Huge Ashtray
Mid-20th Century Post-Modern Ashtrays
Marble
Mid-20th Century Danish Mid-Century Modern Ashtrays
Ceramic
Mid-20th Century Italian Mid-Century Modern Decorative Bowls
Blown Glass, Murano Glass
Late 20th Century Italian Mid-Century Modern Glass
Murano Glass, Blown Glass
Mid-20th Century Italian Mid-Century Modern Decorative Bowls
Glass, Art Glass, Blown Glass, Murano Glass, Sommerso
Mid-20th Century Italian Mid-Century Modern Decorative Bowls
Glass, Art Glass, Blown Glass, Murano Glass, Sommerso
Mid-20th Century Italian Mid-Century Modern Decorative Bowls
Glass, Sommerso, Murano Glass, Blown Glass, Art Glass
Late 20th Century Italian Mid-Century Modern Glass
Blown Glass, Murano Glass
Mid-20th Century Italian Planters, Cachepots and Jardinières
Ceramic
Vintage 1960s Italian Mid-Century Modern Vases
Murano Glass
20th Century Italian Mid-Century Modern Decorative Bowls
Glass, Art Glass, Blown Glass, Murano Glass, Sommerso, Opaline Glass
20th Century Italian Mid-Century Modern Decorative Bowls
Glass, Opaline Glass, Sommerso, Murano Glass, Blown Glass, Art Glass
Mid-20th Century Italian Mid-Century Modern Centerpieces
Glass, Art Glass, Blown Glass, Murano Glass, Sommerso, Opaline Glass
20th Century Italian Mid-Century Modern Decorative Bowls
Art Glass, Blown Glass, Murano Glass, Sommerso, Glass
Vintage 1970s German Mid-Century Modern Vases
Ceramic
Vintage 1970s Spanish Mid-Century Modern Table Lamps
Lucite
Vintage 1930s German Mid-Century Modern Tea Sets
Pottery
People Also Browsed
Vintage 1950s French Sculptures
2010s Italian Ashtrays
Marble, Brass
Vintage 1980s American Brutalist Dining Room Sets
Fabric, Wood
Mid-20th Century Italian Mid-Century Modern Ashtrays
Porcelain
1960s Modern Still-life Prints
Lithograph
20th Century Expressionist Figurative Sculptures
Ceramic, Paint, Glaze
Mid-20th Century Japanese Mid-Century Modern Ashtrays
Porcelain
Antique Late 19th Century French Renaissance Revival Urns
Marble, Bronze
Vintage 1960s American Swivel Chairs
Metal, Bronze
20th Century Mid-Century Modern Ashtrays
Stone, Marble, Brass
Vintage 1970s American Mid-Century Modern Coffee and Cocktail Tables
Slate, Copper
Vintage 1970s American Brutalist Cabinets
Slate
21st Century and Contemporary American Brutalist Coffee and Cocktail Tables
Metal
2010s Contemporary Figurative Sculptures
Metal, Bronze
20th Century American Brutalist Coffee and Cocktail Tables
Metal, Bronze
Late 20th Century American Brutalist Side Tables
Metal, Brass
Recent Sales
Mid-20th Century Italian Mid-Century Modern Decorative Bowls
Murano Glass
Late 20th Century Pakistani Ashtrays
Marble
Vintage 1960s Mexican Primitive Ashtrays
Marble
Late 20th Century Mid-Century Modern Ashtrays
Marble
Vintage 1950s Italian Mid-Century Modern Ashtrays
Marble
Vintage 1950s American Mid-Century Modern Ashtrays
Gold
Mid-20th Century Italian Mid-Century Modern Ashtrays
Murano Glass
20th Century Mid-Century Modern Ashtrays
Glass
Vintage 1970s Italian Mid-Century Modern Ashtrays
Travertine, Marble, Metal, Brass
Mid-20th Century Danish Mid-Century Modern Ashtrays
Ceramic
Antique Early 19th Century Austrian Art Deco More Furniture and Collecti...
Bronze
20th Century Congolese Rococo Revival Decorative Dishes and Vide-Poche
Malachite
Vintage 1960s Danish Mid-Century Modern Vases
Glass
Vintage 1960s Danish Mid-Century Modern Vases
Glass
Vintage 1960s Danish Mid-Century Modern Glass
Glass
Vintage 1960s Danish Vases
Glass
Vintage 1960s Danish Mid-Century Modern Vases
Glass
Vintage 1960s German Mid-Century Modern Vases
Ceramic
Vintage 1960s Italian Mid-Century Modern Ashtrays
Marble
Vintage 1960s Italian Mid-Century Modern Ashtrays
Marble
Vintage 1950s Austrian Mid-Century Modern Ashtrays
Brass
Mid-20th Century Italian Mid-Century Modern Ashtrays
Marble
Vintage 1950s Danish Scandinavian Modern Ashtrays
Brass
20th Century Italian Mid-Century Modern Ashtrays
Murrine, Art Glass, Blown Glass, Murano Glass, Glass
Mid-20th Century Italian Mid-Century Modern Ashtrays
Crystal
20th Century Mexican Mid-Century Modern Tobacco Accessories
Stainless Steel
20th Century Congolese Rococo Revival Decorative Dishes and Vide-Poche
Malachite
Mid-20th Century Italian Mid-Century Modern Decorative Bowls
Cut Glass, Murano Glass, Sommerso, Art Glass
Vintage 1940s Italian Mid-Century Modern Decorative Bowls
Gold Leaf
Vintage 1950s Italian Mid-Century Modern Decorative Bowls
Art Glass, Cut Glass, Murano Glass, Sommerso, Glass
Vintage 1960s Italian Mid-Century Modern Glass
Art Glass, Blown Glass, Murano Glass, Sommerso
20th Century Italian Mid-Century Modern Decorative Bowls
Glass, Art Glass, Blown Glass, Murano Glass, Sommerso, Opaline Glass
Vintage 1960s Italian Mid-Century Modern Decorative Bowls
Glass, Art Glass, Blown Glass, Murano Glass
Vintage 1950s Italian Mid-Century Modern Decorative Bowls
Silver Leaf
Vintage 1950s Italian Mid-Century Modern Decorative Bowls
Glass, Art Glass, Cut Glass, Murano Glass, Sommerso
20th Century Italian Mid-Century Modern Decorative Bowls
Glass, Art Glass, Blown Glass, Murano Glass, Sommerso, Opaline Glass
Unknown Ashtrays
Glass
Vintage 1960s American Mid-Century Modern Ashtrays
Glass
Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Dinner Plates
Ceramic, Pottery
Huge Ashtray For Sale on 1stDibs
How Much is a Huge Ashtray?
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.
Finding the Right dining-entertaining for You
Your dining room table is a place where stories are shared and personalities shine — why not treat yourself and your guests to the finest antique and vintage glass, silver, ceramics and serveware for your meals?
Just like the people who sit around your table, your serveware has its own stories and will help you create new memories with your friends and loved ones. From ceramic pottery to glass vases, set your table with serving pieces that add even more personality, color and texture to your dining experience.
Invite serveware from around the world to join your table settings. For special occasions, dress up your plates with a striking Imari charger from 19th-century Japan or incorporate Richard Ginori’s Italian porcelain plates into your dining experience. Celebrate the English ritual of afternoon tea with a Japanese tea set and an antique Victorian kettle. No matter how big or small your dining area is, there is room for the stories of many cultures and varied histories, and there are plenty of ways to add pizzazz to your meals.
Add different textures and colors to your table with dinner plates and pitchers of ceramic and silver or a porcelain lidded tureen, a serving dish with side handles that is often used for soups. Although porcelain and ceramic are both made in a kiln, porcelain is made with more refined clay and is more durable than ceramic because it is denser. The latter is ideal for statement pieces — your tall mid-century modern ceramic vase is a guaranteed conversation starter. And while your earthenware or stoneware is maybe better suited to everyday lunches as opposed to the fine bone china you’ve reserved for a holiday meal, handcrafted studio pottery coffee mugs can still be a rich expression of your personal style.
“My motto is ‘Have fun with it,’” says author and celebrated hostess Stephanie Booth Shafran. “It’s yin and yang, high and low, Crate & Barrel with Christofle silver. I like to mix it up — sometimes in the dining room, sometimes on the kitchen banquette, sometimes in the loggia. It transports your guests and makes them feel more comfortable and relaxed.”
Introduce elegance at supper with silver, such as a platter from celebrated Massachusetts silversmith manufacturer Reed and Barton or a regal copper-finish flatware set designed by International Silver Company, another New England company that was incorporated in Meriden, Connecticut, in 1898. By then, Meriden had already earned the nickname “Silver City” for its position as a major hub of silver manufacturing.
At the bar, try a vintage wine cooler to keep bottles cool before serving or an Art Deco decanter and whiskey set for after-dinner drinks — there are many possibilities and no wrong answers for tableware, barware and serveware. Explore an expansive collection of antique and vintage glass, ceramics, silver and serveware today on 1stDibs.
Read More
How Noguchi Elevated Ashtrays to Objets d’Art
Smoking might have fallen out of fashion, but these ashtrays have enduring design appeal.
Tapio Wirkkala Bucked the Trends of Mid-Century Nordic Design
The Finnish talent created nature-inspired pieces, from furniture to jewelry, with phenomenal staying power.