$466Sale Price / set|20% Off
Pair of Rare Midcentury Chairs in style of Gastone Rinaldi, Italy. 1970s
Located in Praha, CZ
- very confortable - rare
Chrome
Mid-Century Modern Rare Verner Panton Chair
By Verner Panton
Located in Copenhagen, DK
This rare Verner Panton lounge chair for Fritz Hansen from 1973 is a true collector's item. Designed by the renowned Danish designer Verner Panton, this chair is a prime example of h...
Steel
$9,800 / item
Rare Mid Century Rocking Chair by Torsten Claeson
By Torsten Claeson
Located in Allerum, SE
Rare mid century Swedish Modern rocking chair, designed by Torsten Claeson and manufactured by Steneby Hemslöjd. 1940s, Sweden.
Pine
Rare Mid Century Yellow Shell Chair, H.Lachert, Europe, 1960s
By Anna Lachert
Located in 05-080 Hornowek, PL
Vintage Mid-Century Modern “Muszelka” Chair by Hanna Lachert for ŁAD, Poland, 1956 This iconic “Muszelka” (Polish for “Shell”) chair, designed in 1956 by renowned Polish architect a...
Textile, Ash
Mid-century Rare Danish teak lounge chair / Easy chair , 1950s
By Vintage Specialties
Located in Gaggenau, DE
Mid-century Rare Danish teak lounge chair / Easy chair , 1950s It is in great condition.
Fabric, Teak
Rare Mid-Century Modern Copacabana Chair by Mathieu Matégot, 1954
By Mathieu Matégot
Located in Paris, FR
A rare collectible vintage lounge Copacabana chair by iconic French designer Mathieu Matégot composed of curved tubular steel legs and structure.
Steel
Rare vintage mid century figural chair by John Risley, USA 1960s
By John Risley
Located in Hastings, GB
Rare whimsical mid century figural chair by John Risley, USA 1960s.
Steel
$2,999Sale Price / set|33% Off
Rare Set of Six 1960s Mid-Century Modern Cherry and Chrome Dining Chairs
By Romweber Furniture Co.
Located in Lafayette, IN
This very unusual set of Mid-Century chairs is attributed to the manufacturer Romweber. We have been in the vintage furniture business for 45 years and have never seen these chairs a...
Chrome
Mid-Century Rare Pair 1950s "Farfalla" Designer Danish Bentwood Billund Chair
By Hans Olsen
Located in Vigonza, Padua
Rare pair 1950s " farfalla " designer Danish bentwood side chair are constructed using the traditional moulded plywood form technique. This pair side chair are constructed using a b...
Walnut
Rare 'People Chair' by John Risley, Hand-Welded Steel, Mid-Century Modern
By John Risley
Located in Montréal, CA
A rare and increasingly collectible example of American mid-century design at the intersection of art and utility.
Steel
1950s Early Adrian Pearsall Chairs for Craft associates Rare MCM Mid century
Located in Virginia Beach, VA
A pair of Early Iron Adrian Pearsall Chairs designed and created by Craft Associates, c. 1950s.. One form with 4 legs on a swivel base is labeled with a craft associates with a 29...
Iron
$12,500 / set
Rare Pair of James Mont Mid-Century Lounge Chairs
By James Mont
Located in New York, NY
Exquisite pair of rare lounge chairs by James Mont. The wide framed chairs have been fully restored with satin black frames and Mohair upholstery which is tufted on the seats.
Upholstery
Rare Design Mid-Century Rocking Chair / Lounge Chair Attr. to Gae Aulenti
By Gae Aulenti
Located in New York, NY
A Rare Italian MId-Century Modern Rocking Chair or Lounge Chair Attributed to Gae Aulenti.
Steel
Rare Rustic Mid Century Italian wood Ladder Back Side Chair Rush Seat
By Chiavari
Located in San Diego, CA
A very rare wood lacquered chair circa 1950's sold as/is condition Made in Italy with cord seats retains made in Italy, retains part of label curved back.
Cord, Wood
Early and Rare George Nelson Pretzel Chair American Mid Century
By George Nelson
Located in San Diego, CA
Wonderful sculptural side chair. Pretzel designed in 1950s by George Nelson, amazing original finish and patina. Iconic and very rare chair hard to find a beautiful sculptural piece.
Wood
Rare Mid Century Modern Czech Kubism Lounge Elm Easy Chairs
By Miroslav Navratil
Located in Munich, Bavaria
These rare and stunning Mid century Modern Easy chairs comes from Czech /Prague.
Fabric, Elm
Set of Two Rare Mid Century Yellow Shell Chairs, H. Lachert, Europe, 1960s
By Anna Lachert
Located in 05-080 Hornowek, PL
Vintage Mid-Century Modern “Muszelka” Chair by Hanna Lachert for ŁAD, Poland, 1956 This iconic “Muszelka” (Polish for “Shell”) chair, designed in 1956 by renowned Polish architect a...
Textile, Ash
American Mid Century Modern Atomic Age Rare Iron 3 Legged Chair
By Dan Johnson
Located in San Diego, CA
Striking rare atomic age chair tri legged , in iron with naugahyde seat , circa 1950's in the style of Dan Johnson probably by Pacific Iron the seat is cracked on the vynil easy to r...
Iron
Rare 19th Century Tavern, or Clerks, Chair
Located in Bedfordshire, GB
An extremely rare mid-19th century English country Tavern chair, or high clerks chair, having elegant Turned upright spindles to bowed back over Superbly figured saddle shaped sea...
Ash, Elm
Mid Century Modern Solid Walnut Rare Chair by Bertha Schaefer for Singer & Sons
By Bertha Schaefer, M. Singer & Sons
Located in San Diego, CA
Beautiful and elegant single chair designed by Bertha Schaefer for Singer & Sons, original finish recovered in Fresh new tan leather. the chair is sold in its original finish we have...
Walnut
Rare Mid-Century Modernist Lounge Chair in White Original Viny 1950
Located in Antwerpen, Antwerp
Rare Mid-Century Modernist lounge chair in white original vinyl.
Metal
Rare Early Mid Century Wooden Rocking Chair by Ralph Rapson, 1940s
By Knoll, Ralph Rapson
Located in Detroit, MI
The rare and early wooden rocking chair designed by Ralph Rapson for Knoll is circa 1940.
Fabric, Wood, Birch
Rare Design Bent Wire Frame Wood Arm Mid-Century Modern Dining Side Chair
By Clifford Pascoe
Located in Rockaway, NJ
Very nice rare modernist design Mid-Century Modern dining side armchair.
Metal, Wire
Rare Horrix Brothers Lounge Chair in Velvet The Netherlands Mid 19th Century
Located in Meer, VAN
Rare Horrix Brothers Lounge Chair in Olive Green Velvet The Netherlands Mid 19th Century A rare lounge chair of exceptional quality by Horrix Brothers, upholstered in a rich olive g...
Velvet, Oak
$9,600Sale Price / set|20% Off
Magnificent Rare Brazilian Rosewood Eames Lounge Chair and Ottoman Mid-Century
By Charles and Ray Eames
Located in Pemberton, NJ
Magnificent and rare 2nd generation Brazilian Rosewood and black leather lounge chair and ottoman by Charles and Ray Eames. This chair retains its super rare double ring back black ...
Metal
Mid-Century 1980s Milo Baughman Thayer Coggin Four Rare Bronze Tall Back Chairs
By Milo Baughman, Thayer Coggin
Located in Philadelphia, PA
With bronzed steel frames and the original leatherette (vinyl), this vintage set is super rare. The frames are free of breaks, repairs, or oxidation. In short, they're in great shape...
Bronze
Rare 'People Chair' by John Risley, 1960s, Hand-Welded Steel, Mid-Century Modern
By John Risley
Located in Montréal, CA
A rare and increasingly collectible example of American mid-century design at the intersection of art and utility.
Steel
Rare Pair of Italian Mid-Century. Organic Modern Lounge Chairs by IPE
Located in New York, NY
Important and ultra-cool pair of Italian Mid-Century Organic Modern armchairs known as 'Brevetti' by the boutique Italian (Bologna) company of IPE.
Steel, Nickel
$4,528Sale Price / set|30% Off
A Rare Pair of Mid Century Modern Teak & Ebonised Steel Upholstered Shell Chairs
By Gerrit Rietveld Jr., Artifort
Located in Reading, Berkshire
A Rare Pair of Mid Century Teak & Ebonised Steel Shell Chairs With Upholstered Cushions In The Style of The Designs of Gerrit Rietveld & Joseph Andre Motte for Artifort Dove...
Steel
Rare Mid-Century Edward Wormley for Dunbar Wingback Chairs in Exclusive Cartier
By Dunbar Furniture, Edward Wormley
Located in Dallas, TX
A stunning, expertly restored pair of early wingback chairs by Edward Wormley for Dunbar, featuring a custom Cartier-exclusive textile and refinished espresso bases. This heirloom-qu...
Mahogany
Rare Pair of Mid-Century Modern Triennale Lounge Chairs, Marco Zanuso Italy 1951
By Arflex, Marco Zanuso
Located in New York, NY
A rare and important pair of Italian Mid-Century Modern Triennale charis by Marco Zanuso circa 1951.
Brass
Rare Pair of French Mid-Century Modern Craftsman Wood Chairs, Pierre Jeanneret
By Pierre Jeanneret
Located in New York, NY
An Elegant Pair of French Mid-Century Modern Craftsman Side or Lounge Chairs in the style of Pierre Jeanneret. The chairs are an original, handmade creation from the 1960 - 1970 peri...
Hardwood
American Mid Century Modern Solid Walnut Rare Chair by Kipp Stewart for Drexel
By Kipp Stewart & Stewart MacDougall, Drexel
Located in San Diego, CA
This is a beautiful and rare chair mid century classic design , in solid walnut great condition simple elegant by Drexel part of the Declaration Linenice sculpted back solid and stur...
Walnut
A Stylish & Rare Pair of Mid-Century Leather Lounge Chairs, France Circa 1950’s
Located in Hastings, GB
A Stylish & Rare Pair of Mid-Century Leather Lounge Chairs, France Circa 1950’s This charming pair of chairs is very lovely.
Leather
Rare Vintage Mid Century Modern 4331 Lounge Chair by Pierre Paulin for Thonet
Located in Lafayette, IN
This is a rare example of the Model 4331 lounge chair designed by Pierre Paulin for Thonet. Chair features a plywood frame with black enamel finish, fresh white boucle upholstery, t...
Metal
$7,600Sale Price / set|20% Off
Rare Pair of Harvey Probber Lounge Chairs and Ottoman Mid-Century Modern
By Harvey Probber
Located in Pemberton, NJ
This is a rare pair of large scale Harvey Probber lounge chairs with one matching ottoman. These are perfect candidates for your magnificent new upholstery which we can assist you wi...
Upholstery, Mahogany
Mid Century Arthur Umanoff Rare Swivel Desk Chair in Birch for Elton 1950s
By The Elton Company, Arthur Umanoff
Located in Troy, MI
Rare swivel desk chair designed by Arthur Umanoff Model DC1 manufactured by Post Modern Ltd and distributed by the Elton Company New York USA circa 1952 Minimalist design with birc...
Birch
Rare Pair of Signed Harvey Probber Cube Lounge Chairs, Mid-Century Modern
By Harvey Probber
Located in Pemberton, NJ
Outstanding and rare signed Harvey Probber pair of cube lounge chairs. This unusual pair rests on two chunky walnut legs that extend up the back-very handsome! These chairs retains t...
Upholstery, Walnut
$2,612Sale Price|20% Off
Rare Vintage Mid-Century Scandinavian Modern Oak&Purple Fabric High Wing Chair
Located in Warszawa, Mazowieckie
This rare, modernist wing chair was manufactured in Denmark during the 1950s. It seamlessly combines classic aesthetics with functionality. The wide, profiled backrest ensures comfor...
Fabric, Oak
Pair of Rare 1970's Mid-Century Modern Club Chairs by Erwin Lambeth.
By Erwin Lambeth
Located in New York, NY
Pair of Rare sleek and sophisticated Mid-Century club chairs designed by Erwin Lambeth.
Chrome
$4,640Sale Price / set|20% Off
Rare Mid C. Bauhaus Style Canadian Pacific Railway Folding Cabin Chairs
Located in Vancouver, British Columbia
Rare Bauhaus inspired mid-century folding chairs in excellent condition.
Leather, Mohair
Pierre Jeanneret PJ-SI-61-A Rare Folding Lounge Chair / Authentic Mid-Century
By Pierre Jeanneret
Located in Zürich, CH
Galerie’s selection is mainly focused on rare French mid-century modern design artefacts by Pierre Jeanneret, Jean Prouvé, Le Corbusier, and Charlotte Perriand.
Cane, Teak
Rare 20th Century Orange Shell Chair, H.Lachert, 1960s
By Anna Lachert
Located in 05-080 Hornowek, PL
This rare chair for collectors was designed in 1956 by Hanna Lachert for the LAD Cooperative in Poland. They were made either in the late 1950s or in the 1960s. The furniture stru...
Textile, Ash
Rare Mid-Century Modern Design rocking chair by Takeshi Nii 1960 Black leather
By Takeshi Nii
Located in Ijzendijke, NL
Introducing a stunning and iconic piece of mid-century modern furniture: this black leather rocking chair by Takeshi Nii, designed in 1960 in Japan. Crafted from premium black leathe...
Chrome
$1,400 / item
Rare Herman Miller Rocking Chair by Peter Protzmann
Located in Brooklyn, NY
This vintage chrome frame rocking chairs features the stylish design of Peter Protzmann as presented by Herman Miller. Unique modern shape, iconic chrome design, and comfortably scul...
Metal
Charlotte Perriand High Berger Stool Authentic & Rare Mid-Century Modern
By Charlotte Perriand
Located in Zürich, CH
Here we see the principle of the Japanese wabi-sabi, which refers to embracing imperfections and underlining impermanence. Rustic aspects, simplicity, modesty, and austerity offer a ...
Elm
Charlotte Perriand Low Berger Stool Authentic & Rare Mid-Century Modern
By Charlotte Perriand
Located in Zürich, CH
Here we see the principle of the Japanese wabi-sabi, which refers to embracing imperfections and underlining impermanence. Rustic aspects, simplicity, modesty, and austerity offer a ...
Elm
Charlotte Perriand Three-Legged Stool Authentic & Rare Mid-Century Modern
By Charlotte Perriand
Located in Zürich, CH
This item expresses a specific rawness. There is no need for precise execution or the desire to appear sophisticated. It is simple, self-evident, and direct. It is made out of basic ...
Pine
$2,240Sale Price|30% Off
Mid Century Sculptural High Back Swivel Chair
By Adrian Pearsall
Located in Las Vegas, NV
Rare mid century highback swivel chair. A beautiful one off, statement chair.
Fabric
Rare Pierre Jeanneret Classroom Chair
By Pierre Jeanneret
Located in Philadelphia, PA
This is a highly unusual and rare Pierre Jeanneret Classroom Chair, likely from Punjab University circa 1960. More often we see the classroom chairs in with solid teak legs. Here t...
Teak
Rare Pair of Milo Baughman Solid Flat Bar Chrome Cube Chairs, Mid-Century Modern
By Milo Baughman
Located in Pemberton, NJ
Really rare pair of signed Milo Baughman flat bar chrome cube lounge chairs.
Upholstery
$1,168 / item
Rare Thereca Modernist Chair Industrial Teak
By Thereca
Located in Munich, Bavaria
Thereca Chair in Teak, Metal and Faux Leather Industrial-style chair crafted from metal, teak wood, and faux leather, presented in its original condition. A beautifully designed pie...
Metal
$2,700Sale Price / set|40% Off
Rare Mid-Century Chrome Tubular Steel & Blonde Oak Lounge Chair by Hill-Rom Pair
Located in Van Nuys, CA
Rare refined mid-century modern lounge chair pair by the Hill-Rom Furniture in Batesville, Indiana, showcasing a sculptural blonde oak wood frame paired with elegantly curved tubular...
Steel
$1,225Sale Price / item|30% Off
Mid Century Sculptural High Back Swivel Chair
By Adrian Pearsall, Milo Baughman, Thayer Coggin
Located in Las Vegas, NV
Rare mid century highback swivel chair. A beautiful one off, statement chair with the walnut plinth swivel base.
Walnut, Velvet
Niels Koefoed Koefoeds Hornslet Mid Century, Rosewood with Cream Upholstery Rare
By Niels Koefoed
Located in Buchanan, MI
Niels Koefoed, Koefoeds Hornslet, circa 1970s, a set of six dining chairs, comprising two armchairs and four side chairs. Please confirm measurements. Great for a dining room, Great...
Rosewood
Set of Mid-Century German Chairs from Casala, 1960s
By Casala
Located in Hamburg, DE
Two rare mid-century rung chairs from Casala. A classic Windsor chair design in Scandinavian style.
Wood
$3,600Sale Price|34% Off
Rare Milo Baughman Slipper Chair
By Milo Baughman, Thayer Coggin
Located in Palm Springs, CA
A small-scale slipper chairs by Milo Baughman for Thayer Coggin. Brass frames with hidden rollers. Original tag attached to seat. Priced individually.
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.
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.
Modern icons are showing up in gracefully layered dining nooks, living rooms and lounges — proof that great design only gets better with context.
You know the designs, now get the stories about how they came to be.
The enduring appeal of the Barcelona chair is in the details.
The brand that turned Charles and Ray Eames, Isamu Noguchi and George Nelson into mid-century household names is just as relevant today as it was six decades ago.
Our feed is filled with the world's most beautiful spaces. See the rooms our followers have deemed the best of the best this month.
Our feed is filled with the world's most beautiful spaces. See the 10 our followers have deemed the best of the best this month.
There are many lessons to be learned from the lofts, apartments and townhouses of architects and decorators in Manhattan and beyond.
Having created extravagant homes for reality TV’s biggest stars, the designer is stepping into the spotlight with his first book.