Saarinen table lamp in glass and metal attributed
By Eero Saarinen
Located in Rio De Janeiro, RJ
Incredible table lamp attributed to Eero Saarinen in glass and metal lacquered.
Vintage 1970s Finnish International Style Table Lamps
Art Glass
Saarinen table lamp in glass and metal attributed
By Eero Saarinen
Located in Rio De Janeiro, RJ
Incredible table lamp attributed to Eero Saarinen in glass and metal lacquered.
Art Glass
Stunning Midcentury Modern Floor Lamp with Stone Agate & Cement Shade
By Eero Saarinen
Located in Hopewell, NJ
Stunning jewel of a floor lamp having a fascinating shade that’s stone agate encrusted in cement. This is offset by a modern sleek white enamel base in the manner of Saarinen.
Agate, Cement, Enamel
Tall Mid-Century Modern White Tulip Form Column Table Lamp with Chrome Base
By Eero Saarinen
Located in St. Louis, MO
Also in the style of Eero Saarinen's tulip tables by Knoll. No label.
Chrome
'Sofi' Metal and Wood Table Lamp by Alvaro Benitez
By Eero Saarinen, Laurel Lamp Company, Alvaro Benitez
Located in Los Angeles, CA
'Sofi' metal and wood table lamp by Alvaro Benitez. Hand-fabricated by Los Angeles based designer and lighting professional Alvaro Benitez, these UL listed and highly refined table l...
Brass, Metal
$1,119Sale Price|20% Off
1950's Mid-Century Modern Max Bill Style Tulip Floor Lamp
By Bill Curry, Eero Saarinen, Max Bill
Located in Burbank, CA
Vintage Mid-century Modern floor lamp for sale. Dates back to the 1950’s, and in excellent condition. It’s in great working condition, and has a dimmer. The design is attributed to M...
Metal
Tulip Base "Bud Grande" Flash Floor Lamp by Harvey Guzzini for Meblo
By Eero Saarinen, Bill Curry & Design Line, Harvey Guzzini, Meblo
Located in Chattanooga, TN
The dome rests upon the chrome tulip base and elongated stem, inspired 20th Century design heavyweight, Eero Saarinen. The light is softly diffused, and adds a warm, sexy glow to an...
Aluminum, Steel
Pair of 1960s Max Bill Red and White Table Lamps for Temde Leuchten, Switzerland
By Temde Leuchten, Verner Panton, Max Bill, Eero Saarinen
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Pair of 1960s Max Bill Red and White Table Lamps for Temde Leuchten, Switzerland. This extremely rare and iconic mid-century design is executed in red and opaline lucite shades with...
Metal
Eero Saarinen Styled Tulip Lamp Table by Burke
By Eero Saarinen
Located in Cincinnati, OH
A mustard colored Saarinen styled lamp table with soft white pedestal base and edge manufactured by The Burke Furniture company.
WILA Tulip Table Lamps
By Eero Saarinen
Located in Cincinnati, OH
A pair of tulip based satin white table lamps with pull cord switch and black barrel shades. Manufactured by the WILA lighting company, Germany.
Rare 1970s Brass & Glass Table Lamp for AKA Elektrik, East Germany
By AKA Elektrik, VEB Leuchten, Eero Saarinen
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Rare 1970s brass & glass table lamp for AKA Elektrik, East Germany. This extremely rare and iconic design is executed in brass and opaline glass with original sculptural on/off switc...
Brass
Lightolier Mid-Century Modern White Mushroom Table Lamp
By Lightolier, Gerald Thurston, Bill Curry, Eero Saarinen
Located in Chattanooga, TN
Vintage Lightolier white mushroom table lamp. Designed by Gerald Thurston. The 20th Century Modern lamp gives a off a beautiful ambient light as it diffuses through the mushroom shap...
Plastic
Large 1960s Max Bill Red & White Table Lamp for Temde Leuchten, Switzerland
By Max Bill, Verner Panton, Temde Leuchten, Eero Saarinen
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Large 1960s Max Bill red & white table lamp for Temde Leuchten, Switzerland. This extremely rare and iconic design is executed in red and opaline lucite with white painted metal. A ...
Metal
Midcentury Three Globe White Enameled Lightolier "Tulip Style" Table Lamp
By Lightolier
Located in BROOKLYN, NY
An uncommon white enameled floor lamp with three white glass globes on metal stems that mimic popular architectural themes of the period, namely Eero Saarinens' tulip style hourglass...
Metal
Vintage Red Space Age Floor Lamp / Pedestal Ashtray Combo Mid-Century
By Eero Saarinen
Located in Chula Vista, CA
For your consideration, a vintage Space Age floor lamp / pedestal ashtray combo, featuring an iconic 1960s/1970s retro-futuristic "tulip" or trumpet-shaped base and an angled spheric...
Steel
Bill Curry A3 Stemlite Orange Mid-Century Modern Mushroom Lamp
By Eero Saarinen, Guzzini, Bill Curry
Located in Chattanooga, TN
The dome rests upon the tulip base inspired 20th Century design heavyweight, Eero Saarinen. The lamp works great and would be the perfect addition to your bedside table, dresser, des...
Metal
Mid-Century Modern Saarinen-Style Tall Tulip End, Side or Lamp Table
By Eero Saarinen, Burke, Inc.
Located in Topeka, KS
Interesting sized Saarinen style white tulip end, side or lamp table. In great vintage condition with age appropriate wear. White top with white base. Great size for this Mid-Cent...
Saarinen Style Table Lamp
By Eero Saarinen
Located in Baltimore, MD
An unusual Saarinen Laurel era floor table lamp with heavy weighted tulip base bottom, walnut lower stem and border, white laminate table top, and patinated brass top stem. Pristi...
Iron, Brass
Rare Nine-Orb Tulip Table Lamp by Max Bill, Switzerland, circa 1960
By Max Bill, Knoll, Eero Saarinen
Located in New York, NY
Rare nine-orb tulip table lamp by Max Bill, Switzerland, circa 1960. Beautiful quality and substantial scale. Base is cast aluminum with a white enamel finish. Wiring is original and...
Metal
$770Sale Price|30% Off
H 21.5 in Dm 18 in
Mid-Century Modern Table Lamp by Gerald Thurston for Lightolier
By Lightolier, Gerald Thurston
Located in Oklahoma City, OK
A striking mid-century modern table lamp designed by Gerald Thurston for Lightolier, featuring its original molded white acrylic shade and rare perforated metal light diffuser. This ...
Metal
Mid Century Lamp by Laurel
By Laurel Lamp Company
Located in New York, NY
Table lamp attributed to Laurel with a solid wood teardrop form body on metal base with faux wood cathedral cut out base. Clean, working condition, shows very minor cosmetic wear, no...
Metal
$495 / item
H 17 in Dm 12.8 in
Mid Century Design Table Lamp by Designline in Chrome with White Frosted Shade
By Design Line
Located in Philadelphia, PA
THIS ITEM IS ELIGIBLE FOR FREE SHIPPING! A sleek stemlite table lamp made by Design Line. It features a cast aluminum main base in a conical form. The lamp base is finished in a cla...
Aluminum, Brass
$1,295
H 38.5 in W 6.75 in D 6.75 in
Expertly Restored -Mid-Century California Modern Sculpted Table Lamp by Modeline
By Modeline Lamp Co.
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Designer: Jack Haywood Materials: Korina Wood, New Custom Linen Shade, Polished Brass Dimensions: 38.50in H x 6.75in W in x 6.75in D Lamp Shade 10in H x 17in W x 17in D __________...
Brass
Mid Century Modern floor lamp "Medusa" by Harvey Guzzini
By Harvey Guzzini, Meblo
Located in Beograd, RS
In this listing you will find an iconic Mid Century Modern Floor Lamp "Medusa". The lamp was originally designed by Harvey Guzzini studios in Italy, which used to produce the lamps u...
Steel
Mid Century Kemp And Lauritzen Table Lamp
Located in Søborg, DK
Vintage Kemp & Lauritzen Table Lamp, 1965 A true icon of Danish 1960s design. This original Kemp & Lauritzen table lamp pairs space-age styling with warm, functional light. Desi...
Chrome
$1,935
H 35.44 in Dm 5.91 in
Carl Fagerlund for Orrefors Swedish Mid-Century Textured Glass Floor Lamp, 1960s
By Carl Fagerlund, Orrefors
Located in Stockholm, SE
Exceptional Swedish mid-century floor lamp designed by Carl Fagerlund for Orrefors in the 1960s. The sculptural column is composed of multiple vertically stacked sections of clear an...
Art Glass
Walnut and Chrome Table Lamp by Gerald Thurston
By Gerald Thurston, Lightolier
Located in Denton, TX
Walnut and chrome table lamp by Gerald Thurston for Lightolier.
Chrome
$1,259
H 57.09 in Dm 15.36 in
XL Floor Lamp by Hustadt Leuchten, Germany, 1970s, Studio Ceramic, Fat Lava
Located in Cork, IE
Thanks to its clear lines and natural materials this lamp has a timeless appeal that transcends the decades and allows it to seamlessly blend in with most home decor styles, from sli...
Ceramic
Mid-Century Modern Table Lamp
By Laurel Lamp Company
Located in Rockaway, NJ
Nice yellow enamel Mid-Century Modern table lamp.
Mid Century Tri Pod Form Table Lamp Att. to Thurston, circa 1950
By Gerald Thurston, Lightolier
Located in New York, NY
Architectural design table lamp attributed to Gerald Thurston for Lightolier circa 1950's. The lamp features a ring firm base from which extend three rods that support a brass cup at...
Brass, Steel
Rare Mid-Century Modern Cherry Wood Table Lamp by Arden Riddle, 1960s
By Arden Riddle
Located in Berlin, DE
Designed by Arden Riddle in the 1950s, this table lamp reflects a restrained mid-century vocabulary through its turned solid cherry wood base and balanced proportions. The sculptural...
Cherry
Table lamp by Einar Bäckströms Metallvarufabrik, Sweden, 1960s
By Einar Backstrom
Located in Karlstad, SE
A refined Swedish table lamp from the 1960s, produced by Einar Bäckströms Metallvarufabrik. The design combines a solid brass base with a slender wooden stem, creating a warm contras...
Brass
Laurel Floor Lamp with Marble Base & Original Dome Shade, 1960s
Located in Hamburg, PA
Classic Laurel floor lamp featuring a clean mid-century design with a polished chrome stem, substantial white marble cube base, and large white plastic dome shade. The lamp offers a ...
Marble, Chrome
$3,394 / item
H 70.9 in Dm 18.5 in
"3247" White Frosted Blown Glass Floor Lamp Designed by FontanaArte
By Fontana Arte
Located in Brooklyn, NY
"3247" is a floor lamp, coming from the classic table lamp called "3247TA", originally designed by FontanaArte in 1954, manufactured by FontanaArte, featuring a nickel plated metal f...
Metal, Nickel
Midcentury Murano White Glass Lamp
By The Marbro Lamp Company
Located in Atlanta, GA
Mid-Century Modern Murano handblown white glass lamp on marble base with brass accents by Marbro. Lampshade not included in price.
Marble, Brass
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.
The right table lamp, outwardly sculptural chandelier or understated wall pendant can work wonders for your home. While we’re indebted to thinkers like Thomas Edison for critically important advancements in lighting and electricity, we’re still finding new ways to customize illumination to fit our personal spaces all these years later. A wide range of antique and vintage lighting can be found on 1stDibs.
Today, lighting designers like the self-taught Bec Brittain have used the flexible structure of LEDs to craft glamorous solutions by working with what is typically considered a harsh lighting source. By integrating glass and mirrors, reflection can be used to soften the glow from LEDs and warmly welcome light into any space.
Although contemporary innovators continue to impress, some of the classics can’t be beat.
Just as gazing at the stars allows you to glimpse the universe’s past, vintage chandeliers like those designed by Gino Sarfatti and J. & L. Lobmeyr, for example, put on a similarly stunning show, each with a rich story to tell.
As dazzling as it is, the Arco lamp, on the other hand, prioritizes functionality — it’s wholly mobile, no drilling required. Designed in 1962 by architect-product designers Achille & Pier Giacomo Castiglioni, the piece takes the traditional form of a streetlamp and creates an elegant, arching floor fixture for at-home use.
There is no shortage of modernist lighting similarly prized by collectors and casual enthusiasts alike — there are Art Deco table lamps created in a universally appreciated style, the Tripod floor lamp by T.H. Robsjohn-Gibbings, Greta Magnusson Grossman's sleek and minimalist Grasshopper lamps and, of course, the wealth of mid-century experimental lighting that emerged from Italian artisans at Arredoluce, FLOS and many more are hallmarks in illumination innovation.
With decades of design evolution behind it, home lighting is no longer just practical. Crystalline shaping by designers like Gabriel Scott turns every lighting apparatus into a luxury accessory. A new installation doesn’t merely showcase a space; carefully chosen ceiling lights, table lamps and floor lamps can create a mood, spotlight a favorite piece or highlight your unique personality.
The sparkle that your space has been missing is waiting for you amid the growing collection of antique, vintage and contemporary lighting for sale on 1stDibs.
The alluring pendant light exemplifies the designer’s winsome mid-career work.
Patrizio Chiarparini of Brooklyn’s Duplex gallery sheds light on the lasting legacy of Italy’s postwar furniture boom.
There are many lessons to be learned from the lofts, apartments and townhouses of architects and decorators in Manhattan and beyond.
Having created extravagant homes for reality TV’s biggest stars, the designer is stepping into the spotlight with his first book.
The Louisiana-born and -bred architect talks to 1stdibs about the art of making timeless places that matter.
The Palm Springs interior decorator developed a mid-century style that defined the vacation homes of celebrities and other notables, including Bob Hope and Lucille Ball.
The houses from this New York studio cloak modernist tendencies within what are often more traditional trappings.
In the market for a fantastic fixture from the 1940s, ’50s or ’60s? Here are some names to know.