Italian Midcentury
Vintage 1960s Italian Mid-Century Modern Commodes and Chests of Drawers
Brass
Vintage 1950s Italian Mid-Century Modern Sideboards
Ceramic, Mahogany
20th Century Italian Mid-Century Modern Planters and Jardinieres
Alabaster
Vintage 1960s Italian Mid-Century Modern Desks and Writing Tables
Wood
Vintage 1960s Italian Paintings
Fruitwood
Vintage 1950s Italian Mid-Century Modern Sideboards
Sycamore
Vintage 1960s Italian Mid-Century Modern Side Tables
Marble, Brass
Vintage 1950s Italian Mid-Century Modern Armchairs
Fabric, Wood
Vintage 1960s Dressers
Brass
20th Century Italian Chandeliers and Pendants
Brass
Vintage 1940s Italian Mid-Century Modern Coffee and Cocktail Tables
Glass, Wood
20th Century Italian Mid-Century Modern Chandeliers and Pendants
Glass
Mid-20th Century Italian Floor Lamps
Metal
Vintage 1950s Italian Modern Sideboards
Rosewood, Glass
Vintage 1950s Mid-Century Modern Wall Mirrors
Brass
Mid-20th Century European Mid-Century Modern Dining Room Chairs
Walnut
Vintage 1950s Italian Mid-Century Modern Night Stands
Brass
Vintage 1970s Italian Mid-Century Modern Chandeliers and Pendants
Aluminum, Chrome
20th Century Coffee and Cocktail Tables
Wood
Vintage 1950s Italian Mid-Century Modern Lounge Chairs
Fabric
Vintage 1950s Italian Mid-Century Modern Nesting Tables and Stacking Tables
Wood
Vintage 1960s Italian Wall Lights and Sconces
Brass
20th Century Italian Mid-Century Modern Scientific Instruments
Iron, Wrought Iron
Vintage 1960s Side Tables
Brass
Vintage 1960s Armchairs
Steel
Vintage 1960s Italian Mid-Century Modern Patio and Garden Furniture
Metal, Brass
Vintage 1960s Mid-Century Modern Wall Lights and Sconces
Vintage 1960s Mid-Century Modern Wall Lights and Sconces
Vintage 1970s Italian Mid-Century Modern Stools
Brass, Steel
Vintage 1960s Side Tables
Brass
Vintage 1960s Side Chairs
Fabric
Vintage 1960s Armchairs
Velvet, Wood
Vintage 1950s Italian Mid-Century Modern Chandeliers and Pendants
Brass
Vintage 1950s Italian Mid-Century Modern Wall Lights and Sconces
Metal, Brass
Mid-20th Century Italian Modern Dressers
Brass
Mid-20th Century Italian Mid-Century Modern Chandeliers and Pendants
Glass
Vintage 1920s Italian Art Deco Armchairs
Leather, Hardwood
Vintage 1960s Italian Mid-Century Modern Wall Mirrors
Enamel
Mid-20th Century Italian Mid-Century Modern Vases
Ceramic
Vintage 1940s Italian Mid-Century Modern Coat Racks and Stands
Metal, Chrome
Vintage 1950s Italian Mid-Century Modern Coffee and Cocktail Tables
Metal, Brass
Vintage 1940s Italian Wall Mirrors
Brass
Mid-20th Century Italian Stools
Upholstery, Wood
Vintage 1950s Italian Mid-Century Modern Chandeliers and Pendants
Brass
Early 20th Century Italian Chandeliers and Pendants
Brass
Vintage 1970s Italian Mid-Century Modern Settees
Brass
Vintage 1950s Italian Coffee and Cocktail Tables
Rosewood
20th Century Italian Mid-Century Modern Cabinets
Metal, Bronze
20th Century Italian Mid-Century Modern Side Tables
Wood
20th Century Italian Mid-Century Modern Coffee and Cocktail Tables
Wood
20th Century Italian Mid-Century Modern Table Lamps
Brass
Vintage 1970s Mid-Century Modern Night Stands
Vintage 1950s Italian Mid-Century Modern Coffee and Cocktail Tables
Nutwood
20th Century Italian Wall Lights and Sconces
Metal
20th Century Italian Mid-Century Modern Cabinets
Wood, Walnut
Vintage 1950s Italian Mid-Century Modern Table Lamps
Aluminum, Brass
Vintage 1960s Italian Mid-Century Modern Table Lamps
Porcelain
Vintage 1950s Italian Mid-Century Modern Night Stands
Beech
Vintage 1960s Italian Mid-Century Modern Lounge Chairs
Fabric
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Italian Midcentury For Sale on 1stDibs
How Much is an Italian Midcentury?
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.
Read More
Cara Greenberg Wrote the Book on Mid-Century Modern Furniture. Here Are Her Auction Finds
The author and design expert was among the first to define the style and coined its alliterative name. She shares her favorite pieces on 1stDibs Auctions — including some steals.
Jochum Rodgers Has Long Brought the Best of 20th-Century Design to Berlin and Beyond
Opened by Hans-Peter Jochum some 40 years ago, the pioneering gallery specializes in mid-century gems but also spotlights contemporary pieces by European artists and makers.
A Guide to Herman Miller’s Most Iconic Furniture
The prolific manufacturer has partnered with many of the world’s top designers since opening its doors in 1923. Here are some of the company’s greatest hits, which helped transform the American home and office.
The 16 Most Popular Mid-Century Modern Chairs
You know the designs, now get the stories about to how they came to be.
Mies van der Rohe’s Barcelona Chair Shook Modernism and Charmed Hollywood
The enduring appeal of the Barcelona chair is in the details.
Smilow Design Makes Marvels of the Mid-Century New Again
Now guided by the third generation to lead it, the family-run furniture company creates eternally stylish pieces that last lifetimes.
Eileen Gray’s Deco Designs Launched Modernism. That Was Just the Beginning
Decades after her death, appreciation for the legendary designer and architect's work continues to flourish.
Harvey Probber Was the Godfather of Modern Modular Seating
The forward-thinking designer is finally getting his due.