Loading Spinner

European Chairs

Early European chairs encompass a wide variety of styles. Prior to the 17th century, luxury chairs were designed with an open scheme to allow for the wide skirts of women in period dress. 17th-century European chairs resembled the fancifulness of the time. Created with gilded wood and high backs, the chairs were designed to make the seated individual look and feel like royalty. Chair designers in the 18th century were no less opulent. From this century comes chairs with extensive embroidery and animal feet. It is also from the 18th century that many long-lived styles such as Georgian, Queen Anne, and Chippendale emerged.

In '20s Europe, Art Deco took hold of interior design, making use of materials such as inlaid wood, chrome, aluminum, and plastic. Chairs were upholstered in leather or exotic fabrics. The style was both severe and decadent at the same time. Notable chair designers of the Art Deco period include Paul Follot, Georges deFeure, and Emile-Jacques Ruhlmann. With the onset of World War II, furniture returned to a very economical and comfortable style. A return to modernity in the mid-century modern era featured bold shapes, futuristic materials, and bright colors. Danish modern designer Arne Jacobsen created the Swan chair out of a fiberglass shell covered in foam rubber and upholstered with fabric or leather, while Hans Wegner created a low-back teak and cane piece that became known simply as The Chair.

The design of European chairs today is an amalgam of these previous aesthetics, whether a traditional antique chair or a modern luxury piece like designer Marc Newson’s embryo chair created in 1988. The embryo chair, formed in one piece from polyurethane foam and bathed in bright color, is reminiscent of the tide of mid-century modern style that swept the world earlier in the century.


Quick Facts

  • A 1988 Marc Newson embryo chair sold for $3,125 at an auction by Phillips in 2013
  • A Ruhlmann Crapaud armchair circa 1925 sold for $36,312 at a Phillips auction in London in 2014
  • An Arne Jacobsen Ox lounge chair circa 1966 brought $40,000 at a Phillips New York auction in 2015

Recommended Items at Auction

See all items

bp parity badge
Bergère de style Louis XVI
Feb 26, 10:00 AM EST
Bergère de style Louis XVI
by Eldred's
Est: $300- $400
$3000 Bids
bp parity badge
Bergère de style Louis XVI
Feb 26, 10:00 AM EST
Bergère de style Louis XVI
by Eldred's
Est: $300- $400
$3000 Bids
bp parity badge
Bergère de style Louis XVI
Feb 26, 10:00 AM EST
Bergère de style Louis XVI
by Eldred's
Est: $300- $400
$3000 Bids
bp parity badge
Bergère de style Louis XVI
Feb 26, 10:00 AM EST
Bergère de style Louis XVI
by Eldred's
Est: $300- $400
$3000 Bids
Fornitura da salotto Art Nouveau, inizi XX secolo
Dec 23, 5:00 PM GMT
Fornitura da salotto Art Nouveau, inizi XX secolo
by GBP DP House
Est: £3,000- £5,000
£3,0000 Bids
PAIR ESKO PAJAMIES FOR ASKO 'BONANZA' CHAIRS
May 03, 7:45 PM EDT
PAIR ESKO PAJAMIES FOR ASKO 'BONANZA' CHAIRS
by Asté Maison de ventes
Est: $50- $10,000
$500 Bids
(6) ILMARI TAPIOVAARA FANNETT TEAK DINING CHAIRS
May 03, 7:45 PM EDT
(6) ILMARI TAPIOVAARA FANNETT TEAK DINING CHAIRS
by Asté Maison de ventes
Est: $50- $10,000
$500 Bids
PAIR OF SCANDINAVIAN LEATHER LOUNGE CHAIRS C. 70S
May 03, 7:45 PM EDT
PAIR OF SCANDINAVIAN LEATHER LOUNGE CHAIRS C. 70S
by Asté Maison de ventes
Est: $50- $10,000
$500 Bids
(4) ARNE HOVMAND OLSEN TEAK DINING CHAIRS
May 03, 7:45 PM EDT
(4) ARNE HOVMAND OLSEN TEAK DINING CHAIRS
by Asté Maison de ventes
Est: $50- $10,000
$500 Bids
VATNE LEATHER & ROSEWOOD SWIVEL CHAIR C. 1960S
May 03, 7:45 PM EDT
VATNE LEATHER & ROSEWOOD SWIVEL CHAIR C. 1960S
by Asté Maison de ventes
Est: $50- $10,000
$500 Bids
PAIR ILLUM WIKKELSO 'GENIUS' LOUNGE CHAIRS
May 03, 7:45 PM EDT
PAIR ILLUM WIKKELSO 'GENIUS' LOUNGE CHAIRS
by Asté Maison de ventes
Est: $50- $10,000
$500 Bids
(14) DAUMILLER STYLE PINE FOLDING CHAIRS C. 1970S
May 03, 7:45 PM EDT
(14) DAUMILLER STYLE PINE FOLDING CHAIRS C. 1970S
by Asté Maison de ventes
Est: $50- $10,000
$500 Bids
FINN OSTERGAARD STYLE DANISH BEECH EASY CHAIR
May 03, 7:45 PM EDT
FINN OSTERGAARD STYLE DANISH BEECH EASY CHAIR
by Asté Maison de ventes
Est: $50- $10,000
$500 Bids
PAIR OF FRITZ HANSEN DANISH WOOL LOUNGE CHAIRS
May 03, 7:45 PM EDT
PAIR OF FRITZ HANSEN DANISH WOOL LOUNGE CHAIRS
by Asté Maison de ventes
Est: $50- $10,000
$500 Bids
(4) JOHANNES ANDERSEN TEAK & LEATHER DINING CHAIRS
May 03, 7:45 PM EDT
(4) JOHANNES ANDERSEN TEAK & LEATHER DINING CHAIRS
by Asté Maison de ventes
Est: $50- $10,000
$500 Bids
JOHANNES ANDERSEN FOR ULDUM MOBELFABRIK ARMCHAIR
May 03, 7:45 PM EDT
JOHANNES ANDERSEN FOR ULDUM MOBELFABRIK ARMCHAIR
by Asté Maison de ventes
Est: $50- $10,000
$500 Bids
PAIR OF OSTERVIG STYLE DANISH MOHAIR LOUNGE CHAIRS
May 03, 7:45 PM EDT
PAIR OF OSTERVIG STYLE DANISH MOHAIR LOUNGE CHAIRS
by Asté Maison de ventes
Est: $50- $10,000
$500 Bids
(6) HANS WEGNER DANISH OAK WISHBONE DINING CHAIRS
May 03, 7:45 PM EDT
(6) HANS WEGNER DANISH OAK WISHBONE DINING CHAIRS
by Asté Maison de ventes
Est: $50- $10,000
$500 Bids
DANISH WINGBACK LOUNGE CHAIR C. 1950S
May 03, 7:45 PM EDT
DANISH WINGBACK LOUNGE CHAIR C. 1950S
by Asté Maison de ventes
Est: $50- $10,000
$500 Bids
(7) DANISH ROSEWOOD & MOHAIR DINING CHAIRS
May 03, 7:45 PM EDT
(7) DANISH ROSEWOOD & MOHAIR DINING CHAIRS
by Asté Maison de ventes
Est: $50- $10,000
$500 Bids
THEO RUTH STYLE DANISH CLUB CHAIR C.1960S
May 03, 7:45 PM EDT
THEO RUTH STYLE DANISH CLUB CHAIR C.1960S
by Asté Maison de ventes
Est: $50- $10,000
$500 Bids
PAIR FRITZ HANSEN STYLE DANISH LOUNGE CHAIRS 1940S
May 03, 7:45 PM EDT
PAIR FRITZ HANSEN STYLE DANISH LOUNGE CHAIRS 1940S
by Asté Maison de ventes
Est: $50- $10,000
$500 Bids

Sellers Who Sell European Chairs


Asté Maison de ventes

Asté Maison de ventes

Eldred's

Eldred's