Vintage Edward Wormley for Dunbar Furniture Occasional Table
By Edward Wormley, Dunbar Furniture
Located in Forney, TX
A beautiful and fine American Mid-Century custom ordered side table, model 426A, designed by Edward Wormley (American, 1907-1995) for Dunbar Furniture; Berne, Indiana.
Brass
Vintage Wood and Cane Tiered Side Tables
Located in West Palm Beach, FL
Crafted in richly grained fruitwood or walnut, this mid-century pair of three-tier accent tables balances classic architectural structure with airy natural textures.
Cane, Wood
Vintage Original Abstract Oil On Board
Located in West Palm Beach, FL
The overall effect is spirited, tactile, and unmistakably handmade. Hang it above a sofa, console, or desk, or lean it on a shelf, where its red-and-black palette energizes Mid-Cent...
Canvas, Wood, Paint
Vintage Neoclassic Reclining Armchair Blue Chenille Fabric by Burris Industries
By Burris Industries
Located in Topeka, KS
Burris Industries was a highly regarded furniture company based out of Lincolnton, North Carolina in the mid-century era known for making exceptionally comfortable, high quality loun...
Chenille, Cane, Wood
$5,000 / item
Vancouver Modern Side Chair
By Craft Associates
Located in Oak Harbor, OH
specs Manufacturer: Craft Associates® Modern Furniture Period/Model: Mid Century Modern Specs: Walnut Legs (oil finish), Hardwood Frame, Plush Velvet Dimensions H 32" ...
Walnut
Ekornes Stressless Wave Lowback Contemporary Loveseat with Cori Vanilla Leather
By Ekornes, Ekornes Stressless
Located in Keego Harbor, MI
An Ekornes Stressless Wave lowback loveseat. This lovely modern Danish sofa features very high quality materials and construction. This piece has a very sturdy wood and metal frame w...
Leather, Wood
Karpen Wingback Chairs in Luxuriously Soft Milk Chocolate Shearling, circa 1950s
By Karpen of California
Located in Saint Louis, MO
Stunning one of a kind pair of Mid-Century Modern wingback chairs by Karpen upholstered in super soft hand sewn Cocoa Milk Chocolate Shearling.
Hide, Sheepskin, Walnut
Leather 'Croissant' Lounge Chair by Illum Wikkelsø for Gubi
By Gubi, Illum Wikkelsø
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Leather 'Croissant' lounge chair by Illum Wikkelsø for GUBI. Playful, voluptuous and expertly crafted, the newly reimagined Croissant Collection from GUBI makes a powerful statement...
Steel
Bay of New York from Hoboken – Antique New York Harbor Engraving, c.1850
Located in Langweer, NL
Bay of New York from Hoboken – Antique New York Harbor Engraving, c.1850 This original nineteenth-century steel engraving presents a remarkable panoramic view of New York Harbor as ...
Paper
Afra & Tobia Scarpa 920 Armchair for Cassina in Cognac Leather
By Afra & Tobia Scarpa, Cassina
Located in bari, IT
The "920" armchair was designed by Afra and Tobia Scarpa in the mid-1960s (c. 1966) for Figli di Amedeo Cassina in Meda, during the same design season as their "Bastiano" system. Con...
Animal Skin, Beech
Fabric 'Croissant' Lounge Chair by Illum Wikkelsø for Gubi
By Gubi, Illum Wikkelsø
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Fabric 'Croissant' lounge chair by Illum Wikkelsø for GUBI. Playful, voluptuous and expertly crafted, the newly reimagined Croissant collection from GUBI makes a powerful statement ...
Steel
Fabric 'Croissant' Lounge Chair by Illum Wikkelsø for GUBI
By Gubi, Illum Wikkelsø
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Fabric 'Croissant' Lounge Chair by Illum Wikkelsø for GUBI Playful, voluptuous and expertly crafted, the newly reimagined Croissant Collection from GUBI makes a powerful statement i...
Steel
Across the Nile – Pair of Antique Egypt Engravings with Distant Pyramids, c.1755
Located in Langweer, NL
Across the Nile – Pair of Antique Egypt Engravings with Distant Pyramids, c.1755 This matched pair of 18th-century engravings presents two complementary panoramic views across the N...
Paper
Antique India Battle Print – Siege of Mooltan 1849, Elephant War Scene
Located in Langweer, NL
Please study images carefully. Framing tips: This print benefits greatly from a wide off-white or warm ivory mat with generous margins, paired with a dark walnut or ebonized frame.
Paper
Across the Nile – Pair of Antique Egypt Engravings, Methaghera & Palm Forest
Located in Langweer, NL
Across the Nile – Pair of Antique Egypt Engravings, Methaghera & Palm Forest, c.1755 This refined matched pair of 18th-century engravings presents two panoramic views across the...
Paper
Panoramic View Bad Münder, Merian Townscape Engraving, Germany, c.1654
Located in Langweer, NL
Panoramic View Bad Münder, Merian Townscape Engraving, Germany, c.1654 This finely engraved 17th-century panoramic view depicts the town of Bad Münder am Deister in Lower Saxony, re...
Paper
$1,904Sale Price|30% Off
Bias Hooded Lounge Chair, Faceted Wingback Inspired by Louis XV Sentry
Located in Culver City, CA
This hooded wingback chair is absolutely gorgeous! Such a statement piece! Inspired by crystalline structures with bias cut hand paneled upholstery and attractive exposed wooden fram...
Walnut
Antique Chile Map Blaeu c.1642 – Dramatic Andes & Pacific Panorama
Located in Langweer, NL
Antique Chile Map Blaeu c.1642 – Dramatic Andes & Pacific Panorama This refined and highly decorative map of Chile was engraved by Willem Blaeu, one of the most celebrated carto...
Paper
Antique South Africa Map Blaeu c.1642 – Cape of Good Hope, Ships
Located in Langweer, NL
Antique South Africa Map Blaeu c.1642 – Cape of Good Hope, Ships This striking and highly decorative map of Southern Africa was engraved by Willem Blaeu, one of the most celebrated ...
Paper
Adrian Pearsall 'Gondola' Button-Tufted Chairs for Craft Associates
By Craft Associates, Adrian Pearsall
Located in Dallas, TX
Adrian Mount Pearsall was trained as an architectural engineer, a sailor and an innovative designer who founded Craft Associates, which became one of the country’s most prominent fur...
Upholstery, Wood
$3,400Sale Price|20% Off
Adrian Pearsall Cast Goopy Sculptured Brutalist Dining Table, 1960's
By Adrian Pearsall
Located in Culver City, CA
Think swooping walnut sofas, atomic-age coffee tables, and dramatic seating that makes your average mid-century chair look like it needs a personality transplant.
Bronzed Resin
Pair of Art Deco Style Whiskey Brown Leather Moustache Club Chairs
Located in Swedesboro, NJ
The Laramie Brown leather pairs effortlessly with walnut, oak, reclaimed wood, brass, bronze, marble, and steel, allowing these chairs to integrate seamlessly into French Country, Ar...
Leather
Vintage New Zealand Ivory Sheepskin Patchwork Rug or Bed Throw, 1970s
Located in Moreno Valley, CA
Sheepskin became an important decorative element during the 1960s and 1970s, particularly in Scandinavian Modern, mid-century, Bohemian and relaxed modernist interiors.
Sheepskin
Vintage Moroccan Berber Rug in Saffron, Coral and Black, 71 x 145 in, 1960s
By Berber Tribes of Morocco
Located in Moreno Valley, CA
This authentic vintage Moroccan rug would work beautifully in a Spanish Colonial, Mediterranean, Moorish, Wabi-Sabi, organic modern, bohemian or Mid-Century Modern interior. It could...
Wool
Set of 2 Brutalist Italian Diamond Faced Tables With Leather Tops, Italy, 1970s
Located in Deland, FL
Crafted by skilled artisans, they blend mid-century modern influences with unique textures like acid-etched paint, appealing to those who value bold design and functionality.
Wood
French Oak Chair by Maison Regain in Original Upholstery, 1970s - 2 Available
By Maison Regain
Located in Chicago, IL
Whether flanking a bespoke blackened‑steel coffee table or anchoring a mid-century sofa grouping, these Maison Regain chairs deliver the same mix of architectural clarity and tactile...
Wool, Oak
Adrian Pearsall Cast Resin Brutalist Dining Table, 1960's
By Adrian Pearsall
Located in Culver City, CA
If you don’t already know Adrian Pearsall, allow us to introduce you. A mid-century design icon, he was known for his wildly sculptural furniture—think swooping walnut sofas, atomic-...
Steel
$9,562Sale Price|25% Off
Monumental Ivory Lacquered and Aged Brass Credenza Style of Tommi Parzinger
By Tommi Parzinger
Located in Culver City, CA
A really wonderful piece that would look incredible in any mid century modern, Hollywood regency or even more traditional environment.
Brass
$16,339Sale Price / set|20% Off
circa 1845 C Hindley & Sons Lion Carved Chesterfield Brown Leather Dining Chairs
By Charles Hindley & Sons
Located in West Sussex, Pulborough
Despite his business being described as a 'carpet warehouse' in London directories from 1820-1841, by the mid-1830s upholstery and cabinet work had joined his repertoire and he had t...
Leather, Hardwood
18th Century French Rococo Sofa
Located in New York, NY
The walnut frame of this large, Louis XV-period sofa is unusual for its highly animated form. It is finely carved with flowers, leaves, bound reeds and scrolling vegetal forms. We ha...
Satin, Silk, Walnut
$46,000
Gio Ponti, Rare Sofa
By Gio Ponti
Located in New York, NY
Walnut, upholstery, brass. Dynamic wooden frame with upholstered seat and three separate back cushions. Likely produced by Ettore Colombo e Fratelli, Cantù. Another great design that...
Brass
Mid-Century Slope Arm Sofa in Alpaca with Tapered Walnut Legs
By John Ortiz
Located in Greenwich, CT
Defined by slim slope arms and a gently arched back rail, this made-to-order sofa brings Mid-Century refinement to a single-cushion form.
Upholstery, Walnut, Mohair
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.