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.
A rare reproduction of the Coca Cola umbrella girls in a rustic red frame
Located in Houston, TX
A rare reproduction of the Coca Cola umbrella girls in a rustic red frame. Festoon art is originally designed in 1918. Frame has some wear but overall in good condition. 27” H x 33...
Wood
1967 Hopetown International Moto Cross Poster by Earl Newman
By Earl Newman
Located in Cincinnati, OH
A vintage 1967 Dirt Diggers Hopetown motorcycle Grand Prix and International Moto Cross poster by California artist Earl Newman. Signed in the plate this was one of the earliest uses...
Paper
Vintage Anatomical Pull Down Chart 'Osteology, GH Michel Company
By G.H. Michel Company
Located in Buffalo, NY
Vintage Anatomical Pull Down Chart 'OSTEOLOGY ,GH Michel Company,Black background,amazing color contrast.Beautifully screened printed,linen backed.S...
Linen, Paper
Vintage Swedish Mid-Century Physics Educational Diagram
Located in Atlanta, GA
Vintage Swedish Mid-Century Physics instructional educational diagram, chart or poster. Highly collectible ephemera from 1950's Sweden.
Paper
Original Exhibition Poster of Picasso, Germany, 1965
Located in Nice, Cote d' Azur
Original exhibition poster of Picasso, Framed, Edition of 2000, Printed by Schwenk-Wilk, Francfort, 1965, Germany, 1965. Measures: 58 x 84 cm. Bib...
Paper
Laurel&Oliver Hardy 2 ritten nach texas/Way Out West Gunther Kieser '60 movie
Located in Biella, IT
Stan Laurel & Oliver Hardy 2 ritten nach texas / Way Out West by Gunther Kieser & Hans Michel years '60, Fsk freigegeben movie the poster has an elegant frame in wood and is in use...
Wood, Paper
Painter Anatomical Skull
Located in Mexico City, CDMX
We offer this painter anatomical human skull, circa 1970. This skull was acquired from a painter's studio, the skull was painted with oil paint.
Plaster
Paul Rand: Aspen International Design Conference Poster
By Paul Rand
Located in New York, NY
Poster advertising the 1982 International Design Conference held in Aspen, Colorado from June 13-18, 1982 with the tile The Prepared Professional. An iconic Paul Rand design in which...
Paper
$1,047Sale Price|28% Off
H 31.5 in W 9.85 in D 7.88 in
Vintage Human Body Educational Model / Anatomical Model, circa 1940s
Located in Lucenec, SK
Fantastic looking vintage anatomical model of a full human body on a black granite base. The height of the model with base (4 cm) is 82 cm. Unfortunately, removable parts are missing.
Granite
Original Buffalo Bill Movie Banners 84"Long
Located in Coeur d'Alene, ID
Selling as a pair - Banner from the Robert Altman's 1976 film Buffalo Bill and the Indians; and Sitting Bull's History Lesson staring Paul Newman. Looks m...
Linen
Antique Anatomical Wall Chart Depicting the Human Skeleton
Located in Berghuelen, DE
Antique Anatomical Wall Chart Depicting the Human Skeleton A rare 19th century anatomical wall chart depicting the human skeleton. On the sides On the...
Paper
Vintage Plaster Anatomical Skull Model
Located in Houston, TX
Interesting vintage plaster anatomical skull model. This great plaster skull bust model is in very good condition and dates to the 1940s. Perfect in an ...
Plaster
1967 Jefferson Airplane - Denver Original Vintage Poster
Located in Winchester, GB
Designed by concert poster artist Alton Kelley, this beautiful poster was created in 1967 to promote a live concert of Jefferson Airplane in Denver, Colorado. The event was part of t...
Paper
$576 / set
H 73.23 in W 27.56 in D 1.97 in
Laurel et Hardy Silhouette, From a Traveling Cinema, 1980-1997
Located in Saint ouen, FR
Silhouette From a traveling cinema 1980-1997 Print on cardboard, wooden backing Dimensions Laurel : 177 x 60 Dimensions Hardy : 186 x 70.
Wood, Paper
$1,250
H 21.5 in W 14 in D 0.125 in
Vintage Jefferson Airplane Concert Poster by Greg Irons, Bill Graham, 1967
Located in San Diego, CA
Super rare original 1967 concert poster designed by Greg Irons, produced for performances by Jefferson Airplane and presented in San Francisco by legendary promoter Bill Graham at the Winterland Ballroom. #5067 This striking psychedelic composition—featuring Irons’ unmistakable graphic style, bold color fields, and surreal figural imagery—captures the visual language of the late 1960s San Francisco rock scene at its peak. Irons, a central figure in the Fillmore and Winterland poster movement, is celebrated for blending underground comics sensibility with concert advertising, producing some of the era’s most visually dynamic designs. Printed in a tall vertical format and originally intended for short-term street and venue display, surviving examples of Irons’ Jefferson Airplane posters are increasingly scarce, particularly in clean, unfaded condition. This is is a great piece of rock-n-roll history and increasingly difficult to find! Details: Artist/Designer: Greg Irons Promoter: Bill Graham Venue: Winterland Ballroom, San Francisco Performers: Jefferson Airplane, Mother Earth and The Flamin' Groovies Year: 1967 Dimensions: 14 in W × 21.5 in H Medium: Original offset lithograph on paper Condition: Original 1967 Winterland concert poster showing authentic wear from period distribution, including minor edge wear, pin holes in the corners and light creasing. Colors remain vibrant. Good to very good vintage condition. Framing: Presented unframed and suitable for archival framing. Historical Context: The Winterland Ballroom was one of Bill Graham’s most iconic venues, hosting many of Jefferson Airplane’s most important performances during the height of the psychedelic era. Posters designed by Greg Irons from this period are especially sought after, as they bridge the Fillmore poster...
Paper
1967 Cream - Fillmore Original Vintage Poster
Located in Winchester, GB
Designed by concert poster artist Jim Blashfield, this beautiful poster was created in 1967 to promote a live concert of Cream at the world famous Fillmore in San Francisco. Events s...
Paper
Vintage Electric Company Meter Lamp
Located in Hanover, MA
This is a wonderful piece of suburban folk art and mid-century Americana. It is a vintage 'bench made' table lamp incorporating an actual working electric company meter. When the l...
Brass
Antique Educational Wall Chart No. 29 by Jung, Koch, Quentell
Located in Oakville, CT
Vintage Medical Wall Chart by Verlag Frommann & Morian Overall Dimensions: 29" x 40 1/2" Materials: Wood & Paper
Wood, Paper
Sold
H 15.75 in W 11.82 in D 0.79 in
Original 1952 Chanel Advertisement from Femina Magazine – Framed Vintage Fashion
By Chanel
Located in Hamburg, DE
This original vintage advertisement, taken from the French magazine Femina dated 1952, is a rare and charming piece of fashion history. It is not a reproduction or reprint, but an au...
Paper
Midcentury Bitter S. Maria Poster
Located in Milano, IT
Rare vintage advertising poster of Bitter S. Maria from the 1950s. The poster has a rather small rectangular shape, with a wooden frame that allows it to be hung. The poster was spo...
Canvas, Wood
Midcentury Coca Cola Poster
Located in Milano, IT
Rare and extravagant vintage Coca Cola advertising poster from the 1950s. The poster has a fairly small rectangular shape, with a wooden frame that allows it to be hung. The poster ...
Canvas, Wood
1950 Bally Shoe Advertising Poster Framed
By Hervé Morvan, Bally
Located in Surrey, BC
Original shoe poster designed by Herve MORVAN for Bally shoes showing all identification and certification, .framed in a simple glass set up.
Paper
Botanical prints "Edizioni d'arte Remondini", Italy 1950s
Located in Ceglie Messapica, IT
Botanical prints "Edizioni d'arte Remondini", Italy 1950s. A 1950s vintage botanical drawing by "Edizioni d'arte Remondini" printed by "Graf...
Glass, Wood, Paper
Sold
H 18.9 in W 14.18 in D 0.04 in
Triptych of Op-Art Serigraphies Made and Signed by Yvaral - Jean-Pierre Vasarely
By Yvaral (Jean-Pierre Vasarely)
Located in Doornspijk, NL
These three expressive geometric shapes are indentical, but their strong colors (purple, blue and orange) give each work a true personality. The serigraphies on paper are signed and...
Paper
Vintage Anatomical Pull Down Chart 'Nervous Systems, GH Michel Company
By G.H. Michel Company
Located in Buffalo, NY
Vintage Anatomical Pull Down Chart 'ARTERIAL VENOUS & NERVOUS SYSTEMS ,GH Michel Company,Beautifully screened printed,linen backed.
Linen, Paper
Sold
H 28.35 in W 20.87 in D 0.01 in
Karel Appel New Old Stock Lithograph Poster, Galerie Ariel, Paris, 1974
By Karel Appel
Located in Den Haag, NL
Karel Appel New Old Stock litho Poster, Galerie Ariel, Paris 1974 Parrot Image, printed by Arte Paris
Paper
Karel Appel Litho Poster, Art Fair Washington
By Karel Appel
Located in Den Haag, NL
Karel Appel Litho Poster, art fair Washington. L'elogue de la folie, Julliete Halioua New York. New old stock poster.
Paper