Tresserra Casablanca

Born in 1943, in Spain, to a family of actors and fashion designers who greatly influenced his artistic inclinations, award-winning designer Jaime Tresserra creates stylish tables, lighting and other furnishings to help bring warmth and sophistication to any interior. 

Although he initially studied law, Tresserra quit during his first year after becoming interested in various art courses at the Escola Massana in his hometown of Barcelona. He started in advertising before eventually turning to interior architecture, where he began to design his first pieces of furniture for clients. 

Tresserra founded his design company J. Tresserra Design (later Tresserra Collection SL) in 1987. He presented his first collection of furniture at the Valencia International Furniture Fair where he won Best Modern Furniture Design for his innovative wooden folding Carpett desk. 

Tresserra’s award-winning debut helped establish him as one of Spain’s foremost modern furniture designers. Throughout the late 1980s and 1990s, he exhibited several pieces at the Salone del Mobile in Milan and IMM Cologne to critical acclaim. 

In 1994, Tresserra opened a showroom in Barcelona, establishing concessions with international furniture retailers in Madrid, London, Moscow, St. Petersburg, Berlin, Boston and Chicago to sell such pieces as his postmodern luxury Casablanca armchair and sleek, coffee tables and center tables crafted in walnut. Meanwhile, Tresserra collaborated with manufacturer Dessie Studio on several notable designs including the Asas mirror, the low-slung Tecnica bench and modular bookcase, and the multipurpose Planera Calvet chest of drawers.

In 2005, Tresserra opened his first Paris store located near the Louvre Museum. Later, in 2014, he expanded to the United States with a store on New York City’s Upper East Side.

Over the past few decades, Tresserra has participated in numerous major international exhibitions. His furniture can be found in several museums around the world including the Museum of Decorative Arts in Barcelona, the Stedelijk Museum in Amsterdam, the Museum für Kunst und Gewerbe in Hamburg, Die Neue Sammlung Museum in Munich and the Crow Museum of Asian Art in Dallas.

On 1stDibs, discover a range of vintage Jaime Tresserra desks, tables, case pieces and storage cabinets, and seating.

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.