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Cab 413 Chair by Mario Bellini for Cassina, 1990s
By Cassina, Mario Bellini
Located in Renens, CH
Cab 413 arm chair in black leather by Mario Bellini for Cassina: The Cab chair is built up as a
Category

1990s Italian Mid-Century Modern Armchairs

Materials

Metal

Mario Bellini "CAB 413" Dining Chairs for Cassina, 1977
By Cassina, Mario Bellini
Located in Lonigo, Veneto
Mario Bellini "CAB 413" dining chairs for Cassina, dark brown Tobacco leather, Italy, 1977. The
Category

Vintage 1970s Italian Mid-Century Modern Chairs

Materials

Steel

Mario Bellini for Cassina 'CAB 413' Dining Chair in Leather
By Mario Bellini, Cassina
Located in Waalwijk, NL
Mario Bellini for Cassina, armchair model 'CAB 413', leather, Italy, design 1979 The iconic ‘CAB
Category

Vintage 1970s Italian Post-Modern Dining Room Chairs

Materials

Leather

Mario Bellini 413 "CAB" Chair for Cassina in Hazelnut Leather
By Cassina, Mario Bellini
Located in Dallas, TX
Mario Bellini for Cassina model 'CAB 413', leather, Italy, designed in 1979 The iconic ‘CAB
Category

20th Century Italian Modern Dining Room Chairs

Materials

Leather, Plastic

Mario Bellini for Cassina 'CAB 413' Dining Chairs in Leather
By Cassina, Mario Bellini
Located in Waalwijk, NL
Mario Bellini for Cassina, armchairs model 'CAB 413', leather, Italy, 1979 The iconic ‘CAB’ chairs
Category

Vintage 1970s Italian Post-Modern Dining Room Chairs

Materials

Leather

Mario Bellini for Cassina 'CAB 413' Dining Chairs in Leather
By Mario Bellini, Cassina
Located in Waalwijk, NL
Mario Bellini for Cassina, armchairs model 'CAB 413', leather, Italy, 1979 The iconic ‘CAB’ chairs
Category

Vintage 1970s Italian Post-Modern Dining Room Chairs

Materials

Leather

Mario Bellini for Cassina 'CAB 413' Dining Chairs in Leather
By Cassina, Mario Bellini
Located in Waalwijk, NL
Mario Bellini for Cassina, armchairs model 'CAB 413', leather, Italy, design 1979 The iconic ‘CAB
Category

Vintage 1970s Italian Post-Modern Dining Room Chairs

Materials

Leather

Mario Bellini for Cassina 'CAB 413' Dining Chairs in Leather
By Mario Bellini, Cassina
Located in Waalwijk, NL
Mario Bellini for Cassina, armchairs, model 'CAB 413', leather, Italy, designed in 1979 The iconic
Category

Vintage 1970s Italian Post-Modern Dining Room Chairs

Materials

Leather

Mario Bellini 413 "CAB" Chairs for Cassina, 1977, Set of 2
By Cassina, Mario Bellini
Located in Argelato, BO
Mario Bellini 413 "CAB" Chairs for Cassina, 1977. Italy A true icon of Made in Italy, Cab is the
Category

Vintage 1970s Italian Mid-Century Modern Armchairs

Materials

Metal

Mario Bellini 413 "CAB" Chairs for Cassina, 1977, Set of 12
By Cassina, Mario Bellini
Located in Lonigo, Veneto
Mario Bellini "CAB 413" dining chairs for Cassina, dark brown Tobacco leather, Italy, 1977, set of
Category

Vintage 1970s Italian Mid-Century Modern Chairs

Materials

Steel

Mario Bellini 413 "CAB" Chairs for Cassina, 1977, Set of 14
By Cassina, Mario Bellini
Located in Lonigo, Veneto
Mario Bellini "CAB 413" dining chairs for Cassina, dark brown Tobacco leather, Italy, 1977, set of
Category

Vintage 1970s Italian Mid-Century Modern Chairs

Materials

Steel

Mario Bellini 413 "CAB" Chairs for Cassina, 1977, Set of 12
By Cassina, Mario Bellini
Located in Lonigo, Veneto
Mario Bellini 413 "CAB" chairs for Cassina, hazelnut leather, Italy, 1977, set of twelve. High
Category

Vintage 1970s Italian Mid-Century Modern Chairs

Materials

Metal

Set of 6 Cab 413 Armchairs by Mario Bellini for Cassina
By Mario Bellini, Cassina
Located in Surrey, BC
. The Cassina CAB 412 chair is one of the most important projects designed by Mario Bellini. Designed in
Category

Late 20th Century Mid-Century Modern Dining Room Chairs

Materials

Leather

Mario Bellini Cab 413 cowhide leather armchair for Cassina, Italy - new
By Mario Bellini, Cassina
Located in Berlin, DE
relationship between the human skeleton and the skin. Comfortable and welcoming, it embodies Cassina’s superior
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Italian Mid-Century Modern Armchairs

Materials

Cowhide, Leather

Mario Bellini "CAB 413" Dining Chairs for Cassina, 1977, Set of 14
By Cassina, Mario Bellini
Located in Lonigo, Veneto
Mario Bellini "CAB 413" dining chairs for Cassina, black leather, Italy, 1977, set of fourteen
Category

Vintage 1970s Italian Mid-Century Modern Chairs

Materials

Steel

Mario Bellini "CAB 413" Dining Chairs for Cassina, 1977, Set of 12
By Mario Bellini, Cassina
Located in Lonigo, Veneto
Mario Bellini "CAB 413" dining chairs for Cassina, black leather, Italy, 1977, set of twelve. The
Category

Vintage 1970s Italian Mid-Century Modern Chairs

Materials

Steel

Mario Bellini "CAB 413" Dining Chairs for Cassina, 1977, Set of 10
By Cassina, Mario Bellini
Located in Lonigo, Veneto
Mario Bellini "CAB 413" dining chairs for Cassina, black leather, Italy, 1977, set of ten. The
Category

Vintage 1970s Italian Mid-Century Modern Chairs

Materials

Steel

Mario Bellini "CAB 413" Dining Chairs for Cassina, 1977, Set of 16
By Mario Bellini, Cassina
Located in Lonigo, Veneto
Mario Bellini "CAB 413" dining chairs for Cassina, black leather, Italy, 1977, set of sixteen. The
Category

Vintage 1970s Italian Mid-Century Modern Chairs

Materials

Steel

Mario Bellini "CAB 413" Dining Chairs for Cassina, 1977, Set of 8
By Mario Bellini, Cassina
Located in Lonigo, Veneto
Mario Bellini "CAB 413" dining chairs for Cassina, black leather, Italy, 1977, set of eight. The
Category

Vintage 1970s Italian Mid-Century Modern Chairs

Materials

Steel

Mario Bellini "CAB 413" Dining Chairs for Cassina, 1977, Set of 14
By Mario Bellini, Cassina
Located in Lonigo, Veneto
Mario Bellini "CAB 413" dining chairs for Cassina, mustard yellow leather, Italy, 1977, set of
Category

Vintage 1970s Italian Mid-Century Modern Chairs

Materials

Steel

Mario Bellini "CAB 413" Dining Chairs for Cassina, 1977, Set of 10
By Mario Bellini, Cassina
Located in Lonigo, Veneto
Mario Bellini "CAB 413" dining chairs for Cassina, mustard yellow leather, Italy, 1977, set of ten
Category

Vintage 1970s Italian Mid-Century Modern Chairs

Materials

Steel

Mario Bellini "CAB 413" Dining Chairs for Cassina, 1977, Set of 16
By Mario Bellini, Cassina
Located in Lonigo, Veneto
Mario Bellini "CAB 413" dining chairs for Cassina, mustard yellow leather, Italy, 1977, set of
Category

Vintage 1970s Italian Mid-Century Modern Chairs

Materials

Metal

Mario Bellini "CAB 413" Dining Chairs for Cassina, 1977, Set of 12
By Mario Bellini, Cassina
Located in Lonigo, Veneto
Mario Bellini "CAB 413" dining chairs for Cassina, mustard yellow leather, Italy, 1977, set of
Category

Vintage 1970s Italian Mid-Century Modern Chairs

Materials

Steel

Mario Bellini "CAB 413" Dining Chairs for Cassina, 1977, Set of 4
By Mario Bellini, Cassina
Located in Lonigo, Veneto
Mario Bellini "CAB 413" dining chairs for Cassina, dark brown Tobacco leather, Italy, 1977, set of
Category

Vintage 1970s Italian Mid-Century Modern Chairs

Materials

Steel

Mario Bellini "CAB 413" Dining Chairs for Cassina, 1977, Set of 8
By Mario Bellini, Cassina
Located in Lonigo, Veneto
Mario Bellini "CAB 413" dining chairs for Cassina, dark brown Tobacco leather, Italy, 1977, set of
Category

Vintage 1970s Italian Mid-Century Modern Chairs

Materials

Steel

Mario Bellini "CAB 413" Dining Chairs for Cassina, 1977, Set of 2
By Mario Bellini, Cassina
Located in Lonigo, Veneto
Mario Bellini "CAB 413" dining chairs for Cassina, dark brown Tobacco leather, Italy, 1977, set of
Category

Vintage 1970s Italian Mid-Century Modern Chairs

Materials

Steel

Mario Bellini "CAB 413" Dining Chairs for Cassina, 1977, Set of 6
By Mario Bellini, Cassina
Located in Lonigo, Veneto
Mario Bellini "CAB 413" dining chairs for Cassina, dark brown Tobacco leather, Italy, 1977, set of
Category

Vintage 1970s Italian Mid-Century Modern Chairs

Materials

Steel

Mario Bellini "CAB 413" Dining Chairs for Cassina, 1977, Set of 10
By Mario Bellini, Cassina
Located in Lonigo, Veneto
Mario Bellini "CAB 413" dining chairs for Cassina, dark brown Tobacco leather, Italy, 1977, set of
Category

Vintage 1970s Italian Mid-Century Modern Chairs

Materials

Steel

Mario Bellini "CAB 413" Dining Chairs for Cassina, 1977, Set of 16
By Cassina, Mario Bellini
Located in Lonigo, Veneto
Mario Bellini "CAB" 413 dining chairs for Cassina, dark brown Tobacco leather, Italy, 1977, set of
Category

Vintage 1970s Italian Mid-Century Modern Chairs

Materials

Metal

Mario Bellini "CAB" 413 Dining Chairs for Cassina, 1977, Set of 6
By Mario Bellini, Cassina
Located in Lonigo, Veneto
Mario Bellini "CAB" 413 dining chairs for Cassina, hazelnut leather, Italy, 1977, set of six. The
Category

Vintage 1970s Italian Mid-Century Modern Chairs

Materials

Metal

Mario Bellini "CAB" 413 Dining Chairs for Cassina, 1977, Set of 14
By Cassina, Mario Bellini
Located in Lonigo, Veneto
Mario Bellini "CAB" 413 dining chairs for Cassina, hazelnut leather, Italy, 1977, set of fourteen
Category

Vintage 1970s Italian Mid-Century Modern Chairs

Materials

Metal

Mario Bellini "CAB" 413 Dining Chairs for Cassina, 1977, Set of 6
By Cassina, Mario Bellini
Located in Lonigo, Veneto
Mario Bellini "CAB" 413 dining chairs for Cassina, black leather, Italy, 1977, set of six. The
Category

Vintage 1970s Italian Mid-Century Modern Chairs

Materials

Steel

Set of two black leather Cab 413 Chairs by Mario Bellini for Cassina
By Cassina, Mario Bellini
Located in amstelveen, NL
Set of 2 Cassina "Cab" 413 dining room chairs in black saddle leather. Designed by Mario Bellini
Category

Vintage 1980s Italian Mid-Century Modern Side Chairs

Materials

Leather

10 Mario Bellini CAB 413 Armchairs in Black Leather for Cassina, 1980s Italy
By Cassina, Mario Bellini
Located in Grand Cayman, KY
Set of 10 Mario Bellini CAB 413 chairs, made by Cassina. Flexible steel frame covered with a skin
Category

Mid-20th Century Italian Mid-Century Modern Dining Room Chairs

Materials

Leather

Eight Mario Bellini Cab 413 Armchairs
By Cassina, Mario Bellini
Located in Houston, TX
Eight Mario Bellini Cab 413 armchairs in rosso cina finish, fabricated by Cassina in the 1980s
Category

Vintage 1980s Italian Mid-Century Modern Armchairs

Materials

Steel

Eight Mario Bellini Cab 413 Armchairs
Eight Mario Bellini Cab 413 Armchairs
H 32.75 in W 23.75 in D 20.5 in
Mario Bellini Cassina Cab 413 Burgundy Red Leather Dining Chairs, 1980
By Mario Bellini, Cassina
Located in Vienna, AT
Mario Bellini Cassina Cab 413 Burgundy Red Leather Dining Chairs, 1980 for Cassina- Two chairs
Category

Vintage 1980s Italian Post-Modern Dining Room Chairs

Materials

Steel

Mario Bellini 413 "CAB" Chairs for Cassina in Black Leather, Set of 8
By Cassina, Mario Bellini
Located in Dallas, TX
These chairs are gently used and show very well. Leather is in great condition. Swet of eight in black leather.
Category

20th Century Italian Modern Dining Room Chairs

Materials

Leather

6 Mario Bellini 401 Break Dining Chairs in Tan Leather for Cassina
By Cassina, Mario Bellini
Located in Grand Cayman, KY
Rare set of 6 elegant tan leather 401 Break dining chairs by Mario Bellini for Cassina in marvelous
Category

Vintage 1980s Italian Mid-Century Modern Dining Room Chairs

Materials

Leather

Italian Design Classics, Cab Chairs by Mario Bellini for Cassina, Set of 6
By Mario Bellini, Cassina
Located in Renens, CH
Set of two Cab 413 armchairs and four Cab 412 side chairs in red leather by Mario Bellini for
Category

1990s Italian Mid-Century Modern Side Chairs

Materials

Metal

Set of Six Vintage Mario Bellini for Cassina CAB Chairs in Oxblood Leather
By Cassina, Mario Bellini
Located in Brooklyn, NY
designed by Mario Bellini for Cassina (ca. 1978, Italy). Bellini was known for constructing seating with
Category

Vintage 1970s Italian Mid-Century Modern Dining Room Chairs

Materials

Metal, Steel

Set Of Six 'CAB' Chairs In Burgundy Leather By Mario Bellini For Cassina, Italy
By Mario Bellini, Cassina
Located in Hellouw, NL
architect and designer Mario Bellini. Its design communicates an exercise in simplicity, craftsmanship, and
Category

Vintage 1970s Italian Mid-Century Modern Dining Room Chairs

Materials

Leather

El Dom table + 6 Cab 413 chairs - Hannes Wettstein/Mario Bellini - CASSINA Italy
By Cassina
Located in Buggenhout, Oost-Vlaanderen
designed by Hannes Wettstein for Cassina. Mario Bellini designed the Cab 413 dining chairs. Cassina El Dom
Category

Mid-20th Century Mid-Century Modern Living Room Sets

Materials

Leather

1970s Black Saddle Leather Armchairs by Giancarlo Vegni for Fasem, Italy
By Cassina, Mario Bellini, Fasem International, Giancarlo Vegni
Located in Grand Cayman, KY
metal frame, for Fasem, Italy, 1970s. A contemporary of Mario Bellini's CAB 413 armchairs for Cassina
Category

Vintage 1970s Italian Mid-Century Modern Chairs

Materials

Leather

Vintage Italian leather Korium armchairs by Tito Agnoli for Matteo Grassi
By Tito Agnoli, Matteo Grassi
Located in Highclere, Newbury
1978. The design bears a close resemblance to the Mario Bellini Cab 413 chair which was released by
Category

Vintage 1970s Italian Mid-Century Modern Dining Room Chairs

Materials

Steel

Set of 4 Cab 413 Armchairs by Mario Bellini for Cassina
By Mario Bellini, Cassina
Located in Ghent, BE
Set of four Cab 413 armchairs in burgundy leather by Mario Bellini for Cassina. These chairs are
Category

Vintage 1970s Italian Mid-Century Modern Armchairs

Materials

Metal

Cab 413 Armchairs, Mario Bellini for Cassina
By Mario Bellini
Located in Las Vegas, NV
Pair of 413 Cab chairs by Mario Bellini for Cassina. Made of 22 pieces of cowhide sewn into a
Category

Late 20th Century Italian Modern Armchairs

Materials

Leather

Rare Grey CAB 413 Chair by Mario Bellini for Cassina
By Cassina, Mario Bellini
Located in Danville, CA
Model 413 CAB Armchair in Grey leather.
Category

Late 20th Century Italian Modern Dining Room Chairs

Materials

Steel

Cab 413 armchairs in black leather by Mario Bellini for Cassina
By Cassina, Mario Bellini
Located in Langemark-Poelkapelle, BE
Set of four iconic Cab 413 armchairs in original black leather. Designed by Mario Bellini for
Category

Late 20th Century Italian Mid-Century Modern Dining Room Chairs

Materials

Leather

Cab 413 Armchairs by Mario Bellini for Cassina, Set of 6
By Mario Bellini, Cassina
Located in Renens, CH
Set of six Cab 413 armchairs in burgundy leather by Mario Bellini for Cassina. These chairs are
Category

Vintage 1980s Italian Mid-Century Modern Armchairs

Materials

Metal

413 Cab Chairs by Mario Bellini for Cassina, Set of 6
By Mario Bellini, Cassina
Located in Izegem, VWV
fits over our skeleton. Bellini's innovation lay in using zips to fasten the leather cover to its frame
Category

Mid-20th Century Italian Mid-Century Modern Dining Room Chairs

Materials

Steel

Set of Eight Ivory 413 Cab Armchairs by Mario Bellini for Cassina
By Mario Bellini, Cassina
Located in Danville, CA
Mint and rarely seen set of eight 413 Cab armchairs in ivory leather by Mario Bellini for Cassina
Category

Vintage 1970s Italian Modern Dining Room Chairs

Materials

Steel

Mario Bellini 413 "CAB" Chairs for Cassina in Hazelnut Leather, 5 available
By Cassina, Mario Bellini
Located in Dallas, TX
Mario Bellini for Cassina, five armchairs, model 'CAB 413', leather, Italy, designed in 1979 The
Category

20th Century Italian Modern Dining Room Chairs

Materials

Leather, Plastic

Italian modern black leather chairs CAB 413 by Mario Bellini for Cassina, 1980s
By Mario Bellini, Cassina
Located in MIlano, IT
Italian modern black leather chairs CAB 413 by Mario Bellini for Cassina, 1980s Set of six chairs
Category

Vintage 1980s Italian Modern Chairs

Materials

Metal

Set of 5 “413” Cab Chairs by Mario Bellini for Cassina, Italy, 1977
By Mario Bellini, Cassina
Located in Antwerp, BE
Set of five “413” CAB chairs designed by Mario Bellini and manufactured by Cassina, Italy 1977
Category

Vintage 1970s Italian Mid-Century Modern Dining Room Chairs

Materials

Leather

8 Mario Bellini CAB 413 Armchairs in Russian Red (Cognac) Leather for Cassina
By Cassina, Mario Bellini
Located in Grand Cayman, KY
PHOTOS TBU! Set of 8 Mario Bellini CAB 413 chairs, made by Cassina in the 1990s. Flexible steel
Category

Mid-20th Century Italian Mid-Century Modern Dining Room Chairs

Materials

Leather

Italian modern red leather CAB 413 armchairs by Mario Bellini for Cassina, 1977
By Mario Bellini, Cassina
Located in MIlano, IT
Italian modern red leather CAB 413 armchairs by Mario Bellini for Cassina, 1977 Set of six
Category

Vintage 1970s Italian Modern Armchairs

Materials

Leather

Mario Bellini "Cab-413" Set of 10 Leather Armchairs for Cassina, 1980s, Italy
By Cassina, Mario Bellini
Located in The Hague, NL
Set of 10 armchairs/ dining room chairs designed by Mario Bellini and manufactured by high quality
Category

Vintage 1980s Italian Mid-Century Modern Armchairs

Materials

Steel

20th Century CAB 413 Couple of Armchair by Mario Bellini for Cassina '70s
By Mario Bellini, Cassina
Located in Turin, Turin
Pair of armchairs model CAB 413 by Mario Bellini for Cassina. About this project, the author said
Category

Vintage 1970s Italian Mid-Century Modern Armchairs

Materials

Metal

Four Mario Bellini Cab 413 Armchairs
By Mario Bellini, Cassina
Located in Houston, TX
Four Mario Bellini Cab 413 armchairs in Rosso Cina finish, fabricated by Cassina in the 1980s
Category

Vintage 1980s Italian Mid-Century Modern Armchairs

Materials

Steel

Four Mario Bellini Cab 413 Armchairs
Four Mario Bellini Cab 413 Armchairs
H 32 in W 22.75 in D 19 in
Four Mario Bellini Cab 413 Armchairs
By Mario Bellini, Cassina
Located in Houston, TX
Four Mario Bellini Cab 413 armchairs in rosso cina finish, fabricated by Cassina in the 1980s
Category

Vintage 1980s Italian Mid-Century Modern Armchairs

Materials

Steel

Four Mario Bellini Cab 413 Armchairs
Four Mario Bellini Cab 413 Armchairs
H 32 in W 22.75 in D 19 in
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Mario Bellini For Cassina 413 For Sale on 1stDibs

With a vast inventory of beautiful furniture at 1stDibs, we’ve got just the mario bellini for cassina 413 you’re looking for. Frequently made of animal skin, leather and metal, every mario bellini for cassina 413 was constructed with great care. You’ve searched high and low for the perfect mario bellini for cassina 413 — we have versions that date back to the 20th Century alongside those produced as recently as the 20th Century are available. Each mario bellini for cassina 413 bearing mid-century modern or modern hallmarks is very popular.

How Much is a Mario Bellini For Cassina 413?

A mario bellini for cassina 413 can differ in price owing to various characteristics — the average selling price 1stDibs is $15,000, while the lowest priced sells for $2,200 and the highest can go for as much as $50,400.

Mario Bellini for sale on 1stDibs

Milan-born architect and designer Mario Bellini just may be the closest thing to a modern-day Renaissance man: His creative output spans genres, from electronics to furniture to architecture to cars, comprising iconic designs in each. Vintage Mario Bellini sofas, dining chairs and other seating pieces are widely coveted, and the designer has been the recipient of multiple prestigious Compasso d’Oro awards. More than 20 of his works are in the permanent collection of the Museum of Modern Art.

Born in 1935, Bellini studied architecture at the Polytechnic University of Milan before founding his own firm in his native city in the early 1960s. He soon branched out beyond architecture, however, first for the tech manufacturer Olivetti, where he served as chief industrial design consultant from 1963 to 1991. During that time, Bellini oversaw the design of some of Olivetti’s most popular typewriters.

His penchant for electronic design didn’t stop there: Bellini also designed cameras for Fuji, televisions for Brionvega and a slew of audio devices for Yamaha, then served as design consultant for Renault and devised the interior of the 1980 Lancia Trevi for Fiat. Meanwhile, his architecture work spans continents, including such modern gems as the Museum of Islamic Arts at the Louvre, the National Gallery of Victoria extension in Melbourne, the Dubai Creek Complex and the Milan Convention Centre in his hometown.

And then there’s the furniture: Over the last 70 years, Bellini has designed office furniture for Vitra; lamps for Artemide, Erco and FLOS; porcelain for Rosenthal and long-admired sofas and other seating for Kartell, Natuzzi, B&B Italia, Cassina and more.

His oft-imitated 1977 Cab chair for Cassina, comprising 16 individual pieces of saddle leather that create a “skin” over a minimal metal frame, remains one of the manufacturer’s best sellers today. His pudgy-legged, round tables for Cassina foreshadow Faye Toogood’s widely loved Roly Poly line. His postmodern Summa armchairs for Kartell, as well as his elegant Chiara floor lamp, still lure collectors on vintage furniture websites.

Bellini’s most famous contribution to furniture design, though, may be his 1970 Camaleonda sofa for B&B Italia (then C&B Italia). An entrant to the 1972 MoMA show “Italy: The New Domestic Landscape,” the seat takes its name from the Italian words for chameleon and wave. Its bulbous, modular form makes it infinitely flexible. The sofa was a runaway hit at the show and, once discontinued, remained so popular among vintage dealers that B&B Italia reissued it in 2020 with all recycled materials and interchangeable seat covers. “Of all the objects I have designed, Camaleonda is perhaps the best in terms of its sense of freedom,” Bellini said.

Browse an expansive collection of vintage Mario Bellini furniture — including dining tables, armchairs, mid-century sofas and more — today on 1stDibs.

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 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 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.