What makes a dresser mid-century?

A dresser is a mid-century dresser if it was made during the middle of the 20th century. The years that encompass the mid-century modern period are roughly 1933 until 1965, but most experts argue, however, that the mid-century modern period correlates specifically to the years following World War II. Mid-century modern dressers will likely have specific characteristics. There was a use of natural and man-made materials that included alluring woods such as teak, rosewood and oak as well as steel, fiberglass and molded plywood. An authentic mid-century modern dresser will also be characterized by simplicity, organic forms and clean lines. Shop an assortment of vintage mid-century dressers on 1stDibs.

How many drawers does a mid-century modern dresser typically have?

Most feature 4 to 9 drawers depending on width; listings note exact drawer count and interior dimensions.

What's the difference between a mid-century modern dresser and a chest of drawers?

"Dresser" and "chest of drawers" are generally interchangeable; mid-century modern dressers specifically feature tapered or hairpin legs, minimal hardware and warm wood tones.

What defines the mid-century modern look compared to other vintage dresser styles?

Mid-century modern dressers favor tapered or hairpin legs, minimal hardware and warm wood tones, shaped largely by Scandinavian and American designers of the era.

Black Mid Century Dresser

Black Lacquer Brass Cabinet

Mid Century Bachelors Chest

Black Lacquered Credenza

Patterned Dressers

Brass Pulls Midcentury Dresser

Bachelor Dresser

Robsjohn Gibbings Dressers

Black And White Chest Of Drawers

Mid-Century Modern Heywood Wakefield Black Lacquered Dresser

$1,995

Mid-Century Modern Heywood Wakefield Black Lacquered Dresser

By Heywood-Wakefield Co.

Located in Clarksboro, NJ

This listing is for a Mid-Century Modern Heywood Wakefield Black Lacquered Dresser.

Category

Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Dressers

Materials

Brass

$6,000 / set

Pair Mid century American Studio Craft Walnut Dressers by Richard Artschwager

By Richard Artschwager

Located in Brooklyn, NY

Beautiful Pair of American studio craft Mid Century Modern black walnut dressers with 5 drawers all solid carved walnut pull handles.

Category

Vintage 1960s American Mid-Century Modern Dressers

Materials

Oak, Walnut

Pair of Matching Mid-Century Modern Rattan and Laminate Chests or Nightstands

Located in Philadelphia, PA

A super sharp pair of matching floating chests or night stands from the 1970s. The are very well made and feature glossy slate laminate cases supported by rattan legs.

Category

Vintage 1970s American Mid-Century Modern Dressers

Materials

Rattan, Laminate

$4,800

Burl Wood Black Ebonized Border 9 Drawers Long Dresser Credenza Brass Pulls Mint

By Milo Baughman, Century Furniture

Located in Rockaway, NJ

Burl Wood Black Ebonized Border 9 drawers long dresser credenza brass pulls mint.

Category

20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Credenzas

Materials

Brass

Recent Sales

Gorgeous Mid-Century Dresser

Unavailable

H 29 in W 60 in D 20 in

Gorgeous Mid-Century Dresser

Located in Valley Village, CA

This Mid-Century dresser is completely painted and finished in brushing distress with gold leaf underlay. Four-drawer and four doors with stunning faux gold knobs.

Category

Mid-20th Century North American Mid-Century Modern Dressers

Materials

Wood

Mid-Century Paul Frankl Dressers

Unavailable

H 34.25 in W 35.5 in D 17.25 in

Mid-Century Paul Frankl Dressers

By Paul Frankl

Located in Bridgehampton, NY

Pair of black lacquered dressers by Paul Frankl.

Category

Mid-20th Century Mid-Century Modern Dressers

Materials

Brass

Sensational Mid-Century Italian Dresser

Unavailable

H 44.5 in W 42 in D 20 in

Sensational Mid-Century Italian Dresser

By Mobili Italiani Moderni (MIM)

Located in Mount Penn, PA

Interesting Mid-Century design Italian dresser with five drawers. Nickel-plated metal handles and spun brass peg legs. Olive stained wood with white lacquered top, sides and bottom d...

Pair of Black Cerused Oak Dressers

Unavailable

H 36 in W 36 in D 21.25 in

Pair of Black Cerused Oak Dressers

Located in Bridgehampton, NY

Pair of black Mid-Century cerused oak dressers, circa 1940s in beautiful condition.

Category

Mid-20th Century French Mid-Century Modern Dressers

Materials

Oak

Mid-Century Modern Robert Baron for Glenn of California Rosewood Dresser

Unavailable

H 28.5 in W 36 in D 20 in

Mid-Century Modern Robert Baron for Glenn of California Rosewood Dresser

By Glenn of California

Located in Los Angeles, CA

A lovely rosewood dresser by Robert Baron for Glenn of California with three drawers, case of rosewood, aluminium hardware, and inset aluminium details. The hardware and gliders are ...

Category

Vintage 1960s American Mid-Century Modern Dressers

Materials

Aluminum

Paul McCobb Black Lacquered Dresser

Unavailable

Paul McCobb Black Lacquered Dresser

By Paul McCobb

Located in Baltimore, MD

Sleek four drawer Paul McCobb Planner Group dresser. Brass cone pulls with tapered legs. Black lacquer finish. Superb restored condition.

Category

Vintage 1960s American Mid-Century Modern Dressers

Materials

Brass

Stunning Mid-Century Modern Black Lacquer and Brass Bedroom Set

Unavailable

H 30 in W 72 in D 21 in

Stunning Mid-Century Modern Black Lacquer and Brass Bedroom Set

By Johnson Furniture Co.

Located in Los Angeles, CA

Absolutely stunning black lacquer and brass bedroom set. Piano finish lacquer and newly refinished brass pulls.

Category

Vintage 1950s American Mid-Century Modern Dressers

Vintage Drexel Hand Painted Black Chinoiserie Three-Drawer Dresser or Nightstand

Unavailable

H 32 in W 39 in D 19 in

Vintage Drexel Hand Painted Black Chinoiserie Three-Drawer Dresser or Nightstand

By Drexel

Located in Chicago, IL

A chinoiserie style three-drawer dresser in black with gold painted accents and vignettes throughout. Drawers feature three painted scenes each and include figures, landscapes, and a...

Category

Mid-20th Century American Chinoiserie Dressers

Materials

Brass

Paul Frankl Ebonized Walnut Dresser

Unavailable

H 32.25 in W 72.5 in D 22.5 in

Paul Frankl Ebonized Walnut Dresser

By Paul Frankl

Located in New York, NY

An ebonized walnut ten-drawer dresser with solid brass X-pulls by Paul Frankl. American, Circa 1940's This item is in stock.

Category

Mid-20th Century American Dressers

Brass

Renzo Rutili Chest for Johnson Brothers, 1960s

Unavailable

H 32 in W 38 in D 20 in

Renzo Rutili Chest for Johnson Brothers, 1960s

By Johnson Brothers

Located in Little Rock, AR

Stylish chest for Johnson Brothers, circa 1950s, attributed to Renzo Ritili. Black lacquered base with floral painted detail. Stylized brass pulls and signature legs. The chest s...

Materials

Brass

Pair of Mid Century Black Lacquer and Mirror Dressers

Sold

H 42 in W 32 in D 18 in

Pair of Mid Century Black Lacquer and Mirror Dressers

Located in New York, NY

Pair of Black lacquer and Mirror dressers

Category

20th Century American Dressers

Materials

Lacquer, Mirror

Sleek Mid Century Modern Martinsville Dresser w/ Black Trimming

Sold

H 31 in W 76 in D 19 in

Sleek Mid Century Modern Martinsville Dresser w/ Black Trimming

By American of Martinsville

Located in Brooklyn, NY

Mid-century modern long chest of drawers by American of Martinsville. Made of quality book matched walnut grain with handsome black trim. Clean modern lines, nine drawers, well made ...

Materials

Walnut, Lacquer

Materials

Enamel

Mid-Century Modern Black Lacquered Diamond Front Dresser or Credenza by United

Sold

H 30.75 in W 74.13 in D 19 in

Mid-Century Modern Black Lacquered Diamond Front Dresser or Credenza by United

By United Furniture Corporation

Located in South Bend, IN

A stunning Mid-Century Modern black lacquered sculpted walnut diamond front long dresser or credenza.

Category

Vintage 1960s American Mid-Century Modern Dressers

Materials

Walnut, Lacquer

Pair American of Martinsville Mid Century Modern Dressers

Sold

H 30 in W 34 in D 20 in

Pair American of Martinsville Mid Century Modern Dressers

By American of Martinsville

Located in Brooklyn, NY

This matching pair of American of Martinsville dressers features white formica style tops, tapered legs, and four drawers offering plenty of storage space. Please confirm item locati...

Category

Vintage 1960s American Mid-Century Modern Dressers

Chinoiserie Oriental Mid Century Black Lacquer Tall Dresser Wardrobe Jewelry

Sold

H 52 in W 22 in D 16 in

Chinoiserie Oriental Mid Century Black Lacquer Tall Dresser Wardrobe Jewelry

Located in West Hartford, CT

Stunning and iconic mid century modern chinoiserie tall cabinet adorned in brass as shown. Multiple drawers make this a great wardrobe or jewelry cabinet. Great scale and better li...

Category

Vintage 1970s Chinese Chippendale Dressers

Materials

Brass

Sold

H 32 in W 34 in D 19.5 in

Mengel Black Art Deco Dresser

By Mengel Furniture Co.

Located in Los Angeles, CA

Two black Art Deco dressers Four drawers Square brass handles Makers Mark on back.

Category

Mid-20th Century Art Deco Dressers

H 29.75 in W 33 in D 15.5 in

Founders Mid Century Dresser by Jack Cartwright

By Founders Furniture Company

Located in Cincinnati, OH

A Mid Century four drawer dresser in a very well grained clear birch with dark chocolate brown drawer fronts . The chromed U shaped finger pulls give detail to the dark color and wit...

Category

Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Dressers

Materials

$9,995

$656Sale Price|20% Off

H 14 in W 14 in D 14 in

Alexey Krupinin, Interior Object/Side Table/Silver Leaf, United States, 2022

By Alexey Krupinin

Located in Topanga, CA

A multi-function object. Artist Alexey Krupinin This multi-function object is a visually captivating piece crafted from wood with a complex geometric shape. Its striking design is ...

Category

2010s American Modern Coffee and Cocktail Tables

Materials

Silver Leaf

Vintage Post Modern Deco Revival Black Lacquer Tall Cabinet / Tallboy, USA 1980s

$1,116Sale Price|25% Off

H 61.23 in W 38.19 in D 20.48 in

Vintage Post Modern Deco Revival Black Lacquer Tall Cabinet / Tallboy, USA 1980s

Located in Hastings, GB

1980s deco revival black lacquer tall cabinet, by Millennium, USA. Looks like chrome edging, but is actually mirror glass. Double doors open onto shelved storage; 2 large drawers bel...

Category

Late 20th Century American Post-Modern Cabinets

Materials

Mirror, Lacquer

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Black Mid Century Dresser For Sale on 1stDibs

Find many varieties of an authentic black mid century dresser available at 1stDibs. A black mid century dresser — often made from wood, metal and brass — can elevate any home. Whether you’re looking for an older or newer black mid century dresser, there are earlier versions available from the 18th Century and newer variations made as recently as the 21st Century. A black mid century dresser made by Mid-Century Modern designers — as well as those associated with Hollywood Regency — is very popular. You’ll likely find more than one black mid century dresser that is appealing in its simplicity, but Paul McCobb, Winchendon Furniture (Planner Group) and American of Martinsville produced versions that are worth a look.

How Much is a Black Mid Century Dresser?

A black mid century dresser can differ in price owing to various characteristics — the average selling price 1stDibs is $3,825, while the lowest priced sells for $20 and the highest can go for as much as $53,070.

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

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.

Finding the Right Dressers for You

Antique, new and vintage dressers are a staple in any household. Whether it’s a 19th-century solid pine or oak Welsh kitchen dresser you’re using to store tableware or a Broyhill Brasilia highboy in your bedroom, these furniture fixtures are essential for making the most of your space.

The first step in finding the perfect dresser is considering your particular needs. Most tall dressers offer anywhere from five to seven drawers, essentially allowing for the organization of an entire wardrobe, while shorter, waist-height dresser varieties can be equipped with a convenient vanity mirror.

A highboy dresser is usually around six feet tall, with some versions standing even taller at seven feet or so. Highboys, which began to appear with frequency during the early 17th century in England, are essentially very tall dressers with lots of drawers, whereas a lowboy is a different type of storage furniture in that it's a dressing table with one or two rows of drawers.

When shopping for your antique or vintage dresser, consider those that bear the hallmarks of solid construction. Good furniture means making an investment, and solid hardwood pieces of maple, walnut or cherry will prove far more durable than a bedroom dresser made of particleboard.

If you’re looking for a mid-century modern case piece that boasts a subdued pairing of wood grains and uncomplicated drawer pulls, browse elegant dressers designed by Florence Knoll, Harvey Probber, Paul McCobb and other furniture makers associated with the celebrated style on 1stDibs.

Dressers characterized by bolder designs are also popular: Not only will your new piece of furniture be a storage solution, but it'll also make a statement.

Art Deco furniture makers preferred to work with dark woods and typically incorporated decorative embellishments. An ornately carved French or Italian Art Deco dresser complete with vanity mirror and cabriole scrolled feet might better complement the other pieces in your home. Alternatively, if you favor sumptuous antique furniture with curving lines and floral flourishes, the collection on 1stDibs also includes sophisticated 1800s-era Victorian walnut dressers and washstands with marble tops.

After all, a good case piece isn’t merely for minimizing clutter in your space. The style of your chosen dresser and its specific attributes should add something to your decor and your home. Modern creations include one-of-a-kind shapes, like the venturesome chests of drawers in leather, marble and wood crafted by the likes of Roberto Cavalli.

Explore a broad array of antique and vintage dressers today on 1stDibs.

Questions About Black Mid Century Dresser

What makes a dresser mid-century?
1 Answer
1stDibs ExpertJune 15, 2023
A dresser is a mid-century dresser if it was made during the middle of the 20th century. The years that encompass the mid-century modern period are roughly 1933 until 1965, but most experts argue, however, that the mid-century modern period correlates specifically to the years following World War II. Mid-century modern dressers will likely have specific characteristics. There was a use of natural and man-made materials that included alluring woods such as teak, rosewood and oak as well as steel, fiberglass and molded plywood. An authentic mid-century modern dresser will also be characterized by simplicity, organic forms and clean lines. Shop an assortment of vintage mid-century dressers on 1stDibs.
How many drawers does a mid-century modern dresser typically have?
1 Answer
1stDibs ExpertSeptember 16, 2026
Most feature 4 to 9 drawers depending on width; listings note exact drawer count and interior dimensions.
What's the difference between a mid-century modern dresser and a chest of drawers?
1 Answer
1stDibs ExpertSeptember 16, 2026
"Dresser" and "chest of drawers" are generally interchangeable; mid-century modern dressers specifically feature tapered or hairpin legs, minimal hardware and warm wood tones.
What defines the mid-century modern look compared to other vintage dresser styles?
1 Answer
1stDibs ExpertSeptember 16, 2026
Mid-century modern dressers favor tapered or hairpin legs, minimal hardware and warm wood tones, shaped largely by Scandinavian and American designers of the era.

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.