Burke Tulip Side Table
Vintage 1960s Unknown Mid-Century Modern Side Tables
Metal
Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Side Tables
Metal
Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Side Tables
Aluminum
Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Side Tables
Carrara Marble
Vintage 1960s American Mid-Century Modern End Tables
Steel
Mid-20th Century Scottish Mid-Century Modern Chairs
Metal
People Also Browsed
2010s American Mid-Century Modern Wall Lights and Sconces
Brass, Bronze, Enamel, Nickel
Mid-20th Century Danish Scandinavian Modern Bookcases
Elm, Pine, Teak, Oak, Mahogany
2010s American Flush Mount
Brass
2010s Italian Mid-Century Modern Coffee and Cocktail Tables
Marble, Aluminum
Vintage 1970s American Mid-Century Modern Dining Room Tables
Aluminum
Vintage 1970s Swiss Dining Room Tables
Laminate
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Floor Lamps
Aluminum, Steel
Late 20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Dining Room Tables
Metal
Vintage 1960s German Space Age Coffee and Cocktail Tables
Metal
Vintage 1970s American Modern Center Tables
Marble, Metal
Vintage 1960s British Space Age Dining Room Chairs
Upholstery, Plastic, Fiberglass
Vintage 1970s Italian Tables
Crystal, Metal
Vintage 1950s American Mid-Century Modern Credenzas
Chrome
Early 2000s American Mid-Century Modern Coffee and Cocktail Tables
Aluminum
Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Armchairs
Metal
Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Dining Room Tables
Steel
Recent Sales
Vintage 1960s American Mid-Century Modern Side Tables
Metal
Vintage 1960s American Mid-Century Modern Side Tables
Metal
Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Side Tables
Aluminum
Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Side Tables
Metal
Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Side Tables
Metal
Mid-20th Century British Mid-Century Modern Side Tables
Aluminum
Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Side Tables
Metal
Vintage 1960s British Mid-Century Modern Side Tables
Aluminum
Mid-20th Century English Mid-Century Modern Side Tables
Aluminum
Mid-20th Century English Mid-Century Modern Side Tables
Aluminum
Mid-20th Century English Mid-Century Modern Side Tables
Aluminum
Mid-20th Century English Mid-Century Modern Side Tables
Aluminum
Mid-20th Century English Mid-Century Modern Side Tables
Aluminum
Mid-20th Century English Mid-Century Modern Side Tables
Aluminum
Mid-20th Century English Mid-Century Modern Side Tables
Aluminum
Mid-20th Century English Mid-Century Modern Side Tables
Aluminum
Mid-20th Century American Side Tables
Metal
Vintage 1960s Danish Mid-Century Modern Side Tables
Aluminum
Mid-20th Century American Modern Side Tables
Mid-20th Century English Mid-Century Modern Tables
Metal
Mid-20th Century English Mid-Century Modern Tables
Aluminum
Mid-20th Century English Mid-Century Modern Tables
Aluminum
Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Game Tables
Metal
Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Dining Room Tables
Aluminum
Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Side Tables
Iron
Mid-20th Century English Mid-Century Modern Side Tables
Aluminum
Vintage 1960s British Mid-Century Modern Side Tables
Metal
Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Side Tables
Metal
Vintage 1960s Dutch Mid-Century Modern Coffee and Cocktail Tables
Steel
Vintage 1960s British Mid-Century Modern Dining Room Tables
Aluminum
Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern End Tables
Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern End Tables
Aluminum
Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Side Tables
Metal
Vintage 1960s Mid-Century Modern Side Tables
Vintage 1970s British Mid-Century Modern Side Tables
Metal
Vintage 1960s American Coffee and Cocktail Tables
Burke Tulip Side Table For Sale on 1stDibs
How Much is a Burke Tulip Side Table?
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 side-tables for You
While the range of styles and variety of materials have broadened over time, the priceless functionality of side tables has held true.
Vintage, new and antique side tables are an integral accent to our seating and provide additional, necessary storage in our homes. They can be a great foundation for that perfect focal piece of art that you want all your guests to see as you congregate for cocktails in the living room. Side tables are indeed ideal as a stage for your decorative objects or plants in your library or your study, and they are a practical space for the novel or stack of design magazines you keep close to your sofa.
Sure, owning a pair of side tables isn’t as imperative as having a coffee table in the common area, though most of us would struggle without them. Those made of metal, stone or wood are frequently featured in stylish interiors, and if you’re shopping for side tables, there are a couple of things to keep in mind.
With respect to the height of your side tables, a table that is as high as your lounge chair or the arm of your couch is best. Some folks are understandably fussy about coherence in a living room area, but coherence doesn’t necessarily mean you can’t mix and match. Feel free to introduce minimalist mid-century modern wooden side tables designed by Paul McCobb alongside your contemporary metal coffee table. If you think it isn’t possible to pair a Hollywood Regency–style side table with a contemporary sofa, we’re here to tell you that it is. Even a leggy side table can balance a chunky sofa well. Try to keep a limited color palette in mind if you’re planning on mixing furniture styles and materials, and don’t be afraid to add a piece of abstract art to shake things up.
As far as the objects you’re planning to place on your side tables, if you have heavy items such as stone or sculptures to display, a fragile glass-top table would not be an ideal choice. Think about what material would best support your collectibles and go with that. If it’s a particularly small side table, along with a tall, sleek floor lamp, it can make for a great way to fill a corner of the room you wouldn’t otherwise easily be able to populate.
Whether you are looking for an antique 19th-century carved oak side table or a vintage rattan side table (because rattan never went away!), the collection on 1stDibs has you covered.
Read More
The Ultimate Guide to Types of Tables for the Home
Whether you’re just moving in or ready to give your home a makeover, our guide will give you pointers on tables that are fitting for every room, nook and hallway.
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.
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.
Desert Modern Designer Arthur Elrod Finally Gets His Day in the Sun
The Palm Springs interior decorator developed a mid-century style that defined the vacation homes of celebrities and other notables, including Bob Hope and Lucille Ball.
Remembering Design Visionary Florence Knoll Bassett (1917-2019)
A loving look back at the life and career of a doyenne of mid-century-modern style, who died last week at the age of 101.
From the Hamptons to Palm Springs, FormArch’s Homes Embody Both Comfort and Cool
The houses from this New York studio cloak modernist tendencies within what are often more traditional trappings.