William Watting for Fristho Two-Bay Teak Modular Wall Unit
By Fristho, William Watting
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Attributed to William Watting for Fristho, this two-bay modular wall unit is built around three cylindrical teak upright posts that run floor to ceiling, supporting four adjustable s...
Metal, Brass
$1,517 / item
H 92.92 in W 23.63 in D 23.63 in
Mogg – ADELAIDE METAL – Floor-to-Ceiling Bookshelf – Matte Black Lacquered Metal
By Mogg
Located in Alcamo, IT
With its sculptural, modular design, it transforms vertical spaces into a striking storage composition, combining functionality with a contemporary aesthetic. Equipped with 13 shelv...
Metal
Regency Brass Inlaid Rosewood Metamorphic Bench
Located in Kittery Point, ME
Rooms organized during the Regency period as libraries often had floor-to-ceiling bookshelves. The upper shelves were difficult to reach, so movable library stairs were invaluable.
Brass
Unavailable
H 121.66 in W 85.24 in D 17.72 in
Mid Century Modern Italian Floor to Ceiling teak Wall Unit - 1960s
Located in Uccle, BE
Mid Century Modern Italian Floor to Ceiling teak Wall Unit - 1960s adjustable height... Wear consistent with age and use : See photos
Metal
English Oak Wall Shelf
Located in Baton Rouge, LA
Standing at over 6 feet tall it’s a perfect piece if you’re looking for floor-to-ceiling shelves. The turned wooden supports in the front add just the right amount of detail for such...
Oak
1950s Italian Single Pole Floor to Ceiling Bookshelf
Located in Rome, IT
The mounting of this bookshelf is with pressure between the floor and the ceiling. This rare piece is composed of a single upright, Made up of three height-adjustable shelves, on...
Iron
Italian Modern Teak Floor to Ceiling Wall Unit, 1950s
Located in Rome, IT
The mounting of this bookshelf is with pressure between the floor and the ceiling . This modular shelving’s system allows you to choose where to mount the shelves and the small cabi...
Brass, Iron
Sold
H 119.3 in W 38.19 in D 17.72 in
Italian Floor to Ceiling Shelving Unit, Second Half 20th Century
Located in London, GB
The set is made of wooden block-board, finished in walnut, with black metal uprights running between the floor and ceiling. The cupboards are veneered to all sides except the back; s...
Steel
Italian Teak and Brass Floor to Ceiling Wall Unit, 1950s
Located in Rome, IT
Bookshelf / modular wall unit Italian design, 1950s Teak, iron, brass Completely restored The height is adjustable, just specify your ceiling height for a confirmation T...
Brass, Iron
Italian Modern Teak and Iron Floor to Ceiling Wall Unit, 1950s
Located in Rome, IT
The mounting of this bookshelf is with pressure between the floor and the ceiling. This wall unit is made up of a cabinet with sliding doors, a chest of drawers with three drawers a...
Brass, Iron
Sold
H 118.12 in W 100.01 in D 14.18 in
Italian Modern Teak and Brass Floor to Ceiling Wall Unit, 1950s
Located in Rome, IT
Modular bookshelf , manufactured in Italy during the 1950s Made of teak, black enameled iron and brass Full of details, All the hardware and brass parts have been specially made for...
Brass, Iron
Sold
H 118.12 in W 66.93 in D 14.18 in
1950s Italian Modern Teak Iron and Brass Floor to Ceiling Wall Unit
Located in Rome, IT
Modular bookshelf , manufactured in Italy during the 1950s Made of teak, black enameled iron and brass Full of details, All the hardware and brass parts have been specially made...
Brass, Iron
Sold
H 118.12 in W 100.01 in D 14.18 in
Italian Modern Teak Brass Floor to Ceiling Wall Unit Bookshelf Library, 1950s
Located in Rome, IT
Bookshelf/wall unit Italian design 1950s Teak, iron, brass Completely restored The height is adjustable, just specify your ceiling height for a confirmation The wooden su...
Brass, Iron
Sold
H 122.05 in W 102.37 in D 16.54 in
Italian Floor to Ceiling Wall Unit in Beach Wood and Burnished Bronze , 1950s
Located in Rome, IT
A midcentury wall unit of Italian design from the 1950s This bookcase has a pressure mounting system between floor and ceiling, it can be mounted close to a wall or even as a room d...
Bronze
Sold
H 132.68 in W 88.19 in D 8.67 in
Floor-to-Ceiling Bookcase Teak Veneered Shelves Vintage, Italy, 1950s-1960s
Located in Milano, IT
A floor-to-ceiling bookcase with extendable uprights and adjustable shelves in height.
Metal, Brass
Sold
H 132.68 in W 59.85 in D 8.67 in
Floor-to-Ceiling Bookcase Teak Veneered Shelves Vintage, Italy, 1950s-1960s
Located in Milano, IT
A floor-to-ceiling bookcase with extendable uprights and adjustable shelves in height.
Metal, Brass
Floor-to-Ceiling Bookcase Rosewood Veneer Vintage, Italy, 1960s
Located in Milano, IT
A floor-to-ceiling bookcase with adjustable shelves.
Metal, Brass
Italian 1950's Library
Located in Milan, IT
Beautiful modular floor to ceiling library. 6 shelves and 3 cabinets.
Brass, Metal
Bookcase Mahogany Brass Metal Vintage, Italy, 1950s-1960s
Located in Milano, IT
A floor-to-ceiling bookcase with adjustable shelves and containers through brass supports.
Metal, Brass
Bookcase Veneered Wood Brass, Italy, 1950s-1960s
Located in Milano, IT
Floor to ceiling bookcase with partially adjustable shelves (depending on the pre-drilled holes) and writing space with tilt opening.
Brass
Italian Floor to Ceiling Modular Wall Unit, 1950s
Located in Rome, IT
A bookcase with floor to ceiling fixing, teak and brass, Italian design from the 50s.
Brass
Midcentury Italian Floor to Ceiling Teak Modular Wall Unit
Located in Rome, IT
Crafted from the finest teak wood, this modular bookcase boasts a unique system of pressure mounting between the floor and ceiling, ensuring stability and adaptability to any space.
Brass, Iron
Sold
H 119.3 in W 103.55 in D 13.78 in
Midcentury Floor-to-Ceiling Shelving Unit by Stildomus, Italy 'Labelled'
By Stildomus
Located in London, GB
The components are: - Five adjustable floor-to-ceiling uprights (one more than shown) - Two fall-front cabinets - Twelve shelves - Pairs of aluminium hangers The set is in o...
Aluminum, Bronze
Sold
H 118.12 in W 34.45 in D 12.21 in
Italian Vintage Wall Unit With Floor to Ceiling Fixing, Completely Restored
Located in Rome, IT
This Italian bookcase dates back to the 1950s, its modern design is full of technical details and workmanship typical of high-end Italian mid-century manufacturing. It has 3 large ...
Brass
Sold
H 122.05 in W 100.01 in D 14.18 in
Italian Teak and Brass Floor to Ceiling Wall Unit -Bookshelf, 1950s
Located in Rome, IT
Bookshelf/wall unit Italian design 1950s Teak, iron, brass Completely restored The height is adjustable, just specify your ceiling height for a confirmation The wooden su...
Brass, Iron
Sold
H 119.3 in W 73.63 in D 17.72 in
Italian Floor to Ceiling Shelving Unit, Two Bays, Second Half 20th Century
Located in London, GB
The set is made of wood, finished in walnut, with black metal uprights running between the floor and ceiling. The larger cupboards sit at the lowest point (as shown in the main image...
Steel
Sold
H 119.3 in W 109.06 in D 17.72 in
Italian Floor to Ceiling Shelving Unit, Three Bays, Second Half 20th Century
Located in London, GB
The set is made of wood, finished in walnut, with black metal uprights running between the floor and ceiling. The larger cupboards sit at the lowest point (as shown in the main image...
Steel
Sold
H 118.12 in W 100.01 in D 14.18 in
Italian Modern Teak Brass Floor to Ceiling Wall Unit Bookshelf for Steve
Located in Rome, IT
Bookshelf/wall unit Italian design 1950s Teak, iron, brass The item is Completely restored The composition for Steve includes: 4 iron , brass and wood poles 2 cabinets with two dr...
Brass, Iron
Mid-century Italian Floor-To-Ceiling Wall Unit - 1960s
Located in Uccle, BE
Mid-century Italian Floor-To-Ceiling Wall Unit - 1960s
Metal
Mid-century Italian Floor-To-Ceiling Wall Unit - 1960s
Located in Brussels , BE
Mid-century Floor-to-Ceiling Wall Unit, in wood - Metal, Italy 1960s for sale in Furniture, Shelf - wall Unit Via Antica
Metal
Sold
H 128.35 in W 133.86 in D 9.85 in
Mid-Century Modern Floor-to-Ceiling Shelf or Room Divider, Italy, 1960s
Located in Brussels , BE
Mid-Century Modern floor-to-ceiling shelf or room divider, Italy, 1960s.
Wood
Sold
H 98.43 in W 94.49 in D 16.54 in
Mid Century Modern Italian Floor to Ceiling Wall Unit / room divider - 1960s
Located in Uccle, BE
Mid Century Modern Italian Floor to Ceiling Wall Unit / room divider - 1960s Adjustable height... H : 250cm -> 310cm Wear consistent with age and use : See Photos
Wood
Sold
H 125.99 in W 104.34 in D 15.91 in
Floor-to-ceiling wall Unit in the style of Franco Albini, 1960s
By Franco Albini
Located in Uccle, BE
Floor-to-ceiling wall Unit in the style of Franco Albini, 1960s Product details Dimensions D: 40,5 cm H: 320 cm (125.98") W: 265 cm (104.33")
Wood
Italian Architectural Hanging Floor-to-Ceiling Lamp/Shelves
Located in Brooklyn, NY
Incredible and chic hanging display shelving with integrated lighting in brass, enameled metal, velum, and steel. The shelves and shades are held in place by wire tension and can be...
Noral Olson for Kopenhavn 21 Piece Wall Unit Shelving System
By Noral Olson
Located in Spring Valley, CA
You could split it into multiple units, use as a corner wall unit, make it floor to ceiling, etc! A few shelves have residue from items being placed on them.
Wood, Walnut
Custom Made Oak and Velvet Bench by Kai Kristiansen
Located in London, England
Bench designed by Danish master Kai Kristiansen in the 1950s and now produced under license by Dagmar. Hand-made to order, this upholstered bench has a fumed and oiled oak frame. Th...
Mohair, Oak
$15,439 / item
H 32.68 in W 110.24 in D 40.56 in
Art Deco Sofa by Munna Design Studio with Velvet Upholstery
By Munna Design Studio
Located in New York, NY
This sofa features a wonderfully elegant fan-shaped motif, with its accentuated curvy lines with decadent and lavish finish. The feminine curves are ravishingly enhanced by the diffe...
Velvet
Wharton Esherick Curved Sofa 1958
By Wharton Esherick
Located in Chicago, IL
This Sofa by Wharton Esherick exemplifies his pioneering role in the American Craft Movement. This is his first sofa design, one of Four ever made. Known for his dedication to organ...
Poplar, Tulipwood, Walnut
Venetian Monumental Seated Bird Cage
Located in Queens, NY
Italian Venetian style (20th Cent) octagonal shaped painted and decorated metal and wood bird cage with 8 upholstered seat and back cushions around base. (Franco Zefferelli Collection)
Metal
$145,000
H 106 in W 66 in D 26 in
Pair of 19th Century French Walnut Library Ladders, Napoleon III Style
Located in Queens, NY
Pair of French (19th Century) walnut library ladders with side railings and steps leading to a top platform (on casters) (attributed to Napoleon III's personal library) (Related item...
Walnut
$17,459 / set
H 87.01 in W 41.34 in D 88.59 in
Louis XVI Style Bunk Beds/Matching Pair of Single Beds Made by La Maison London
By La Maison London
Located in London, Park Royal
Louis XVI style bunk beds, exclusive to La Maison London: Hand carved featuring a band of intricate laurel leaves along the side bars and hand finished to order (picture shows a pale...
Wood
19th C. Regency Metamorphic Library Steps
Located in Los Angeles, CA
A beautifully hand crafted Olive leather tufted Bench with a Mahogany frame. The Top tilts up revealing a set of 5 Library Stairs. The stairs lock into place and a lower pull out s...
Brass
English Regency Style Canopy Library Arm Chair
Located in Queens, NY
English Regency-style (19th Century) hooded mahogany library arm chair with adjustable chaise attachment and leather cushion.
Leather, Mahogany
Regency Mahogany Metamorphic Armchair
Located in Essex, MA
With horizontal tablet crestrail with scrolled ends over down scrolled arms raised on saber legs, chair folds forward to form a ladder.
Other
$14,400
H 44 in W 26.5 in D 32 in
English Victorian Period Mahogany Metamorphic Library Armchair w/ Footrest, 1865
Located in Atlanta, GA
In amazing condition with no tears or punctures to the original leather, the leather tufted and trimmed in brass nailheads, the chair with detailed carving, two buttons on the tops o...
Leather, Mahogany
$7,275
H 32.75 in W 41 in D 21.5 in
English 19th Century Metamorphic Table with Lift Top, Drawers and Shelves
Located in Atlanta, GA
An English metamorphic table on casters from the 19th century with flip top, two drawers, cross banding, two shelves and brass hardware. Created in England during the 19th century, t...
Brass
$9,681
H 25.99 in W 23.82 in D 13.98 in
Petite Antique French Gothic Revival Wood Hall Bench Child Settle Library Steps
Located in Ijzendijke, NL
Rare antique wood hand carved gothic revival child settle / small hall bench / foldable Library Ladder, Metamorphic Library steps, 1880s This unique petite antique Gothic revival ...
Fabric, Wood
Metamorphic Chair Regency Shield Back Library Ladder
Located in Potters Bar, GB
Absolutely unique Regency style shield back arm chair library step combo - a metamorphic chair Wow - have you seen any thing like this? Great space saving piece with double purpose P...
Wood
$18,159
H 36.03 in W 24.22 in D 25.79 in
Antique 1810 Attributed to Gillows Metamorphic Leather Library Armchair Steps
By Gillows of Lancaster & London
Located in West Sussex, Pulborough
We are delighted to offer for sale this large and collectable fully restored Regency circa 1810-1820 metamorphic armchair which converts into Library steps attributed to Gillows of L...
Leather, Hardwood
19th Century Metamorphic Library Table/Ladder
Located in East Hampton, NY
Metamorphic library table......measurements of unfolded library: 83" in height, 59" in width, 18.75" in depth
Oak
English Regency Metamorphic Book Case -Desk
Located in Hudson, NY
This finely made English regency period metamorphic bookcase-desk is also of an interesting and useful small scale. The mahogany construction is done in a clean simple straight-grain...
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.
Of all the vintage storage cabinets and antique case pieces that have become popular in modern interiors over the years, dressers, credenzas and cabinets have long been home staples, perfect for routine storage or protection of personal items.
In the mid-19th century, cabinetmakers would mimic styles originating in the Louis XIV, Louis XV and Louis XVI eras for their dressers, bookshelves and other structures, and, later, simpler, streamlined wood designs allowed these “case pieces” or “case goods” — any furnishing that is unupholstered and has some semblance of a storage component — to blend into the background of any interior.
Mid-century modern furniture enthusiasts will cite the tall modular wall units crafted in teak and other sought-after woods of the era by the likes of George Nelson, Poul Cadovius and Finn Juhl. For these highly customizable furnishings, designers of the day delivered an alternative to big, heavy bookcases by considering the use of space — and, in particular, walls — in new and innovative ways. Mid-century modern credenzas, which, long and low, evolved from tables that were built as early as the 14th century in Italy, typically have no legs or very short legs and have grown in popularity as an alluring storage option over time.
Although the name immediately invokes images of clothing, dressers were initially created in Europe for a much different purpose. This furnishing was initially a flat-surfaced, low-profile side table equipped with a few drawers — a common fixture used to dress and prepare meats in English kitchens throughout the Tudor period. The drawers served as perfect utensil storage. It wasn’t until the design made its way to North America that it became enlarged and equipped with enough space to hold clothing and cosmetics. The very history of case pieces is a testament to their versatility and well-earned place in any room.
In the spirit of positioning your case goods center stage, decluttering can now be design-minded.
A contemporary case piece with open shelving and painted wood details can prove functional as a storage unit as easily as it can a room divider. Alternatively, apothecary cabinets are charming case goods similar in size to early dressers or commodes but with uniquely sized shelving and (often numerous) drawers.
Whether you’re seeking a playful sideboard that features colored glass and metal details, an antique Italian hand-carved storage cabinet or a glass-door vitrine to store and show off your collectibles, there are options for you on 1stDibs.