Adrian Pearsall Chaise Lounge Rocker
By Adrian Pearsall
Located in Gladstone, NJ
Adrian Pearsall Chaise Lounge Rocker
20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Chaise Longues
Upholstery, Walnut
Adrian Pearsall Chaise Lounge Rocker
By Adrian Pearsall
Located in Gladstone, NJ
Adrian Pearsall Chaise Lounge Rocker
Upholstery, Walnut
$3,600Sale Price|20% Off
Wonderful Adrian Pearsall Curved Wave Chaise Lounge Rocker Mid-Century Modern
By Adrian Pearsall
Located in Pemberton, NJ
Wonderful Adrian Pearsall curved wave chaise lounge rocker.
Upholstery, Wood
Adrian Pearsall Chaise Lounge Rocker in New Pale Sand Color Faux Shearling
By Adrian Pearsall
Located in Saint Louis, MO
This Adrian Pearsall chaise rocker is a triple crown winner with an iconic Mid Century Modern ergonomic Adrian Pearsall design, cozy comfort dressed in new hand sewn baby soft faux s...
Upholstery, Faux Fur, Walnut
Adrian Pearsall Double Rocker in Bouclé
Located in New York, NY
Adrian Pearsall Double Rocker for Craft Associates.
Bouclé, Wood
Adrian Pearsall Chaise Lounge Rocker
By Adrian Pearsall
Located in Allentown, PA
Great grey velvet button tufted upholstered chaise lounge constructed of a walnut biomorphic base designed by Adrian Pearsall in the 1960s.This chaise lounge is a rocker style.
Velvet, Walnut
Adrian Pearsall Rocker
By Adrian Pearsall
Located in Asbury Park, NJ
Adrian Pearsall walnut rocker with original upholstery in excellent condition.
Adrian Pearsall Rocker or Rocking Chair for Craft Associates
By Adrian Pearsall, Craft Associates
Located in Kansas City, MO
Rocking chair designed by Adrian Pearsall and made by Craft Associates. Sculptural walnut frame with curved seat. Very comfortable.
Upholstery, Walnut
Adrian Pearsall Wave Chaise Rocker for Craft
By Adrian Pearsall
Located in Tarrytown, NY
Adrian Pearsall wave chaise rocker for Craft - original fabric
Adrian Pearsall Wave Chaise Rocker, Circa 1960s
By Adrian Pearsall
Located in San Antonio, TX
Adrian Pearsall curved wave chaise rocker with walnut sled-like base offers a slight rocking motion, circa 1960s.
Fabric, Walnut
Fabulous Adrian Pearsall Sculptural Walnut Rocker Mid Century
By Adrian Pearsall
Located in Pemberton, NJ
Outstanding reupholstered Adrian Pearsall rocking chair. This piece is in very nice restored condition. The sculptural walnut legs look amazing like carved pieces of art. The upholst...
Walnut
Mid-Century Modern Sculptural Rocker by Adrian Pearsall
By Adrian Pearsall
Located in Port Jervis, NY
Fabulous style with grasshopper like structure as a form. Thick curved foam to support and comfort. Fabric is dated and in need of an update. Not a complicated job for an upholsterer...
Fabric, Walnut
Adrian Pearsall for Craft Associates Rocker
By Adrian Pearsall, Craft Associates
Located in Southampton, NJ
This rocker designed by Adrian Pearsall for Craft Associates is beautifully made from hand carved walnut.
Walnut
Mid Century Modern Adrian Pearsall Style Walnut Sculptural Rocker Floral
By Adrian Pearsall
Located in Keego Harbor, MI
An amazing sculptural rocker attributed to Adrian Pearsall with a walnut wood base, original floral upholstery that has been professionally cleaned.
Walnut
Adrian Pearsall Wave Chaise Rocker Lounge
By Craft Associates, Adrian Pearsall
Located in New Windsor, NY
Waive chaise walnut and boucle rocker. The ultimate lounging chair for reading, a disco nap or watching a movie. Circa 1960. Solid walnut base and reupholstered in a cozy white boucl...
Bouclé, Upholstery, Walnut
Adrian Pearsal Waive Chaise Rocker Lounge in Ivory Shearling and Walnut
By Adrian Pearsall
Located in San Diego, CA
This Adrian Pearsall chaise rocker has been upholstered in cozy, lush and luxurious ivory shearling, it has an ergonomic shape which makes it the perfect lounger for relaxing, dreami...
Hide, Sheepskin, Walnut
Adrian Pearsall Wave Chaise Rocker for Craft Associates
By Adrian Pearsall, Craft Associates
Located in Culver City, CA
A stunning, sculptural, rocking wave chaise lounge by Adrian Pearsall for Craft Associates. This chaise is upholstered in a chocolate brown ultra-suede.
Adrian Pearsall Craft Associates Lounge Chair Rocking Chaise Rocker
By Adrian Pearsall, Craft Associates
Located in Wayne, NJ
Adrian Pearsall Craft Associates lounge Chair Rocking Chaise Rocker.
Sold
H 37 in W 29.75 in
Adrian Pearsall Craft Associates Sculptural Rocking Chair Rocker New Upholstery
By Adrian Pearsall, Craft Associates
Located in Hudson, NY
Freshly upholstered rocker designed by Adrian Pearsall for Craft Associates.
Upholstery, Walnut
Sold
H 37 in W 29.75 in L 37 in
Adrian Pearsall Craft Associates Sculptural Rocking Chair Rocker New Upholstery
By Adrian Pearsall, Craft Associates
Located in Hudson, NY
Freshly upholstered rocker designed by Adrian Pearsall for Craft Associates.
Upholstery, Walnut
Gorgeous Adrian Pearsall Walnut Rocking Chair Mid-century Modern
By Adrian Pearsall
Located in Pemberton, NJ
Wonderful Adrian Pearsall solid walnut rocker. Fantastic form and function-Looks like a piece of art.
Upholstery, Walnut
Sold
H 30.5 in W 38 in D 28 in
Pair of Adrian Pearsall Swivel Rockers, Newly Upholstered in Velvet, 1970s
By Adrian Pearsall, Craft Associates, Milo Baughman
Located in Raleigh, NC
VIntage 1970s sculptural lounge chairs by Adrain Pearsall newly upholstered in taupe velvet sitting on the walnut plinth bases. Extremely comfortable and widely functional with the ...
Upholstery
Gorgeous Adrian Pearsall Sculptural Walnut Rocker, Mid-Century Modern
By Adrian Pearsall, Craft Associates
Located in Pemberton, NJ
Gorgeous Adrian Pearsall rocker with new turquoise ultra suede fabric.
Upholstery, Walnut
Sculptural Adrian Pearsall Mid-Century Modern Rocker
By Adrian Pearsall
Located in Port Jervis, NY
Beautiful, sculptural walnut Rocker by Adrian Pearsall. Unique and rare design.
Walnut
Vintage Lounge Wave Rocker after Adrian Pearsall
By Adrian Pearsall
Located in Brooklyn, NY
Adrian Pearsall style daybed lounge chair makes an impressive mid-century seating option for any luxury interior.
Fabric, Upholstery, Walnut
Mid-Century Adrian Pearsall Chaise Wave Rocker
By Adrian Pearsall
Located in Brooklyn, NY
This stylish wave style lounge chair features tufted fabric and comfortable sculpted chaise design. Walnut rocking base sets this Adrian Pearsall rocking chaise longue apart from oth...
Adrian Pearsall Lounge Chair Rocker with Ottoman
By Adrian Pearsall
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Super comfy Chic mohair fabric Solid sculpted walnut base.
Fabric
Adrian Pearsall Gray Chaise Lounge Rocker Upholstered Mid-Century Modern
By Adrian Pearsall
Located in North Miami, FL
This wonderful and stunning vintage Adrian Pearsall chaise lounge rocker has been completely restored from top to bottom.
Upholstery, Wood
Adrian Pearsall Wave Chaise Longue Rocker for Craft Associates
By Adrian Pearsall, Craft Associates
Located in Brooklyn, NY
This stylish Adrian Pearsall rocking lounge chair features a spacious sculpted wave like seat with tufted black fabric and walnut rockers.
Sold
H 31 in W 41 in D 64 in
Adrian Pearsall Chaise Lounge Rocker Newly Upholstered in Soft Peruvian Alpaca
By Craft Associates, Adrian Pearsall
Located in Saint Louis, MO
This Adrian Pearsall chaise rocker is a triple crown winner with iconic Mid-Century Modern ergonomic Adrian Pearsall design, cozy comfort dressed in new hand sewn baby soft Champagne...
Hide, Alpaca, Upholstery, Walnut
Sold
H 31 in W 37 in D 60 in
Adrian Pearsall Waive Chaise Rocker Lounge in Ivory Shearling with Walnut Legs
By Adrian Pearsall, Craft Associates
Located in Saint Louis, MO
This Adrian Pearsall Chaise Rocker is a triple crown winner with iconic Mid-Century Modern ergonomic Adrian Pearsall design, cozy comfort dressed in new Ivory Shearling upholstery, a...
Hide, Sheepskin, Walnut
Sold
H 29.5 in W 58 in D 33 in
Mid Century Modern Sculptural Wave Chaise Lounge Rocker by Adrian Pearsall C1960
By Adrian Pearsall, Craft Associates
Located in Port Jervis, NY
Fabulous Adrian Pearsall Wave Rocker Chaise Lounge Chair created in about 1960 with a walnut in case and totally reupholstered in a soft textured Boucle like material.
Fabric, Walnut
Sold
H 30 in W 26 in D 26 in
Fabulous Adrian Pearsall Sculptural Walnut Rocking Chair Mid-century Modern
By Adrian Pearsall
Located in Pemberton, NJ
Gorgeous Adrian Pearsall sculptural walnut rocker. The solid walnut frame is tight and sturdy-looks more like a work of art than a rocker.This piece is sure to please and will be an ...
Upholstery, Walnut
Sold
H 31 in W 26 in D 33 in
Adrian Pearsall Rocking Chair, Restored Including Eames Dot Fabric by Maharam
By Adrian Pearsall, Craft Associates
Located in Kansas City, MO
Adrian Pearsall for Craft Associates rocker. Expertly refinished walnut frame and reupholstered in Charles and Ray Eames design large dot pattern fabric manufactured by Maharam.
Upholstery, Walnut
Adrian Pearsall Rocker
Located in Southampton, NY
Curvaceous upholstered walnut rocking chair designed by Adrian Pearsall and Craft Associates.
Wood, Upholstery
Sculptural Pair of Adrian Pearsall Rocker Chairs
By Adrian Pearsall
Located in Miami, FL
Beautifully restored biomorphic walnut rockers chairs by legendary designer Adrian Pearsall.
Walnut, Wool
Teak Adrian Pearsall Rocking Chair
Located in Crockett, CA
Fantastic Adrian Pearsall Rocker with high back comfort supported by two boomerang legs.
Teak, Upholstery
Adrian Pearsall Walnut Rocker
By Adrian Pearsall
Located in Hudson, NY
Restored. Beautiful solid walnut arms. All new fabric and foam. Greenhouse Fabrics polyester/linen blend in Cayman color. In person, color is slightly more turquoise than true blue.
Upholstery, Walnut
Adrian Pearsall Sculptural Walnut Rocker Lounge Chair
By Adrian Pearsall
Located in Keego Harbor, MI
Comfortable, sturdy sculptural statement rocking chair by Adrian Pearsall. Made of solid walnut and professionally reupholstered in authentic vintage Halindale fabric. In excellent c...
Pair of Swivel Rockers w/ New Upholstery, Attributed to Adrian Pearsall
By Adrian Pearsall
Located in Asheville, NC
Attributed to Adrian Pearsall - The base construction is very similar to other Adrian Pearsall chairs we’ve had in the past.
Upholstery, Walnut
Armless Rocker Designed by Adrian Pearsall for Craft Associates
Located in Dallas, TX
Beautifully elegant walnut framed armless rocker.
Walnut, Upholstery
$81,900
H 33.08 in W 30.12 in D 39.38 in
Mid-Century Modern Chaise Lounge by Carlo Hauner & Martin Eisler, 1954
By Martin Eisler, Carlo Hauner, Carlo Hauner and Martin Eisler
Located in New York, NY
This chaise lounge is one of the designs by Martin Eisler and Carlo Hauner, produced by Forma S.A. Móveis e Objetos de Arte. The traditional chaise is a lounge chair characterized by...
Iron
$2,760Sale Price|20% Off
H 27 in W 60 in D 23 in
Mid Century Upholstered Lounge Chair in the Style of Adrian Pearsall
By Adrian Pearsall
Located in Basel, BS
Very cool and unique Mid Century Original Lounge Chair Floor rocker. This chair rocks, and if you put stoppers on it, it will remain stable. Perfect centerpiece as well as conversati...
Walnut, Upholstery
$3,200
H 32 in W 38 in D 70 in
Adrian Pearsall for Craft Associates Sculptural Rocking Wave-Form Chaise Lounge
By Craft Associates, Adrian Pearsall
Located in Philadelphia, PA
Designed by Adrian Pearsall, this chaise was made by Craft Associates early in Pearsall's career, around the 1950s. Featuring the now-classic wave form seat and a two-stage carved wa...
Upholstery, Walnut
Midcentury Wavy Chaise Lounge by Enrico Bartolini
Located in North Hollywood, CA
Midcentury wave chaise lounge designed and manufactured by Enrico Bartolini in the united states, circa 1970s. This beautiful vintage chaise lounge has an ocean wave design that prov...
Fabric
Vintage Florence Knoll Relaxed Chair Neutral Ivory
By Florence Knoll
Located in Farmington Hills, MI
We are very pleased to offer this vintage Florence Knoll Relaxed Lounge Chair for Knoll, circa 1970s–1980s, upholstered in a beautifully textured ivory wool blend fabric with polishe...
Steel
Biomorphic Kidney Shaped Mid-Century Modern Chaise Lounge Sofa
By Weiman, Directional
Located in Bensalem, PA
Stunning 6ft curvy chaise lounge with arched back in beige ultra suede in ready to use condition
Ultrasuede
1950s Theo Ruth Wingback Lounge Chair for Artifort in Beige Mohair
By Theo Ruth, Artifort
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Dutch Mid-Century wingback lounge chair designed by Theo Ruth for Artifort, dating to the 1950s. Somewhat recently upholstered fully in beige mohair, the rounded high back rises to g...
Mohair, Upholstery, Wood
$3,250
H 29 in W 27.5 in D 36 in
Expertly Restored -Adrian Pearsall Model 843-C Lounge Chair for Craft Associates
By Craft Associates, Adrian Pearsall
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Materials: Walnut Wood, New Boucle Tweed, New High-Density Foam, New Pirelli Webbing ________________________________________ Transforming a piece of Mid-Century Modern furniture is...
Fabric, Foam, Wood, Walnut
$2,660
H 33 in W 36 in D 60 in
Mid-Century Modern Sculptural Wave Chair by Adrian Pearsall Crafts Associates
By Craft Associates, Adrian Pearsall
Located in Port Jervis, NY
Fantastic Wave lounge chair by Adrian Pearsall for Crafts Associates C1959 an earlier version with four angled legs painted black and brass sabots one of which is missing. Will try t...
Brass
$48,400
H 37.5 in W 32.25 in D 41.5 in
Vladimir Kagan Rocking Chair Upholstered in Champagne Ivory Peruvian Alpaca
By Vladimir Kagan
Located in Saint Louis, MO
Iconic Vladimir Kagan walnut rocker newly upholstered in the softest hide on Earth - Champagne Ivory Alpaca. Most certainly an important acquisition for any discerning and sophistica...
Hide, Alpaca, Walnut
Mid Century Modern Sculptural Chaise Lounge w Knoll Fabric C1960
By Paul McCobb
Located in Port Jervis, NY
Spectacular chaise lounge chair with knoll fabric adorning it. Attributed to Paul McCobb C1960 possibly non production piece and custom made. Stong with beautiful lines that shape ou...
Fabric, Hardwood, Paint
$10,309
H 26.78 in W 31.89 in D 31.89 in
1930s Danish modern Easy Chair reupholstered in Premium beige Mohair
By Viggo Boesen
Located in København K, 84
1930s Danish modern easy chair reupholstered in exquisite premium beige mohair and nut brown stained beech legs. A very elegant piece executed by skilled danish cabinet maker with ...
Mohair
Milo Baughman Style Satellite Chaise in Tan Faux Fur, 1970
By Milo Baughman
Located in Chicago, IL
Milo Baughman Style Satellite Chaise in Faux Fur, 1970 A sculptural, circular chaise in the style of Milo Baughman, originally designed in the 1970s. Reupholstered in Great Plains’ "...
Upholstery, Walnut
$3,900
H 30 in W 37.5 in D 57 in
1960s Adrian Pearsall for Craft Associates Wave Rocking Chaise Lounge in Walnut
By Craft Associates, Adrian Pearsall
Located in Lancaster, PA
This is a Wave Rocking Chaise Lounge, initially designed by Adrian Pearsall ca. 1960. This example also dates to the 1960s, and retains its original upholstery fabric. The current ...
Metal
$4,595
H 30 in W 38 in D 60 in
Adrian Pearsall for Craft Associates Mid Century Rocking Chaise Lounge Chair
By Craft Associates, Adrian Pearsall
Located in Franklin Park, IL
Adrian Pearsall for Craft Associates Mid Century Rocking Wave Chaise Lounge Chair This chaise measures: 38 wide x 60 deep x 30 high, with a seat height of 13 inches Good Vintage Co...
Upholstery
Vintage Lounge Chair by Adrian Pearsall, model 1806-C
By Adrian Pearsall
Located in Philadelphia, PA
Model 1806 lounge chair by Adrian Pearsall. beautiful walnut base with walnut arms. has new knoll fabric upholstery.
Walnut
Pink Marble Side Table ‘Flow’
By Kiwano Concept
Located in Eindhoven, NB
FLOW is a modern pink marble side table with a clean shape and a wave detail at the bottom. The simple cube form is combined with a flowing base, giving the table a light and playful...
Marble, Stone
$7,200 / item
H 14 in Dm 36 in
Grand Mid-Century Flush Mount Uplight Ceiling Lamp from Filmcasino Vienna, 1950s
Located in Vienna, AT
We are delighted to present this stunning bowl-shaped pendant light / uplight plafoniere / flush mount light fixture dating back to the 1950s. (Actually there were three pieces avail...
Metal, Aluminum, Brass
$2,061 / item
H 17.72 in W 15.75 in D 11.82 in
Brass Cabinet Modern Floating Brass Side Table Nightstand
By Renats Kotlevs
Located in Riga, LV
Exquisite custom nightstand, a masterpiece crafted from engineered wood and adorned with a polished, slightly brushed, burnished, varnished brass finish. This exceptional piece is de...
Brass
$4,360 / item
H 28.35 in W 40.16 in D 34.65 in
"Pietra" Curved Armchair with Leather Arms Upholstered in Bouclé Fabric
By Studio Marta Manente
Located in Centro, RS
Pietra from Italian: Stone The designer Marta Manente is of Italian descent, her great-grandparents migrated from Italy over 100 years ago and lived in the region of Bento Gonçalves ...
Bouclé
$8,934 / item
H 21.66 in W 17.72 in D 17.72 in
Pair Various Positions Nightstand in Walnut and Oak by Master Studio for Lemon
By Lemon
Located in Amsterdam, NL
Inspired by his fascination with the aesthetic allure of interiors depicted in films and literature, Yaniv Chen endeavors to capture the essence of captivating spaces. Reflecting upo...
Oak, Walnut
$8,177 / item
H 26.78 in W 70.87 in D 36.23 in
Gervasoni Sofa Upholstered Saia 10 by David Lopez Quincoces
By David Lopez Quincoces, Gervasoni
Located in Brooklyn, NY
With balanced lines, the Saia upholstered collection is created from a classic ideal reinterpreted in a contemporary key. The name, meaning "skirt" in Portuguese, illustrates its dis...
Upholstery
Pair of Modern Walnut Side Tables
By Theodore Alexander
Located in Westwood, NJ
A Pacific walnut side table, the square top with rounded corners and a reeded edge above a similar under tier, on bobbin turned legs. Dimensions: 26" W x 26" D x 28.5" H.
Wood
$8,400 / set
H 14.75 in W 8.5 in D 4 in
Set of Six Art Deco Style Murano Glass Demi-Lune Wall Lights Sconces, in Stock
Located in Miami, FL
Set of 6 Murano glass wall sconces, in stock Fume color and multiple squared glass texture Black opaline finials and brass accents. One LED E26 base socket. Art Deco inspired design...
Brass
$4,900 / item
H 34 in W 86 in D 42 in
Custom Made Modern English Arm Sofa in Performance Linen Velvet - 86"
By Bloom Home Inc
Located in Old Town Orange, CA
This beautiful english arm sofa has a modern twist, with its single bench cushion, and beautiful curved apron sides. It’s upholstered in a Linen Velvet Performance fabric. Shown in...
Linen, Velvet
$1,300 / item
H 14 in W 9 in D 9 in
Brutalist, Handmade Ceramic Table Lamp, Double Decker Lamp by Streicher Goods
By Ethan Streicher, Streicher Goods
Located in Brooklyn, NY
The Double Decker lamp is a tall, brutalist-inspired table lamp, perfect for lighting in larger living spaces, created by Streicher Goods in Brooklyn, NY. The lamp is composed of a...
Brass
$1,145 / item
H 32.29 in W 21.66 in D 19.69 in
Shell Dining Chair, Linen Schwarzwald Dedar, by Vintola Studio, Europe, Poland
Located in 05-080 Hornowek, PL
Springy, very comfortable and stabile dining seats. They are contemporary chairs inspired of 1960s style. They can be used as armchairs and dining chairs. Chair was designed by Vi...
Linen, Bouclé, Beech, Velvet
LUdome Flush Mount (CP or PB)
By Lumfardo Luminaires
Located in Inglewood, CA
Part of our Lumfardo Luminaires Contemporary Collection, the LUdome Flush Mount is a modern bowl flush mount light fixture. Finish options are either PB (patinated brass) or CP (copp...
Copper
Crackle Textured Handmade Ceramic Mushroom Lamp, Blue
By Ethan Streicher, Streicher Goods
Located in Brooklyn, NY
Every mushroom lamp is hand-made and hand-painted by Ethan Streicher, the founder and designer behind the Streicher Goods brand in Brooklyn, NY. The lamp's silhouette is simple and c...
Brass
$12,200 / item
H 43.31 in W 17.72 in D 35.44 in
Contemporary Mexican Design Handcrafted Wood Cabinet Carmen, Mirror
By Comité de Proyectos
Located in Ciudad de México, CDMX
Carmen is a bartender, a storage cabinet with a functional design. Inside, it has a pair of drawers for storing objects, space for bottles, compartments for glasses and a cup holder...
Steel
Rattan Drape Side Table
Located in Paris, FR
Side Table Rattan Drape with all structure in rattan in natural finish.
Rattan
Unavailable|$3,990 / item
H 15.75 in W 74.81 in D 29.14 in
Mustard Velvet Daybed with V-Shaped Beechwood Base, Model V
By Dusty Deco
Located in Los Angeles, CA
DD V daybed is an exclusive daybed made by hand in Bosnia and Herzegovina by skilled craftsmen with long experience in wood and upholstery. Both frame and the characteristic V-shaped...
Fabric, Beech, Velvet
Adrian Pearsall designed some of the most exuberant and expressive American chairs, sofas and other furniture of the 1950s and ’60s. For verve and vivacity of form, he surpasses even Vladimir Kagan — whose work is the emblem of swinging, sexy mid-20th century modernism. Pearsall gave his imagination free rein, and his flamboyant, eye-catching styles are icons of what has become known as “Atomic Age” design.
Pearsall studied architectural engineering at the University of Illinois before opening his Pennsylvania furniture company, Craft Associates, in 1952, and that training shows in many designs.
A Pearsall trademark, for example, is a lounge chair with an exceptionally tall, trapezoidal back, which give the pieces a skyscraper-like silhouette. Pearsall also had a talent for so-called Gondola sofas — long, low-slung pieces with upswept ends. Many of Pearsall’s sofas and chairs are supported not by legs, but on gently arced walnut skids.
Pearsall had a gift for tables, too, in particular glass-topped side tables and coffee tables with frames that have the look of an Alexander Calder stabile. As you will see from the offerings on 1stDibs, Pearsall had flair, and his work adds an attention-getting, sculptural exclamation point to any décor.
Find vintage Adrian Pearsall sofas, armchairs, coffee tables and other furniture for sale on 1stDibs.
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 celebrated 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.
Generations turn over, and mid-century modern remains arguably the most popular style going. 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.
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.