Midcentury Freeform Glass
Vintage 1950s Italian Mid-Century Modern Glass
Glass
Mid-20th Century Belgian Mid-Century Modern Centerpieces
Crystal
Vintage 1950s Italian Mid-Century Modern Ashtrays
Glass
Vintage 1950s American Mid-Century Modern Glass
Art Glass
20th Century Mid-Century Modern Pottery
Pottery
Vintage 1960s Italian Mid-Century Modern Glass
Art Glass
Vintage 1960s Italian Mid-Century Modern Glass
Murano Glass
Vintage 1950s French Mid-Century Modern Ceramics
Ceramic
Vintage 1970s French Mid-Century Modern Ceramics
Ceramic
Mid-20th Century Italian Mid-Century Modern Ashtrays
Art Glass
Vintage 1950s Finnish Mid-Century Modern Barware
Plywood
Mid-20th Century Mexican Mid-Century Modern Sterling Silver
Sterling Silver
Vintage 1950s Italian Mid-Century Modern Ceramics
Ceramic
Vintage 1950s British Mid-Century Modern Ceramics
Ceramic
Mid-20th Century Canadian Mid-Century Modern Vases
Art Glass
Vintage 1960s Swedish Chandeliers and Pendants
Art Glass
Vintage 1960s American Mid-Century Modern Platters and Serveware
Walnut
Mid-20th Century Italian Mid-Century Modern Decorative Bowls
Murano Glass
Mid-20th Century Italian Mid-Century Modern Ashtrays
Agate
Mid-20th Century Mid-Century Modern Ashtrays
Agate
Late 20th Century Canadian Mid-Century Modern Ceramics
Ceramic
Mid-20th Century Finnish Scandinavian Modern Ashtrays
Crystal
Mid-20th Century Decorative Bowls
Murano Glass
Late 20th Century French Mid-Century Modern Bottles
Art Glass
Vintage 1960s French Modern Decorative Bowls
Glass
Late 20th Century Italian Mid-Century Modern Decorative Bowls
Enamel
Vintage 1970s Glass
Glass
Mid-20th Century Unknown Mid-Century Modern Vases
Art Glass
Mid-20th Century Italian Hollywood Regency Decorative Bowls
Art Glass
Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Decorative Bowls
Glass
Mid-20th Century Italian Mid-Century Modern Ashtrays
Blown Glass
Late 20th Century Unknown Mid-Century Modern Vases
Art Glass, Blown Glass, Murano Glass
Vintage 1960s Italian Mid-Century Modern Garniture
Blown Glass
Mid-20th Century Unknown Mid-Century Modern Decorative Dishes and Vide-P...
Glass, Art Glass
Vintage 1950s American Mid-Century Modern Coffee and Cocktail Tables
Glass, Pine
Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Decorative Bowls
Art Glass
Late 20th Century Italian Mid-Century Modern Decorative Bowls
Blown Glass, Murano Glass
20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Decorative Bowls
Glass, Art Glass
20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Decorative Bowls
Glass, Art Glass
Vintage 1960s Swedish Mid-Century Modern Wall Mirrors
Brass
Late 20th Century Italian Mid-Century Modern Vases
Blown Glass, Murano Glass
20th Century Italian Mid-Century Modern Vases
Murano Glass
Mid-20th Century Finnish Decorative Bowls
Art Glass
Mid-20th Century Italian Mid-Century Modern Vases
Blown Glass, Murano Glass
Vintage 1950s Italian Mid-Century Modern Wall Mirrors
Copper
Mid-20th Century Belgian Mid-Century Modern Wall Mirrors
Glass
Mid-20th Century Italian Mid-Century Modern Vases
Blown Glass, Murano Glass
Mid-20th Century Unknown Mid-Century Modern Decorative Bowls
Art Glass, Blown Glass, Murano Glass
20th Century Italian Mid-Century Modern Decorative Bowls
Blown Glass
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Mid-Century Modern Decorative Dish...
Murano Glass
Vintage 1950s German Mid-Century Modern Coffee and Cocktail Tables
Bronze
Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Vases
Art Glass
Vintage 1970s American Mid-Century Modern Coffee and Cocktail Tables
Stainless Steel
Vintage 1950s Swedish Mid-Century Modern Decorative Bowls
Art Glass
20th Century Italian Mid-Century Modern Ceramics
Pottery
20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Serving Pieces
Plastic
20th Century Scandinavian Modern Platters and Serveware
Teak
Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Abstract Sculptures
Metal
20th Century Mid-Century Modern Ashtrays
Ceramic
20th Century Swedish Mid-Century Modern Decorative Bowls
Glass
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Midcentury Freeform Glass For Sale on 1stDibs
How Much is a Midcentury Freeform Glass?
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 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.
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End Your Quest for Fire with This Handmade Majolica Chimney
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39 Incredible Swimming Pools
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Iconic Furniture Makes This 1958 Midwestern Home a True Mid-Century Gem
Designer Susan Yeley turned to 1stDibs to outfit an Indiana home with standout pieces that complement its modernist style.
The Ultimate Guide to Types of Tables for the Home
Whether you’re just moving in or ready to give your home a makeover, our guide will give you pointers on tables that are fitting for every room, nook and hallway.
Why Is Italy Such a Hotbed of Cool Design?
Patrizio Chiarparini of Brooklyn’s Duplex gallery sheds light on the lasting legacy of Italy’s postwar furniture boom.