Fabric
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Mid-Century Modern Sofas
Silk, Velvet
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Mid-Century Modern Sectional Sofas
Silk, Velvet
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Mid-Century Modern Sectional Sofas
Silk, Velvet
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Mid-Century Modern Sectional Sofas
Silk, Velvet
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Mid-Century Modern Sectional Sofas
Silk, Velvet
Mid-20th Century French Mid-Century Modern Living Room Sets
Fabric
Mid-20th Century French Mid-Century Modern Living Room Sets
Fabric
Early 2000s French Post-Modern Sectional Sofas
Fabric
Vintage 1970s European Mid-Century Modern Sectional Sofas
Velvet
Vintage 1970s French Post-Modern Sectional Sofas
Velvet
2010s French Mid-Century Modern Sectional Sofas
Fabric, Cotton
Late 20th Century Italian Mid-Century Modern Sectional Sofas
Silk, Velvet
Vintage 1970s European Sofas
Upholstery
2010s French Mid-Century Modern Sofas
Fabric, Foam
2010s French Post-Modern Sectional Sofas
Fabric
Mid-20th Century French Mid-Century Modern Lounge Chairs
Fabric
Vintage 1970s French Mid-Century Modern Lounge Chairs
Fabric
Late 20th Century Chinese Games
Teak
2010s European Mid-Century Modern Sectional Sofas
Velvet, Cotton, Silk
2010s Italian Mid-Century Modern Sofas
Fabric, Velvet, Foam
2010s Mid-Century Modern Sofas
Fabric, Foam
2010s European Mid-Century Modern Sectional Sofas
Cotton, Silk, Velvet
Vintage 1970s French Modern Ottomans and Poufs
Fabric, Foam
2010s European Mid-Century Modern Sectional Sofas
Velvet
2010s European Mid-Century Modern Sectional Sofas
Velvet
Mid-20th Century Chinese Mid-Century Modern Games
Walnut
Vintage 1970s Italian Mid-Century Modern Sectional Sofas
Fabric, Velvet
Early 20th Century Chinese Chinese Export Antiquities
Bamboo, Bakelite
20th Century French Modern Sectional Sofas
Fabric
2010s European Sofas
Fabric, Cotton, Wood
21st Century and Contemporary French Mid-Century Modern Sofas
Fabric, Foam
Early 2000s French Post-Modern Sofas
Fabric
Early 20th Century Chinese Chinese Export Antiquities
Bone, Bamboo
2010s French Modern Sectional Sofas
Fabric, Leather
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Looking for a Mah Jong Sofa?
German designer and artist Hans Hopfer had a profound impact on furniture design that still guides the choices we make about our spaces today. His forward-looking collections of inviting, modular low-profile seating, such as the widely revered Mah Jong sofa for Roche Bobois, allowed for optimal customized arrangements in one’s living room, an innovation that reshaped relaxation at home in a significant and lasting way.
When the popularity of cable television took hold in more major American cities during the 1970s, sofas and other seating became integral to contemporary living-room decor. Roche Bobois’s newly launched Les Contemporains series positioned its own sofas front and center, and it also offered plush lounge chairs designed by Mario Bellini.
Bold works from Roche Bobois during the decade included one of its most enduring and well-known pieces — the Mah Jong sectional sofa created by Hopfer in 1971. Anchored by few central elements, this modular lounge sofa can be combined or stacked, giving the buyer total freedom over its appearance and the ability to maximize comfort with its plump cushions. Inspired by a tile-based game that originated in China, the Mah Jong has been in production since its debut. It is still handmade in a workshop in Italy today.
Composed of low seating elements and large cushions, Hopfer’s Mah Jong sofa has seen some high-profile fabric updates by Missoni, Jean Paul Gaultier and Japanese clothing designer Kenzo Takada, who worked with Roche Bobois to craft fabrics emblazoned with geometrically dynamic patterns to be used as upholstery for the firm’s iconic piece of furniture.
Find Mah Jong sofas for sale 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.