Midcentury Shell Chair
Vintage 1960s Czech Mid-Century Modern Dining Room Chairs
Velvet, Oak
Vintage 1970s North American Mid-Century Modern Swivel Chairs
Fabric, Upholstery, Wood
Vintage 1960s Danish Mid-Century Modern Dining Room Chairs
Composition, Metal
Vintage 1960s Finnish Scandinavian Modern Lounge Chairs
Steel
Vintage 1960s North American Mid-Century Modern Lounge Chairs
Leather
Vintage 1960s Finnish Scandinavian Modern Lounge Chairs
Steel
Vintage 1950s European Mid-Century Modern Lounge Chairs
Wool, Wood
20th Century Polish Mid-Century Modern Chairs
Textile, Beech
20th Century American Modern Dining Room Chairs
Chrome
Vintage 1960s Mid-Century Modern Chairs
Fiberglass
20th Century Polish Mid-Century Modern Chairs
Textile, Beech
20th Century Polish Mid-Century Modern Chairs
Textile, Beech
20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Chairs
Fiberglass
20th Century Polish Mid-Century Modern Chairs
Textile, Beech
Late 20th Century Side Chairs
Fiberglass
Vintage 1960s Czech Mid-Century Modern Club Chairs
Fabric, Fiberglass, Oak
20th Century Polish Mid-Century Modern Chairs
Fabric, Velvet, Beech
Mid-20th Century European Mid-Century Modern Armchairs
Fabric, Wood
20th Century Polish Mid-Century Modern Chairs
Textile, Beech
20th Century Polish Mid-Century Modern Chairs
Textile, Beech
20th Century Polish Mid-Century Modern Chairs
Textile, Beech
20th Century Polish Mid-Century Modern Chairs
Velvet, Beech
20th Century Polish Mid-Century Modern Chairs
Textile, Beech
20th Century Polish Mid-Century Modern Chairs
Textile, Beech
Vintage 1960s Dutch Mid-Century Modern Chairs
Metal
20th Century Polish Mid-Century Modern Chairs
Textile, Beech
Vintage 1960s German Mid-Century Modern Chairs
Steel
Vintage 1960s Danish Mid-Century Modern Chairs
Fabric, Plywood
Vintage 1960s American Mid-Century Modern Lounge Chairs
Brass
Vintage 1970s American Mid-Century Modern Chairs
Metal
20th Century Polish Mid-Century Modern Chairs
Textile, Beech
20th Century Polish Mid-Century Modern Chairs
Textile, Beech
20th Century Polish Mid-Century Modern Chairs
Textile, Beech
Mid-20th Century Mid-Century Modern Dining Room Chairs
Metal
Vintage 1970s American Mid-Century Modern Swivel Chairs
Metal
Vintage 1970s American Mid-Century Modern Swivel Chairs
Metal
Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Dining Room Chairs
Walnut, Upholstery
21st Century and Contemporary Danish Mid-Century Modern Chairs
Leather, Wood, Plywood
Mid-20th Century Mid-Century Modern Chairs
Leather, Fiberglass
Vintage 1970s European Mid-Century Modern Dining Room Chairs
Steel, Chrome
Mid-20th Century Italian Mid-Century Modern Lounge Chairs
Fabric, Plywood
Mid-20th Century American Folk Art Chairs
Metal
Vintage 1960s American Mid-Century Modern Swivel Chairs
Metal
Vintage 1960s American Mid-Century Modern Lounge Chairs
Chrome
20th Century Polish Mid-Century Modern Chairs
Beech, Textile
Mid-20th Century Chairs
Fruitwood
20th Century Colombian Mid-Century Modern Chairs
Bentwood
Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Dining Room Chairs
Upholstery, Walnut
Vintage 1970s Mid-Century Modern Chairs
Naugahyde
Mid-20th Century Danish Scandinavian Modern Lounge Chairs
Beech, Teak
Vintage 1960s North American Mid-Century Modern Dining Room Chairs
Walnut
Vintage 1970s American Mid-Century Modern Office Chairs and Desk Chairs
Metal, Chrome
Antique Mid-19th Century Sri Lankan Anglo-Indian Chairs
Cane, Ebony
20th Century Polish Mid-Century Modern Chairs
Textile, Beech
20th Century Polish Mid-Century Modern Chairs
Textile, Beech
20th Century Polish Mid-Century Modern Chairs
Textile, Beech
20th Century Polish Mid-Century Modern Chairs
Textile, Beech
20th Century Polish Mid-Century Modern Chairs
Textile, Beech
20th Century Polish Mid-Century Modern Chairs
Textile, Beech
Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Lounge Chairs
Metal, Chrome
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Midcentury Shell Chair For Sale on 1stDibs
How Much is a Midcentury Shell Chair?
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 seating for You
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.
- What are Shell Chairs?1 Answer1stDibs ExpertMarch 31, 2023Shell chairs are iconic mid-century modern chairs designed by Hans J. Wegner and first released in 1963. In terms of both process and aesthetics, the Shell chair was ahead of its time when it was introduced. The expressive seat and back are made out of form-pressed oak or walnut laminates and topped with upholstered cushions for maximum comfort. Its design includes a tapered three-leg structure with two front legs made of one continuous piece and a separate hind leg that supports the backrest. This gives the chair a feeling of lightness without sacrificing stability. On 1stDibs, find a selection of Shell chairs.
- Is the Shell Chair comfortable?1 Answer1stDibs ExpertFebruary 13, 2023Whether the Shell chair is comfortable is largely a matter of personal opinion. However, creator Hans J. Wegner designed the curves of the backrest and the seat to complement the contours of the human body in order to provide ample support when the Shell chair made its debut in 1963. Chairs became Wegner’s specialty, and over the years he designed over 500 of them. More than 100 of his designs, such as the Wishbone chair and the Papa Bear chair, went into production. Shop a selection of Shell chairs and other vintage Hans Wegner seating on 1stDibs.
- 1stDibs ExpertFebruary 13, 2024The history of the Wegner Shell Chair begins in 1963. Hans J. Wegner unveiled the chair at the Furniture Guild Exhibition in Copenhagen, Denmark. Often described as being "wing-like," the chair's radical fluid lines were considered a bit too futuristic at the time. Initially, mixed reviews from critics and the general public, as well as production difficulties, resulted in a very limited early run. Twelve new models were produced for a retrospective exhibition celebrating Wegner's 77th birthday in 1989, and the design began garnering renewed attention (a photograph of the chair was even selected to grace the cover of the exhibition catalog). In 1998, nearly a decade following the piece's reemergence at the retrospective event, Carl Hansen & Søn reintroduced the Shell chair 35 years after it was first released, and it has felt relevant ever since. On 1stDibs, shop an assortment of Hans Wegner Shell chairs.
- 1stDibs ExpertMarch 22, 2022Whether or not the Wegner shell chair is comfortable is largely a matter of personal preference. Wegner did design the dramatically curved seat and gently tapered back to properly support the contours of the human body. On 1stDibs, shop a range of Hans Wegner chairs.
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