Adrian Pearsall Wave
20th Century Chaise Longues
Fabric, Wood
20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Lounge Chairs
Brass
20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Chaise Longues
Fabric, Wood
Vintage 1960s American Mid-Century Modern Chaise Longues
Fabric, Walnut
Mid-20th Century American Chaise Longues
Leather
Vintage 1960s American Mid-Century Modern Chaise Longues
Cowhide, Upholstery, Walnut
Vintage 1960s American Mid-Century Modern Lounge Chairs
Fabric, Walnut
Vintage 1960s American Mid-Century Modern Chaise Longues
Upholstery
Vintage 1960s American Mid-Century Modern Chaise Longues
Velvet
Mid-20th Century Mid-Century Modern Chaise Longues
Upholstery, Walnut
Vintage 1960s American Mid-Century Modern Chaise Longues
Upholstery, Wood
Vintage 1970s American Mid-Century Modern Chaise Longues
Upholstery, Wood
Vintage 1960s American Mid-Century Modern Chaise Longues
Upholstery, Wood
Mid-20th Century North American Mid-Century Modern Lounge Chairs
Upholstery
Vintage 1960s American Mid-Century Modern Chaise Longues
Fabric, Walnut
Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Chaise Longues
Fabric
Vintage 1970s American Mid-Century Modern Chaise Longues
Upholstery, Walnut
Vintage 1970s American Mid-Century Modern Chaise Longues
Bouclé
Vintage 1970s American Mid-Century Modern Slipper Chairs
Chrome
Vintage 1960s American Mid-Century Modern Chaise Longues
Fabric
Vintage 1960s American Mid-Century Modern Sofas
Fabric, Wood, Walnut
Vintage 1960s American Mid-Century Modern Loveseats
Fabric, Walnut
Vintage 1960s American Mid-Century Modern Sofas
Fabric, Wood, Walnut
Vintage 1970s American Mid-Century Modern Lounge Chairs
Upholstery, Plywood
People Also Browsed
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Mid-Century Modern Chandeliers and...
Brass
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Sofas
Velvet, Walnut
2010s South African Modern Side Tables
Steel, Copper
2010s Mexican Brutalist Contemporary Art
Wood
2010s Italian Chairs
Fabric
2010s American Modern Stools
Oak
2010s Guatemalan Modern Screens and Room Dividers
Wood, Mahogany
2010s American Ottomans and Poufs
Zebra Hide
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Organic Modern Center Tables
Travertine
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Console Tables
Brass
Mid-20th Century Mid-Century Modern Sofas
Upholstery, Walnut
Vintage 1980s American Post-Modern Chaise Longues
Bouclé, Upholstery
Early 2000s European Mid-Century Modern Chaise Longues
Sheepskin, Plywood
Vintage 1970s American Mid-Century Modern Sofas
Upholstery, Walnut
Vintage 1940s Italian Mid-Century Modern Wardrobes and Armoires
Chestnut
Vintage 1950s American Mid-Century Modern Lounge Chairs
Wood
Recent Sales
Vintage 1960s American Mid-Century Modern Chaise Longues
Chenille
Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Lounge Chairs
Wrought Iron
Vintage 1970s Lounge Chairs
Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Chaise Longues
Vintage 1960s American Mid-Century Modern Lounge Chairs
Foam, Walnut
Vintage 1960s American Mid-Century Modern Chaise Longues
Upholstery, Walnut
20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Chaise Longues
Iron
Vintage 1960s American Mid-Century Modern Lounge Chairs
Fabric, Foam, Wood, Walnut
Vintage 1970s American Mid-Century Modern Chaise Longues
Velvet, Plaster, Wood
Vintage 1960s American Mid-Century Modern Chaise Longues
Fabric, Textile, Walnut
Vintage 1960s American Mid-Century Modern Chaise Longues
Vintage 1960s American Chaise Longues
Vintage 1960s American Mid-Century Modern Chaise Longues
Fabric, Textile, Bouclé, Walnut
Vintage 1960s American Mid-Century Modern Chaise Longues
Fabric, Textile, Bouclé, Walnut
Vintage 1950s American Lounge Chairs
Wood, Upholstery
Vintage 1950s American Lounge Chairs
Fabric, Oak
Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Chaise Longues
Fabric, Walnut
Vintage 1960s American Mid-Century Modern Rocking Chairs
Bouclé, Upholstery, Walnut
Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Chaise Longues
Fabric, Walnut
Vintage 1960s American Mid-Century Modern Lounge Chairs
Walnut
Vintage 1970s Mid-Century Modern Chaise Longues
Vintage 1960s Mid-Century Modern Chaise Longues
Upholstery
Vintage 1960s Mid-Century Modern Chaise Longues
Bouclé
Late 20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Chaise Longues
Walnut
Mid-20th Century Mid-Century Modern Chaise Longues
Cowhide
Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Chaise Longues
Fabric, Teak
Vintage 1960s American Mid-Century Modern Chaise Longues
Walnut
Vintage 1950s American Mid-Century Modern Chaise Longues
Vintage 1960s North American Mid-Century Modern Chaise Longues
Fabric, Faux Fur, Walnut
Vintage 1960s Mid-Century Modern Chaise Longues
Fabric
Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Chaise Longues
Wool, Walnut
Vintage 1970s American Mid-Century Modern Lounge Chairs
Upholstery, Wood
Vintage 1960s American Mid-Century Modern Rocking Chairs
Fabric, Walnut
Vintage 1960s American Mid-Century Modern Chaise Longues
Bouclé, Wood
Vintage 1960s American Scandinavian Modern Chaise Longues
Fabric, Upholstery
Vintage 1960s American Mid-Century Modern Lounge Chairs
Vintage 1960s American Mid-Century Modern Chaise Longues
Upholstery, Hardwood
Vintage 1960s North American Mid-Century Modern Chaise Longues
Upholstery
Vintage 1970s American Mid-Century Modern Chaise Longues
Upholstery, Wood
Mid-20th Century North American Mid-Century Modern Chaise Longues
Sheepskin, Walnut
Vintage 1960s American Mid-Century Modern Chaise Longues
Walnut, Wool
Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Chaise Longues
Fabric, Bouclé, Walnut
Vintage 1960s American Mid-Century Modern Lounge Chairs
Fabric
Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Chaise Longues
Fabric, Velvet, Walnut
Vintage 1960s American Mid-Century Modern Chaise Longues
Faux Fur, Wood
Vintage 1960s American Mid-Century Modern Chaise Longues
Vintage 1970s American Mid-Century Modern Chaise Longues
Upholstery, Wood
Vintage 1960s American Mid-Century Modern Chaise Longues
Velvet, Walnut
Vintage 1960s Mid-Century Modern Chaise Longues
Upholstery
Vintage 1960s American Mid-Century Modern Chaise Longues
Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Chaise Longues
Foam, Textile, Walnut
Vintage 1960s American Mid-Century Modern Chaise Longues
Upholstery, Ash
Vintage 1960s American Mid-Century Modern Chaise Longues
Mohair, Walnut
Vintage 1960s American Mid-Century Modern Chaise Longues
Steel
Vintage 1960s American Mid-Century Modern Chaise Longues
Mohair, Walnut
Vintage 1960s American Mid-Century Modern Chaise Longues
Walnut, Fabric, Textile
Vintage 1970s American Mid-Century Modern Chaise Longues
Fabric
Vintage 1960s American Mid-Century Modern Chaise Longues
Walnut, Fabric, Bouclé, Wood
Vintage 1960s American Mid-Century Modern Chaise Longues
Vintage 1960s American Mid-Century Modern Chaise Longues
Fabric, Wood
Adrian Pearsall Wave For Sale on 1stDibs
How Much is a Adrian Pearsall Wave?
A Close Look at mid-century-modern Furniture
Organically shaped, clean-lined and elegantly simple are three terms that well describe vintage mid-century modern furniture. The style, which emerged primarily in the years following World War II, is characterized by pieces that were conceived and made in an energetic, optimistic spirit by creators who believed that good design was an essential part of good living.
ORIGINS OF MID-CENTURY MODERN FURNITURE DESIGN
- Emerged during the mid-20th century
- Informed by European modernism, Bauhaus, International style, Scandinavian modernism and Frank Lloyd Wright’s architecture
- A heyday of innovation in postwar America
- Experimentation with new ideas, new materials and new forms flourished in Scandinavia, Italy, the former Czechoslovakia and elsewhere in Europe
CHARACTERISTICS OF MID-CENTURY MODERN FURNITURE DESIGN
- Simplicity, organic forms, clean lines
- A blend of neutral and bold Pop art colors
- Use of natural and man-made materials — alluring woods such as teak, rosewood and oak; steel, fiberglass and molded plywood
- Light-filled spaces with colorful upholstery
- Glass walls and an emphasis on the outdoors
- Promotion of functionality
MID-CENTURY MODERN FURNITURE DESIGNERS TO KNOW
- Charles and Ray Eames
- Eero Saarinen
- Milo Baughman
- Florence Knoll
- Harry Bertoia
- Isamu Noguchi
- George Nelson
- Danish modernists Hans Wegner and Arne Jacobsen, whose emphasis on natural materials and craftsmanship influenced American designers and vice versa
ICONIC MID-CENTURY MODERN FURNITURE DESIGNS
- Eames lounge chair
- Nelson daybed
- Florence Knoll sofa
- Egg chair
- Womb chair
- Noguchi coffee table
- Barcelona chair
VINTAGE MID-CENTURY MODERN FURNITURE ON 1STDIBS
The mid-century modern era saw leagues of postwar American architects and designers animated by new ideas and new technology. The lean, functionalist International-style architecture of Le Corbusier and Bauhaus eminences Ludwig Mies van der Rohe and Walter Gropius had been promoted in the United States during the 1930s by Philip Johnson and others. New building techniques, such as “post-and-beam” construction, allowed the International-style schemes to be realized on a small scale in open-plan houses with long walls of glass.
Materials developed for wartime use became available for domestic goods and were incorporated into mid-century modern furniture designs. Charles and Ray Eames and Eero Saarinen, who had experimented extensively with molded plywood, eagerly embraced fiberglass for pieces such as the La Chaise and the Womb chair, respectively.
Architect, writer and designer George Nelson created with his team shades for the Bubble lamp using a new translucent polymer skin and, as design director at Herman Miller, recruited the Eameses, Alexander Girard and others for projects at the legendary Michigan furniture manufacturer.
Harry Bertoia and Isamu Noguchi devised chairs and tables built of wire mesh and wire struts. Materials were repurposed too: The Danish-born designer Jens Risom created a line of chairs using surplus parachute straps for webbed seats and backrests.
The Risom lounge chair was among the first pieces of furniture commissioned and produced by legendary manufacturer Knoll, a chief influencer in the rise of modern design in the United States, thanks to the work of Florence Knoll, the pioneering architect and designer who made the firm a leader in its field. The seating that Knoll created for office spaces — as well as pieces designed by Florence initially for commercial clients — soon became desirable for the home.
As the demand for casual, uncluttered furnishings grew, more mid-century furniture designers caught the spirit.
Classically oriented creators such as Edward Wormley, house designer for Dunbar Inc., offered such pieces as the sinuous Listen to Me chaise; the British expatriate T.H. Robsjohn-Gibbings switched gears, creating items such as the tiered, biomorphic Mesa table. There were Young Turks such as Paul McCobb, who designed holistic groups of sleek, blond wood furniture, and Milo Baughman, who espoused a West Coast aesthetic in minimalist teak dining tables and lushly upholstered chairs and sofas with angular steel frames.
As the collection of vintage mid-century modern chairs, dressers, coffee tables and other furniture for the living room, dining room, bedroom and elsewhere on 1stDibs demonstrates, this period saw one of the most delightful and dramatic flowerings of creativity in design history.
Finding the Right chaise-longues for You
Sit back, relax and get all of the ergonomic support you could ever need by introducing an alluring antique or vintage chaise longue in your living room or by your outdoor fire pit.
The chaise longue is an upholstered piece of furniture that was made popular in France in the early 16th century. This low reclining seat — a “long chair” in English — boasts an elongated form and low back that extends about half the length of the furnishing, affording the welcome opportunity for a sitter to put their feet up and relax. A comfortable common ground between sofas and daybeds, early iterations of chaise longues were discovered in Ancient Egypt and were later frequently used in both Greece and Rome.
In the late 1700s, the first chaise longues were imported to America, and English speakers have struggled with the name ever since. (In the United States, the term is frequently spelled “chaise lounge.”) So, how do you pronounce chaise longue? It sounds like “shayz lawng,” but limiting it to shayz is perfectly acceptable in the States.
Antique Victorian chaise longues and 19th-century chaise longues bring luxury and perhaps extravagance to your living space while mid-century modern chaise longues, designed by the likes of Adrian Pearsall, Vladimir Kagan or Milo Baughman, can alter an interior with dazzling geometric contours and richly varied textures.
On 1stDibs, find many kinds of chaise longues for your home — from sculptural works by Charlotte Perriand to plush and velvety Louis XVI pieces to minimalist contemporary versions to suit your understated decor.
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.