Iconic Design Mid Century
Vintage 1950s Italian Mid-Century Modern Dining Room Tables
Marble
Vintage 1950s Italian Mid-Century Modern Dining Room Tables
Marble, Brass
Vintage 1970s Italian Mid-Century Modern Dining Room Tables
Crystal, Brass, Steel
Vintage 1960s American Mid-Century Modern Bookends
Iron
Mid-20th Century Brazilian Mid-Century Modern Chairs
Fabric, Wood
21st Century and Contemporary American Mid-Century Modern Benches
Velvet, Walnut
21st Century and Contemporary American Mid-Century Modern Sofas
Linen, Walnut
1990s Belgian Mid-Century Modern Dining Room Tables
Metal, Aluminum
21st Century and Contemporary American Mid-Century Modern Lounge Chairs
Fabric, Hardwood, Walnut
Vintage 1960s Credenzas
Metal
21st Century and Contemporary American Mid-Century Modern Coffee and Coc...
Lucite
21st Century and Contemporary American Mid-Century Modern Coffee and Coc...
Hardwood, Ash, Mahogany, Plywood
Vintage 1960s American Mid-Century Modern Table Lamps
Metal, Enamel
21st Century and Contemporary American Mid-Century Modern Benches
Fabric, Lucite
Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Dining Room Chairs
Upholstery, Faux Leather, Wood, Walnut
1960s Performance Figurative Drawings and Watercolors
Paper, Watercolor, Pencil
Vintage 1950s American Mid-Century Modern Magazine Racks and Stands
Wrought Iron
Mid-20th Century European Retro Retro Bracelets
Gold
1950s Modern Portrait Paintings
Gouache
Vintage 1960s American Mid-Century Modern Dining Room Chairs
Chrome
Vintage 1960s American Mid-Century Modern Dining Room Chairs
Upholstery, Plywood
Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Collectible Jewelry
Sterling Silver
Vintage 1950s Mid-Century Modern Rocking Chairs
Upholstery, Wood
Vintage 1970s Czech Mid-Century Modern Rocking Chairs
Fabric, Wood
Mid-20th Century Swiss Mid-Century Modern Chairs
Spruce
Vintage 1970s Italian Mid-Century Modern Floor Lamps
Metal, Steel, Stainless Steel, Chrome
Mid-20th Century Italian Mid-Century Modern Chandeliers and Pendants
Brass
Vintage 1970s Dutch Mid-Century Modern Swivel Chairs
Base Metal
Vintage 1950s Italian Mid-Century Modern Chairs
Iron
Vintage 1970s American Mid-Century Modern Sofas
Fabric, Oak
Vintage 1970s American Mid-Century Modern Shelves
Chrome
20th Century French Mid-Century Modern Console Tables
Granite, Metal
Vintage 1960s Italian Mid-Century Modern Wall Lights and Sconces
Brass
Vintage 1970s German Mid-Century Modern Pitchers
Plastic
Vintage 1970s Danish Mid-Century Modern Cabinets
Formica, Wood, Teak, Lacquer
Mid-20th Century Italian Mid-Century Modern Floor Lamps
Metal, Enamel
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Mid-Century Modern Table Lamps
Fabric, Wood
Vintage 1960s American Mid-Century Modern Table Lamps
Metal
Vintage 1960s American Mid-Century Modern Table Lamps
Glass, Lacquer
Vintage 1960s American Mid-Century Modern Table Lamps
Brass, Metal
Vintage 1970s Mid-Century Modern Armchairs
Metal
Vintage 1970s Italian Mid-Century Modern Floor Mirrors and Full-Length M...
Stone
Mid-20th Century Brazilian Mid-Century Modern Armchairs
Natural Fiber, Wood, Velvet
Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Ashtrays
Iron
Mid-20th Century Brazilian Mid-Century Modern Lounge Chairs
Chrome
Mid-20th Century Italian Mid-Century Modern Coffee and Cocktail Tables
Metal
Vintage 1960s American Mid-Century Modern Table Lamps
Aluminum, Enamel
Mid-20th Century Italian Mid-Century Modern Wall Mirrors
Mirror
Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Night Stands
Walnut
Vintage 1960s American Mid-Century Modern Wall Mirrors
Mirror, Walnut
Mid-20th Century Realist Abstract Drawings and Watercolors
Gouache
Mid-20th Century Italian Mid-Century Modern Decorative Baskets
Silver Plate
Vintage 1970s American Mid-Century Modern Dining Room Chairs
Stainless Steel, Chrome
Vintage 1970s American Mid-Century Modern Dining Room Tables
Oak, Walnut
Vintage 1960s American Mid-Century Modern Table Lamps
Chrome, Metal
Vintage 1980s Italian Mid-Century Modern Armchairs
Steel, Chrome
Mid-20th Century Scandinavian Mid-Century Modern Chairs
Wool, Teak
Mid-20th Century Brazilian Mid-Century Modern Lounge Chairs
Fabric, Wood
Vintage 1960s Italian Mid-Century Modern Table Lamps
Metal
Mid-20th Century Brazilian Mid-Century Modern Lounge Chairs
Fabric
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Iconic Design Mid Century For Sale on 1stDibs
How Much is a Iconic Design Mid Century?
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.
- 1stDibs ExpertMarch 3, 2023Some iconic chairs from the mid-century modern era include the Egg chair by Arne Jacobson, the La Chaise by Charles and Ray Eames and the Womb chair by Eero Saarinen. With their clean lines, organic shapes and simple details, these chairs reflect some of the key features of the style. Shop a variety of mid-century modern chairs on 1stDibs.
- 1stDibs ExpertSeptember 25, 2019
Some of the most famous mid-century modern furniture designers were Alvar Aalto, Charles and Ray Eames, Paul Evans, Poul Kjærholm, Florence Knoll, George Nakashima, Giò Ponti, Hans Wegner, Charlotte Perriand, Sergio Rodrigues and Eero Saarinen.
- 1stDibs ExpertSeptember 25, 2019The defining characteristics of mid-century modern furniture design include simplicity, an emphasis on organic forms, clean lines and a mix of both natural and man-made materials. The mid-century modern style, which emerged primarily in the years following World War II, is used to describe the work of furniture designers who believed that good design was an essential part of good living. Both neutral tones and bold Pop art colors can typically be found in mid-century modern interiors, which usually include light-filled spaces. An integration of floor-to-ceiling windows and abundant access to the outdoors renders prominent a connection with nature, which owes in part to the ideas of celebrated architect Frank Lloyd Wright, an inspiration for mid-century furniture designers. Popular mid-century modern designers include Ray and Charles Eames, Florence Knoll, Harry Bertoia and others. Find vintage mid-century modern furniture on 1stDibs.
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