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Rolf Grunow

Minimalist Sofa, Rolf Grunow for Walter Knoll
By Walter Knoll
Located in Neuss, NW
Minimalist sofa by Rolf Grunow for Walter Knoll from the 1950s. High-quality wooden frame with
Category

Vintage 1950s German Mid-Century Modern Sofas

Materials

Steel

Minimalist Sofa, Rolf Grunow for Walter Knoll
Minimalist Sofa, Rolf Grunow for Walter Knoll
$5,703
H 29.93 in W 80.71 in D 34.26 in
Mid Century Sofa Daybed Rolf Grunow Couch Knoll Beech
By Knoll
Located in Berlin, DE
German designer Rolf Grunow and combines a sofa for everyday use and a classic daybed, ideal for modern
Category

Vintage 1960s German Mid-Century Modern Daybeds

Materials

Beech

Mid Century Sofa Daybed Rolf Grunow Couch Knoll Beech
Mid Century Sofa Daybed Rolf Grunow Couch Knoll Beech
$2,216
H 28.35 in W 76.78 in D 31.5 in

Recent Sales

1950s Minimalist Daybed Rolf Grunow for Knoll, Beechwood & Metal, New Upholstery
By Knoll
Located in Berlin, DE
1950s Minimalist daybed Rolf Grunow for Knoll, beechwood and metal, new upholstery freestanding
Category

Vintage 1950s German Mid-Century Modern Daybeds

Materials

Fabric, Wood

1950s Minimalist Daybed Rolf Grunow for Knoll, Beechwood & Metal, New Upholstery
By T.H. Robsjohn-Gibbings, Charlotte Perriand
Located in Hamminkeln, DE
Amazing, 1950s Minimalist daybed, designed by the German Rolf Grunow for Walter Knoll, made in
Category

Vintage 1950s German Mid-Century Modern Daybeds

Materials

Metal

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Set of Nightstands In Teak, By AB Carlström & Co Furniture Factory From 1950s
By AB Carlstrom
Located in Lejre, DK
Set of bedside tables on legs with drawer and shelf, manufactured by AB Carlström & Co møbelfabrik in Sweden from the 1950s. These bedside tables represent the timeless and functiona...
Category

Vintage 1950s Swedish Mid-Century Modern Side Tables

Materials

Teak

Sculptural Scandinavian Modern Floor Lamp in Solid Pine, 1970s
By Uno Kristiansson, Ateljé Lyktan
Located in Odense, DK
A charming floor lamp in solid pine. Attributed to Uno Kristiansson. Fine craftmanship, perfectly suited for any interior style. A Modern, Scandinavian, Classic or an Art deco home ...
Category

Mid-20th Century Swedish Mid-Century Modern Floor Lamps

Materials

Wood, Pine

The Original Swing-Out Seat with Unfinished Alder
Located in Oakville, CT
Redolent of the cafeteria tables found in early-20th-century schools and factories, The Get Back Original Swing-Out Seat is our hallmark product—proudly sand cast and made in America...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary American Industrial Stools

Materials

Iron

The Original Swing-Out Seat with Unfinished Alder
The Original Swing-Out Seat with Unfinished Alder
$450 / item
H 10.75 in W 24 in D 12 in
Fantastic Paul Evans Brutalist Goop Wall Console Table Mid-Century Modern
By Paul Evans
Located in Pemberton, NJ
Fantastic Paul Evan sculpted goop brutalist wall console table with honed slate top. This piece is signed PE 69. It measure 6"t x 60"l x 14"d
Category

Vintage 1960s American Mid-Century Modern Console Tables

Materials

Slate

Danish Mid Century Wooden Daybed in Oak, Canvas & Leather by Tage Poulsen, 1950s
By Tage Poulsen
Located in Stockholm, SE
Rare Danish mid century wooden daybed in stained oak with a canvas upholstery, a dark brown leather cushion and white sheepskin designed and produced by Tage Poulsen in Denmark, 1950...
Category

Vintage 1950s Danish Scandinavian Modern Daybeds

Materials

Leather, Canvas, Oak

Antique Arts & Crafts Oak 16-Drawer Architect's Blueprint Flat File Cabinet
By Globe Wernicke
Located in South Bend, IN
A rare and exceptional antique Arts & Crafts 16-drawer architect's blueprint flat file cabinet, map file, or art cabinet In the manner of Hamilton USA, Circa 1900 Measures: 27.13"...
Category

Early 20th Century American Arts and Crafts Cabinets

Materials

Oak

Golden Disco Ball 30 cm Mosaic Mirror, With Rotor, 1980s
Located in Palermo, IT
Golden disco ball 30cm mosaic mirror, with rotor, 1980s Never used, intact and in perfect condition
Category

Vintage 1980s Italian Musical Instruments

Materials

Mirror

19th Century French Restauration Style Mahogany Bookcase, Vitrine, Bibliotheque
Located in Fayetteville, AR
This mid nineteenth century French Restauration style bookcase or vitrine is constructed of solid mahogany and features a bronze plaque at the crown detailed with symmetrical leaves,...
Category

Antique Mid-19th Century French Restauration Bookcases

Materials

Bronze

1970s Space Age Steel and Glass Bar Cart by Claudio Salocchi for Luigi Sormani
By Claudio Salocchi, Luigi Sormani
Located in Aci Castello, IT
1970s Claudio Salocchi for Luigi Sormani Space Age Bar Cart in Brushed Steel and Smoked Glass. A stunning embodiment of Italian Space Age design, this rare bar cart by Claudio Salocc...
Category

Mid-20th Century Italian Space Age Carts and Bar Carts

Materials

Stainless Steel

Vintage Walnut Reclining Lounge Chair by Milo Baughman for Thayer Coggin
By Milo Baughman, Thayer Coggin
Located in North Hollywood, CA
Beautiful vintage walnut reclining lounge chair designed by Milo Baughman for Thayer Coggin in the United States, circa 1950s. This reclining lounge chair has a design that many cons...
Category

Vintage 1950s American Mid-Century Modern Lounge Chairs

Materials

Fabric, Walnut

1950s Edward Wormley for Dunbar Bracket Back Sofa, Blush Velvet and mahogany
By Edward Wormley, Dunbar Furniture
Located in Virginia Beach, VA
A rare variation of the bracket back sofa by Edward Wormley for Dunbar Furniture company of Berne Indiana circa 1950s. This A-frame bracket is similar to the designs of Jens Risom, t...
Category

Vintage 1950s American Mid-Century Modern Sofas

Materials

Velvet, Mahogany

Beautifully Crafted Solid Oak Sideboard, 20th Century, Belgium
Located in Echt, NL
Beautifully crafted Belgian Sideboard in very good condition. This credenza combines a simplified layout executed within a complex design, and solid construction details. It is mad...
Category

Late 20th Century Belgian Brutalist Sideboards

Materials

Wood, Oak

Michael Coffey, Ebbtide I, Wall-Mounted Cabinet, United States, 2020
By Michael Coffey
Located in New York, NY
A sculptural cabinet carved in solid Mozambique. Coffey debuted this style of carving at Directional Furniture in New York, in 1972. In the 90’s he revived it, giving it the name, "g...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary American Cabinets

Materials

Walnut

19th century country house daybed in green velvet
Located in Batley, GB
A good quality 19th century Howard style daybed in light green velvet with tassel trim. Raised on turned ebonized walnut legs with the original casters. In good structural conditio...
Category

Antique 19th Century British Victorian Daybeds

Materials

Velvet, Walnut

19th century country house daybed in green velvet
19th century country house daybed in green velvet
$2,061
H 27.56 in W 74.81 in D 27.17 in
Multi-Color Floral Chandelier in Blown Murano Glass Deco, Giovanni Dalla Fina
By Giovanni Dalla Fina
Located in Villaverla, IT
Multi-color floral chandelier in blown Murano glass deco, GIovanni Dalla Fina outstanding Ca’Rezzonico chandelier, entirely handcrafted in blown Murano glass, designed and manufactur...
Category

Late 20th Century Italian Art Deco Chandeliers and Pendants

Materials

Glass, Art Glass, Blown Glass, Cut Glass, Murano Glass

De Sede Terrazza Sofa Cognac Leather Ubald Klug Ueli Berger 1972 Mid Century
By Ubald Klug, De Sede, Ueli Berger
Located in Munster, NRW
2x De Sede Terrazza sofas, model DS 1025 in cognac leather. Designed in 1972 by Ubald Klug & Ueli Berger for De Sede, Switzerland. Sophisticated design sofa elements form the perfec...
Category

Vintage 1970s Swiss Mid-Century Modern Sofas

Materials

Leather

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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

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.

Finding the Right Seating for You

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.