Charles Eames Credenza
Vintage 1960s American Modern Credenzas
Aluminum, Steel
2010s American Modern Sideboards
Wood, Walnut
Vintage 1960s Belgian Mid-Century Modern Sideboards
Chrome
Vintage 1960s American Mid-Century Modern Dressers
Walnut
Vintage 1950s American Mid-Century Modern Lounge Chairs
Steel
Late 20th Century Modern Landscape Paintings
Acrylic, Paper
Kipp StewartEucalyptus Trees, Sunset Coastal Landscape Watercolor by Kipp Stewart, late 20th Century
Late 20th Century Modern Landscape Paintings
Polyester, Acrylic
Late 20th Century Modern Still-life Paintings
Canvas, Acrylic
People Also Browsed
21st Century and Contemporary Spanish Minimalist Side Tables
Marble, Travertine
2010s Austrian Jugendstil Chandeliers and Pendants
Silk
2010s American Organic Modern Wall Lights and Sconces
Brass
21st Century and Contemporary Brazilian Modern Dining Room Chairs
Wood
2010s American Mid-Century Modern Chandeliers and Pendants
Brass, Bronze, Enamel, Chrome, Aluminum, Nickel
2010s South African Minimalist Pedestals
Hardwood
Vintage 1960s Italian Mid-Century Modern Flush Mount
Aluminum, Steel
Vintage 1970s American Mid-Century Modern Credenzas
Carrara Marble
2010s American Modern Chandeliers and Pendants
Brass, Bronze, Enamel, Nickel
20th Century Italian Sterling Silver
Sterling Silver
Vintage 1970s American Mid-Century Modern Sectional Sofas
Upholstery, Wood
21st Century and Contemporary European Mid-Century Modern Side Tables
Rattan, Wood
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Mid-Century Modern Chandeliers and...
Metal, Brass
Mid-20th Century Canadian Mid-Century Modern Credenzas
Metal, Chrome
Vintage 1940s American Mid-Century Modern Desks
Aluminum
20th Century Italian Mid-Century Modern Sideboards
Rosewood
Recent Sales
Vintage 1960s American Mid-Century Modern Credenzas
Metal
Vintage 1970s American Mid-Century Modern Credenzas
Marble
Vintage 1950s American Mid-Century Modern Credenzas
Steel
Vintage 1950s American Mid-Century Modern Credenzas
Aluminum
Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Credenzas
Brass
Vintage 1950s American Mid-Century Modern Credenzas
Maple, Grasscloth
Vintage 1950s Dutch Mid-Century Modern Credenzas
Birch, Plywood
Vintage 1960s Belgian Mid-Century Modern Credenzas
Chrome
Vintage 1950s Dutch Mid-Century Modern Credenzas
Wood, Oak
20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Credenzas
Metal
Mid-20th Century Dutch Mid-Century Modern Credenzas
Metal
Vintage 1950s Dutch Mid-Century Modern Credenzas
Metal
Vintage 1970s American Mid-Century Modern Side Chairs
Fiberglass
Vintage 1970s American Mid-Century Modern Side Chairs
Fiberglass
Vintage 1970s American Mid-Century Modern Side Chairs
Fiberglass
Vintage 1970s American Mid-Century Modern Side Chairs
Fiberglass
Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Lounge Chairs
Leather, Zebra Wood
Vintage 1970s American Commodes and Chests of Drawers
Steel
Vintage 1980s American Mid-Century Modern Sideboards
Marble, Steel
Vintage 1950s American Mid-Century Modern Cabinets
Plywood
Vintage 1950s Dutch Mid-Century Modern Sideboards
Chrome, Metal
Vintage 1950s American Mid-Century Modern Side Tables
Walnut
Vintage 1960s American Mid-Century Modern Desks and Writing Tables
Walnut
Mid-20th Century North American Modern Credenzas
Walnut
Vintage 1950s American Mid-Century Modern Credenzas
Wood
Vintage 1960s Dutch Mid-Century Modern Credenzas
Metal
Vintage 1960s Dutch Mid-Century Modern Credenzas
Metal
Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Credenzas
Aluminum, Chrome
Vintage 1940s American Mid-Century Modern Wall-mounted Sculptures
Mahogany
Vintage 1950s Dutch Mid-Century Modern Credenzas
Metal
Vintage 1950s Dutch Mid-Century Modern Credenzas
Steel
Vintage 1960s Dutch Mid-Century Modern Sideboards
Metal
Vintage 1960s American Mid-Century Modern Sideboards
Walnut
Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Cabinets
Brass
Vintage 1950s Dutch Mid-Century Modern Sideboards
Metal
Late 20th Century Modern Landscape Paintings
Acrylic, Paper
Mid-20th Century North American Mid-Century Modern Music Stands
Hardwood
Vintage 1950s American Credenzas
Steel
Vintage 1950s American Mid-Century Modern Credenzas
Metal
Vintage 1960s American Mid-Century Modern Credenzas
Metal, Brass
Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Credenzas
Marble
Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Credenzas
Marble
Vintage 1940s American Mid-Century Modern Credenzas
Walnut
Vintage 1960s American Mid-Century Modern Credenzas
Early 2000s Danish Mid-Century Modern Credenzas
Walnut
Early 2000s Danish Mid-Century Modern Credenzas
Walnut
Vintage 1950s Dutch Mid-Century Modern Commodes and Chests of Drawers
Birch
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 ExpertApril 5, 2022Charles and Ray Eames are famous for their chair designs. The couple released their first iconic Eames Lounge and Ottoman in 1956 and went on to create more chairs that changed the idea of comfortable seating. In addition to being great furniture designers, Ray and Charles were also graphic and textile designers, architects and film-makers. Shop a collection of Eames chairs from some of the world’s top sellers on 1stDibs.
- 1stDibs ExpertFebruary 21, 2024Charles and Ray Eames were related by marriage. Charles studied architecture and industrial design. Ray (née Bernice Alexandra Kaiser) was an artist who studied under painter Hans Hofmann. They met in 1940 at the Cranbrook Academy of Art in suburban Detroit and married the next year. Shop a selection of Charles and Ray Eames furniture on 1stDibs.
- 1stDibs ExpertApril 5, 2024Yes, Charles Eames chairs are comfortable. The Eameses — Charles and Ray — were fascinated by ergonomics and designed chairs with comfort in mind. The legendary mid-century modernist designer-couple famously called their Eames lounge chair and ottoman “a special refuge from the strains of modern living” and described their design as having the “warm receptive look of a well-used first baseman’s mitt.”
While the couple’s DCW chairs, introduced in the 1940s, prioritized ease of production and affordability of materials, the Eames lounger, which debuted in 1956, was Charles and Ray’s interpretation of luxury furniture. And to the Eameses, luxury meant, above all, comfort.
Find vintage Charles and Ray Eames furniture on 1stDibs. - 1stDibs ExpertApril 5, 2022Charles and Ray Eames have been recognized as the 20th century’s most influential designers and are best known for their highly recognizable chairs. The Eames lounge chair and ottoman are an iconic duo in modern-styled furniture, and some of the first Eames items to emerge from Herman Miller are now classics: the LCW, or Lounge Chair Wood, and the DCM, or Dining Chair Metal, supported by tubular steel. Find vintage Charles and Ray Eames furniture on 1stDibs.
- 1stDibs ExpertApril 5, 2022For Charles and Ray Eames’ chairs designed for Herman Miller, molded plywood, fiberglass-reinforced plastic, bent and welded wire mesh, and cast aluminum were used in production. You can shop a collection of Eames furniture from some of the world’s top sellers on 1stDibs.
- 1stDibs ExpertApril 5, 2022Rosewood was the favorite wood of famed American designers Charles and Ray Eames. Rosewood made its way into some of the duo’s most celebrated designs, including the iconic Eames lounge chair. On 1stDibs, you’ll find a collection of genuine Eames furniture from some of the world’s top sellers.