$10,848 / set
H 28.75 in Dm 25.99 in
L. Massoni Dilly Dally White Leather Vanity Table by Poltrona Frau, Italy 1960s
By Luigi Massoni, Poltrona Frau
Located in Roma, IT
Stunning white “Dilly Dally” dressing table designed by Luigi Massoni and produced by Poltrona Frau
Metal
$21,696
H 29.14 in Dm 25.99 in
20th Century Luigi Massoni for Poltrona Frau Dilly Dally Vanitiy Dressing Table
By Luigi Massoni, Poltrona Frau
Located in Turin, Turin
Dressing table model Dilly Dally designed by Luigi Massoni for Poltrona Frau in 1960s. The dressing
Metal
Dilly Dally Vanity
By Poltrona Frau
Located in South Salem, NY
Blue dilly dally dressing table by Luigi Massoni for Poltrona Frau, Italy, 1968. The vanity is
Leather
Sold
H 29.53 in Dm 25.6 in L 29.53 in
Luigi Massoni for Poltrona Frau Dilly Dally Leather Vanity Dressing Table
By Luigi Massoni, Poltrona Frau
Located in Turin, Turin
Dressing table model Dilly Dally designed by Luigi Massoni for Poltrona Frau in 1960s. The dressing
Brass
Sold
H 29.53 in Dm 25.6 in L 29.53 in
20th Century Luigi Massoni for Poltrona Frau Dilly Dally Leather Dressing Table
By Luigi Massoni, Poltrona Frau
Located in Turin, Turin
Dressing table model Dilly Dally designed by Luigi Massoni for Poltrona Frau in 1960s. The dressing
Brass
Sold
H 44.1 in W 34.65 in D 18.51 in
Luigi Massoni Dilly Dally Dressing Table in Brass, Glass and Mirror, Italy 1968
By Luigi Brusotti
Located in Brussels, BE
Luigi Massoni Dilly Dally dressing table in brass, glass and mirror, Italy,circa 1968
Brass
Sold
H 28.75 in Dm 25.6 in
Blue Dilly Dally Dressing Table by Luigi Massoni for Poltrona Frau, Italy, 1968
By Poltrona Frau, Luigi Massoni
Located in Wolfurt, AT
Make-up table with very rare sidetable, designed by the Italian designer Luigi Massoni in 1968. It
Metal
Sold
H 25.6 in W 28.75 in D 25.6 in
Luigi Massoni for Poltrona Frau "Dilly Dally" Leather Dressing Table, Italy 1968
By Luigi Massoni, Poltrona Frau
Located in Palermo, IT
Beautiful "Dilly-Dally" model leather dressin table designed by Luigi Massoni for Poltrona Frau in
Brass
Sold
H 29.53 in Dm 25.6 in
Dilly Dally Mid Century Vanity Dressing Table by Luigi Massoni Poltrona Frau
By Luigi Massoni
Located in Rome, IT
Vanity Mod. Dilly Daily di Luigi Massoni per Poltrona Frau, 1968 ca. The dressing table is
Faux Leather
Sold
H 29.53 in Dm 25.6 in
20th Century Luigi Massoni for Poltrona Frau Dilly Dally Leather Dressing Table
By Luigi Massoni, Poltrona Frau
Located in Turin, Turin
Dressing table model Dilly Dally designed by Luigi Massoni for Poltrona Frau in 1960s. The dressing
Brass
Sold
H 19.69 in Dm 15.75 in
Italian 1960s White Lacquered Stool Luigi Massoni for Poltrona Frau Attributed
By Luigi Massoni, Poltrona Frau
Located in Vienna, AT
reminds to well known pieces from Luigi Massoni for Poltrona Frau as the dressing table dilly dally and
Plywood
Sold|$450
H 6.5 in W 7.5 in D 4 in
Pink & Chrome Space Age Table Desk Alarm Clock, Tulip Base, Rhythm Japan, 1970s
Located in Vienna, AT
A stylish Space Age desk or table alarm clock from the 1970s, made by Rhythm — a Japanese company renowned for producing beautiful clocks since the 1950s. In our opinion, this is the...
Metal, Chrome
$2,001 / item
H 47.25 in W 23.63 in D 1.58 in
Contemporary Ceramic Mirror 'Elo 5' by Pani Jurek, 120-60 Green
By Pani Jurek
Located in Paris, IDF
ELO 5 Mirror Signed by Pani Jurek Dimensions: H. 120 x 60 x 4 cm Hand glazed ceramic Color shown on main image: Green _________________________________ Pani Jurek is a Polish desi...
Ceramic, Mirror
$478 / set
H 4.73 in Dm 3.55 in
Midcentury Set of 6 "Goti De Fornasa" Red Murano Drinking Glasses Tumbler, 1998
By Lavorazione Arte Murano
Located in Murano, Venezia
Set of red glasses with Millefiori murrina decoration. This set is called "Goti De Fornasa". Tradition wants that the Murano glass master with his employees did these Murano glasses...
Gold Leaf
$826 / item
H 14.18 in Dm 8.67 in
Contemporary Fish Design Gaetano Pesce Medusa L Vase Soft Resin White
By Gaetano Pesce
Located in barasso, IT
Medusa vase - Matt White Vase in soft resin designed by Gaetano Pesce in 1995 for Fish Design collection. Measures: L - Ø 22cm x H 36cm Colours: Matt white. Material: RESIN Vase in...
Resin
Very Rare Cognac-Colored Leather Sofa by Jacques Brule, 1963s
By Hans Kaufeld
Located in Limhamn, Skåne län
This very rare sofa, designed by Jacques Brule and produced by Hans Kaufeld in Germany in 1963, is a remarkable example of mid-century modern design. The sofa features a distinctive ...
Steel, Chrome
$2,229
H 12.6 in W 58.27 in D 20.48 in
Large "Marcel T" Chrome Coffee Table by K. Takahama for Cassina, Italy 1974
By Kazuhide Takahama, Cassina
Located in Roma, IT
Stunning and very rare “Marcel T” coffee table in chrome-plated steel and crystal, designed by Kazuhide Takahama and produced by Cassina in 1974 as a tribute to Marcel Breuer’s iconi...
Crystal, Chrome, Stainless Steel
Pair of Tulips Murano Glass and Brass Sconces
Located in Puglia, Puglia
Pair of wall lamps, entirely handmade in Murano, Italy, that bring the energy of Nature and Feng Shui into your interior. This pair of modern organic wall lamps is composed of a hand...
Brass
Leather Meander Flexible Wall Sconce
Located in Pound Ridge, NY
Leather wrapped flexible arm wall light you can pose and adjust as you wish. This is our updated Meander Reader light with larger cone shade and new upward angled flex arm. Shown he...
Metal, Brass
$42,000 / set
H 30.52 in W 41.74 in D 33.08 in
René Drouet Pair of Lounge Chairs in Olive Green Corduroy and Walnut
By René Drouet
Located in Waalwijk, NL
René Drouet, pair of lounge chairs, corduroy velvet, walnut, France, 1930s Designed by French decorator René Drouet, these club chairs are a quintessential example of French Art Dec...
Velvet, Walnut
$5,395
H 113.5 in W 85 in D 65 in
Mid-Century Italian Corner Shelving Unit, Gio Ponti Style, Bookmatched Wood
By Gio Ponti
Located in Los Angeles, CA
An architecturally compelling Italian corner room divider shelving unit attributed to the Gio Ponti design aesthetic. The piece features a floor-to-ceiling adjustable support rod wit...
Metal
$2,500
H 24.41 in W 21.26 in D 21.26 in
Maison Mercier Brass and Lucite Folding Tray Table, circa 1960
By Mercier Freres
Located in Atlanta, GA
Maison Mercier, Paris, designed this exceptional mid-century modern barware folding tray table. The stunning piece was expertly crafted in France circa 1960. The large-scale square b...
Metal, Brass
Roberts Counter Stool Walnut Mustard
Located in Cincinnati, US
This sleek stool has a thin carved wooden seat that rests on a steel tubing base. The elegant seat is curved for seamless comfort while displaying a stunning intersecting diagonal ac...
Steel
$4,701 / item
H 39.38 in Dm 21.66 in
Josef Hoffmann & Wiener Werkstätte "Fabric Department" Chandelier, Re Edition
By Josef Hoffmann, Wiener Werkstätte, Woka Lamps
Located in Vienna, AT
A simple but sensational fixture, designed by Josef Hoffmann, for the fabric department of the Wiener Werkstaette on Kaerntnerstrasse in Vienna. Style and color of the fabric custom ...
Silk
$289
H 1.37 in Dm 7.87 in
Danish Mid-Century Modern Pottery Plate or Vide-poche by Michael Andersen, 1960s
By Michael Andersen & Son
Located in Skarpnäck, SE
A small stoneware vintage Bornholm pottery plate or Vide-poche from Denmark. Made by the talented Michael Andersen, this plate is iconic and so typical for this company, especially w...
Ceramic
Sheepskin Samspel Sofa by Carl Malmsten
By Carl Malmsten
Located in London, England
Carl Malmsten - Samspel Sofa This iconic piece of Swedish furniture was designed in 1956 by master-designer Carl Malmsten. It was originally produced by AB Record in Bollnas, Sweden...
Sheepskin, Beech
Eugenio Quarti, Pair of liberty elegant stylish armchair
By Eugenio Quarti
Located in Milano, IT
COD-2268 Eugenio Quarti (1867 - 1926) Pair of rare elegant stylish armchairs in wood and fabric upholstery. Manufactured by Eugenio Quarti Milan Liberty era, 1920's. 59x72xh86 cm
Walnut
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.