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Mid-Century Modern Cabinets

MID-CENTURY MODERN STYLE

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

CHARACTERISTICS OF MID-CENTURY MODERN FURNITURE DESIGN

MID-CENTURY MODERN FURNITURE DESIGNERS TO KNOW

ICONIC MID-CENTURY MODERN FURNITURE DESIGNS

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.

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Style: Mid-Century Modern
Mid century modern Arne Vodder ''29 A'' Sideboard in Rosewood
Located in Madrid, ES
Rosewood “29 A” Sideboard by Arne Vodder for Sibast. Denmark, late 1950s. Freestanding rosewood sideboard on six legs. Front with two sliding doors painted in white and ocher. Centra...
Category

1950s Danish Vintage Mid-Century Modern Cabinets

Materials

Rosewood

Baker Furniture Milling Road Midcentury Cherrywood and Woven Rattan Chest
Located in South Bend, IN
A gorgeous Mid-Century Modern two-drawer cabinet chest By Baker Furniture "Milling Road Collection" USA, circa 1950s Cherrywood, with woven rattan cabinet...
Category

Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Cabinets

Materials

Brass

Mid Century Pair Nightstands Side Cabinets French Bedside Tables Mirror Tops
Located in Mimizan, FR
Mid century pair nightstands side cabinets french bedside tables c1950 With Mirror tops There is a very slight difference in color betwee...
Category

Mid-20th Century French Mid-Century Modern Cabinets

Materials

Wood, Beech

Fontana Arte Pietro Chiesa Rare 1940s Drawer Cabinet with Mirrored Glass Surface
Located in Milan, IT
Wooden cabinet with seven drawers. Unique and elegant piece designed by Pietro Chiesa made by Fontana Arte, the iconic Italian design firm for artistic glasses. Surfaces covered in c...
Category

1940s Italian Vintage Mid-Century Modern Cabinets

Materials

Crystal, Bronze

Vintage Birch Secrétaire with Three Drawers and Brass Details, Italy
By Massimo Campigli
Located in Bresso, Lombardy
Made in Italy, 1950s. This is a stunning birch secretaire that features brass hands and durmast interiors. The flap has an oil painting in the style of Massimo Campigli, that is in a...
Category

1950s Italian Vintage Mid-Century Modern Cabinets

Materials

Brass

Rosewood Bedside Cabinet with Chrome Legs
Located in Stamford, CT
A possibly Danish; rosewood cabinet having chrome leg. Having a single ebonized internal shelf.
Category

1970s Danish Vintage Mid-Century Modern Cabinets

Materials

Rosewood

Midcentury Solid Quarter Sawn Teak Storage Bookcase Cabinet in Light Honey Color
Located in Casteren, NL
This exquisite bookcase was made in The Netherlands around 1960. It was completely made in the finest quality quarter Sawn teak. quartersawing is a woodworking process that produces quarter-sawn or quarter-cut boards in the rip cutting of logs into lumber. Quartersawn boards have greater stability of form and size with less cupping, shrinkage across the width, shake and splitting, and other good qualities. [2] In some woods such as teak, the grain produces a decorative effect which shows a prominent ray fleck. The design of the piece incorporates elements from the rich Dutch furniture makers' tradition. Both left and right doors have strongly elevated cushions as seen in the Renaissance “Kussenkast” or cushion cabinet...
Category

Mid-20th Century Dutch Mid-Century Modern Cabinets

Materials

Teak

Modern Oak Display Cabinet
Located in Westwood, NJ
A modern oak and brushed crown oak veneered display cabinet in a gallery bronze finish, with two glazed cabinet doors with bold brushed oak and gallery gold...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Vietnamese Mid-Century Modern Cabinets

Materials

Glass, Oak

1940s Macassar Ebony and Burl Wood Bar Cabinet by Osvaldo Borsani
Located in Los Angeles, CA
1940s Italian bar / cabinet attributed to Osvaldo Borsani, made of rare Macassar ebony, copper and bronze ornaments on the doors, burl wood inlay ins...
Category

1940s Italian Vintage Mid-Century Modern Cabinets

Materials

Bronze, Copper

Leah Cabinet
Located in Carmel, CA
Exquisitely crafted, the Leah Cabinet will effortlessly complement any modern elegant interior space. Designed for entry spaces with an inspired mid-century look the Leah cabinet opt...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary American Mid-Century Modern Cabinets

Materials

Wood

Midcentury Paul McCobb Single Bookcase with Jewelry Cabinet
Located in BROOKLYN, NY
Vintage midcentury Paul McCobb single bookcase #1516 solid maple with original tobacco finish on wood base. Beautiful bookcase by Paul McCobb, circa 19...
Category

Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Cabinets

Materials

Maple, Wood

Italian Midcentury Maple Bedside Tables or Nightstand, 1950s
Located in Traversetolo, IT
A couple of stylish Italian in solid maple side tables or nightstands from the 1950s. An elegant and refined leg lines with brass sabot at the ends. In a very good condition of the...
Category

1950s Italian Vintage Mid-Century Modern Cabinets

Materials

Maple

Tommi Parzinger for Parzinger Originals Studded Cabinet
Located in Pawtucket, RI
Tommi Parzinger for Parzinger Originals lacquered in Robins Egg blue exterior and a white interior. Cabinet on a lacquered black base. Four doors w...
Category

Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Cabinets

Materials

Brass

Paul McCobb Planner Group Cabinet on Bench for Winchendon
Located in Berlin, DE
Rare combination of a green and black McCobb Cabinet on a white McCobb Bench. Original very good condition with some lacquer chips.
Category

1950s American Vintage Mid-Century Modern Cabinets

Materials

Maple

Lighting Display Cabinet in Brass, France, 1970
Located in Paris, FR
Interesting display cabinet entirely in brass, to display a sculpture or a graphic work under the upper lighting, and store books on the lower shelves. France 1970. Four clear gl...
Category

1960s French Vintage Mid-Century Modern Cabinets

Materials

Brass

St. Charles Mid-Century Modern Steel Kitchen Cabinet, Drawer, Original, 1940s
Located in Brooklyn, NY
St. Charles Mid-Century Modern steel kitchen cabinet, drawer, original, 1940s. Measures: 12" W x 30" H x 25" D. Features original built-in pan & ...
Category

1930s American Vintage Mid-Century Modern Cabinets

Materials

Steel

Ico Parisi Style Italian Vintage Cabinet
Located in Austin, TX
Italian vintage cabinet in the manner of Ico Parisi with ceramic handles and cartouche decorations by Richard Ginori. There are two doors and f...
Category

1950s Italian Vintage Mid-Century Modern Cabinets

Materials

Ceramic, Sycamore

MCM Edward Wormley for Drexel Precedent Collection Cabinet in Dark Expresso
Located in St. Louis, MO
Edward Wormley two-door cabinet in ebonized silver elm with brass hardware, circa 1948. The one shown has recently sold, but have another with slightly different hardware available, ...
Category

1940s American Vintage Mid-Century Modern Cabinets

Materials

Brass

Mid-Century Modern Greek Key Design Mirrored Bar or Serving Cabinet
Located in Plainview, NY
A simply stunning Mid-Century Modern Greek key design all mirrored bar or serving station / cabinet. This fine hard to find bar or serving table depict...
Category

Mid-20th Century Mid-Century Modern Cabinets

Materials

Mirror, Wood

Parzinger Original White Lacquered Studded Cabinet
Located in Westport, CT
Tommi Parzinger white lacquered brass studded four door cabinet dark walnut legs draw and shelving compartments.
Category

Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Cabinets

Materials

Brass

Mid-Century Modern Italian Ebony and Bronze Wardrobe by Luciano Frigerio, 1970s
Located in Prato, IT
Mid-Century Modern Italian ebony and bronze four shatter wardrobe by Luciano Frigerio for 'Frigerio di Desio' from 1970s. This armoire is equipped with a chest of drawers and a shel...
Category

1970s Italian Vintage Mid-Century Modern Cabinets

Materials

Bronze

Paul Frankl Style Mid-Century Modern White Lacquered Wood King-Size Headboard
Located in North Miami, FL
This cross diamond patterned newly white lacquered king size headboard is in the style of Paul Frankl. It is vintage and from the period of Mid-Century Modern. It has been newly re-l...
Category

1950s American Vintage Mid-Century Modern Cabinets

Materials

Lacquer, Wood

Harvey Probber Two-Door Cabinet
Located in Highland, IN
Harvey Probber's refined aesthetic is on display in this three-door cabinet. Crafted of mahogany, it has two sliding doors with octagonal leather inserts framed in brass which concea...
Category

1950s American Vintage Mid-Century Modern Cabinets

Materials

Brass

White Lacquered and Nickel Silver Three Part Cabinet or Buffet Vintage, 1960s
Located in North Miami, FL
This 1960s vintage white lacquered wood textural three part cabinet or buffet sits on a long base. It has the original fabulous hardware that has been nickeled silver over the brass. The dimensional wood relief doors...
Category

1960s American Vintage Mid-Century Modern Cabinets

Materials

Nickel

George Nelson Cabinet Rare Designed Pulls for Herman Miller
Located in Westport, CT
George Nelson walnut cabinet with rare designed hardware pulls, black legs, divided top draw compartments and original label, this piece a...
Category

1950s American Vintage Mid-Century Modern Cabinets

Materials

Steel

Tommi Parzinger Inlaid Cabinet
Located in Westport, CT
Tommi Parzinger Dark Mahogany and Inlaid Hollywood. In a diamond pattern, glass doors are Diamond beveled with creme interior, six glass shelves in top section, and bottom compartmen...
Category

1950s American Vintage Mid-Century Modern Cabinets

Materials

Glass, Wood

Fine Art Deco Sideboard by Jules Leleu
Located in Bridgewater, CT
Jules Leleu (1883-1961). An important rosewood cabinet, decorated with a spray of inlay mother-of-pearl flowers and butterflies, legs with gilded bronze sabots. With the original ...
Category

1930s French Vintage Mid-Century Modern Cabinets

Materials

Bronze

French Mid-Century Modern Studded Leather Cabinet, Style of Jacques Adnet, 1930
Located in New York, NY
A Rare and Unique French Art Deco / Mid-Century Modern cabinet with the 2 large front doors and 2 front drawers covered in dark red leather and studde...
Category

1930s French Vintage Mid-Century Modern Cabinets

Materials

Leather, Hardwood

Mid-century Modern cabinets for sale on 1stDibs.

Find a broad range of unique Mid-Century Modern cabinets for sale on 1stDibs. Many of these items were first offered in the 21st Century and Contemporary, but contemporary artisans have continued to produce works inspired by this style. If you’re looking to add vintage cabinets created in this style to your space, the works available on 1stDibs include case pieces and storage cabinets, more furniture and collectibles, tables and other home furnishings, frequently crafted with wood, metal and other materials. If you’re shopping for used Mid-Century Modern cabinets made in a specific country, there are Europe, North America, and United States pieces for sale on 1stDibs. While there are many designers and brands associated with original cabinets, popular names associated with this style include Lawson-Fenning, Joe Colombo, Paul McCobb, and Edward Wormley. It’s true that these talented designers have at times inspired knockoffs, but our experienced specialists have partnered with only top vetted sellers to offer authentic pieces that come with a buyer protection guarantee. Prices for cabinets differ depending upon multiple factors, including designer, materials, construction methods, condition and provenance. On 1stDibs, the price for these items starts at $125 and tops out at $228,000 while the average work can sell for $4,501.

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