Midcentury Reading Light Sconce
Vintage 1950s Swiss Mid-Century Modern Wall Lights and Sconces
Metal, Chrome
Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Wall Lights and Sconces
Metal
Vintage 1980s German Mid-Century Modern Wall Lights and Sconces
Metal, Brass
Mid-20th Century Italian Mid-Century Modern Wall Lights and Sconces
Metal, Brass, Aluminum
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Mid-Century Modern Wall Lights and...
Brass, Metal, Aluminum
Mid-20th Century French Mid-Century Modern Wall Lights and Sconces
Brass
Vintage 1970s German Mid-Century Modern Wall Lights and Sconces
Metal, Brass
2010s American Mid-Century Modern Wall Lights and Sconces
Brass, Bronze, Copper, Enamel, Chrome, Nickel, Aluminum
21st Century and Contemporary American Mid-Century Modern Wall Lights an...
Brass
2010s American Mid-Century Modern Wall Lights and Sconces
Brass, Enamel, Aluminum
2010s American Mid-Century Modern Wall Lights and Sconces
Aluminum, Brass, Bronze, Copper, Enamel, Chrome, Nickel
2010s American Mid-Century Modern Wall Lights and Sconces
Aluminum, Brass, Enamel
21st Century and Contemporary American Mid-Century Modern Wall Lights an...
Brass
21st Century and Contemporary North American Mid-Century Modern Wall Lig...
Aluminum, Brass
21st Century and Contemporary American Mid-Century Modern Wall Lights an...
Brass, Enamel
21st Century and Contemporary American Mid-Century Modern Wall Lights an...
Brass, Enamel
21st Century and Contemporary American Mid-Century Modern Wall Lights an...
Brass, Enamel
21st Century and Contemporary American Mid-Century Modern Wall Lights an...
Enamel, Brass
Mid-20th Century French Mid-Century Modern Wall Lights and Sconces
Brass
20th Century Wall Lights and Sconces
Wood
Vintage 1970s Swedish Mid-Century Modern Wall Lights and Sconces
Linen, Bamboo
Vintage 1950s French Mid-Century Modern Wall Lights and Sconces
Aluminum, Steel, Nickel
Vintage 1950s Italian Mid-Century Modern Wall Lights and Sconces
Aluminum, Chrome
2010s American Mid-Century Modern Wall Lights and Sconces
Fabric, Textile, Linen, Wood, Walnut
Vintage 1960s Italian Mid-Century Modern Wall Lights and Sconces
Metal, Brass
Vintage 1970s European Mid-Century Modern Wall Lights and Sconces
Steel, Chrome
Mid-20th Century Swedish Scandinavian Modern Wall Lights and Sconces
Brass
Vintage 1950s European Mid-Century Modern Wall Lights and Sconces
Metal, Brass
21st Century and Contemporary French Mid-Century Modern Wall Lights and ...
Aluminum, Steel
21st Century and Contemporary French Mid-Century Modern Wall Lights and ...
Steel, Aluminum
Vintage 1950s Italian Mid-Century Modern Wall Lights and Sconces
Metal, Brass
Vintage 1980s Italian Mid-Century Modern Wall Lights and Sconces
Metal
21st Century and Contemporary French Mid-Century Modern Wall Lights and ...
Aluminum, Steel
21st Century and Contemporary Danish Mid-Century Modern Wall Lights and ...
Aluminum
Vintage 1980s Spanish Mid-Century Modern Wall Lights and Sconces
Metal, Brass
21st Century and Contemporary French Mid-Century Modern Wall Lights and ...
Aluminum, Steel
2010s American Mid-Century Modern Wall Lights and Sconces
Aluminum, Brass, Bronze, Enamel, Chrome, Nickel
21st Century and Contemporary Danish Mid-Century Modern Wall Lights and ...
Aluminum
21st Century and Contemporary Danish Mid-Century Modern Wall Lights and ...
Aluminum
2010s American Mid-Century Modern Wall Lights and Sconces
Chrome, Nickel, Aluminum, Brass, Bronze, Enamel
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Mid-Century Modern Wall Lights and...
Aluminum, Brass, Gold Leaf, Metal
2010s American Mid-Century Modern Wall Lights and Sconces
Bronze, Enamel, Chrome, Nickel, Aluminum, Brass
2010s American Mid-Century Modern Wall Lights and Sconces
Bronze, Enamel, Chrome, Nickel, Aluminum, Brass
21st Century and Contemporary French Mid-Century Modern Wall Lights and ...
Aluminum, Steel
21st Century and Contemporary French Mid-Century Modern Wall Lights and ...
Aluminum, Steel
2010s American Mid-Century Modern Wall Lights and Sconces
Aluminum, Brass, Bronze, Enamel, Chrome, Nickel
2010s American Mid-Century Modern Wall Lights and Sconces
Aluminum, Brass, Bronze, Enamel, Chrome, Nickel
Mid-20th Century French Industrial Wall Lights and Sconces
Metal, Aluminum
Vintage 1950s French Mid-Century Modern Wall Lights and Sconces
Metal
21st Century and Contemporary French Mid-Century Modern Wall Lights and ...
Aluminum, Steel
2010s American Modern Wall Lights and Sconces
Aluminum, Brass, Bronze, Chrome, Nickel
2010s American Modern Wall Lights and Sconces
Aluminum, Brass, Bronze, Chrome, Nickel
2010s American Modern Wall Lights and Sconces
Aluminum, Brass, Bronze, Chrome, Nickel
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Wall Lights and Sconces
Brass
2010s American Mid-Century Modern Wall Lights and Sconces
Enamel, Brass
Mid-20th Century Swedish Scandinavian Modern Wall Lights and Sconces
Metal, Brass
21st Century and Contemporary American Mid-Century Modern Wall Lights an...
Brass, Enamel
21st Century and Contemporary American Mid-Century Modern Wall Lights an...
Enamel, Nickel
21st Century and Contemporary French Mid-Century Modern Wall Lights and ...
Metal, Brass
2010s American Mid-Century Modern Wall Lights and Sconces
Nickel, Aluminum, Brass, Bronze, Enamel
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Midcentury Reading Light Sconce For Sale on 1stDibs
How Much is a Midcentury Reading Light Sconce?
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 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 sconces-wall-lights for You
From the kitchen to the bedroom and everywhere in between, there is one major part of home decor that you definitely want to master: lighting. It’s no longer merely practical — carefully selected wall lights and sconces can do wonders in establishing mood and highlighting your distinctive personality.
We’re a long way from the candelabra-inspired chandeliers of the medieval era. Lighting designers have been creating and reinventing lighting solutions for eons. Because of the advancements crafted by these venturesome makers, we now have the opportunity to bring unique, customizable lighting solutions into our homes. It’s never been easier to create dramatic bedrooms, cozy kitchen areas and cheerful bars than it is today. Think of an elegant wall sconce as functional as well as a work of art, adding both light and style to your hallways, whimsical kids’ rooms and elsewhere.
When choosing a lighting solution, first determine what your needs are: Will you opt for a moody or a bright feel? The room that will serve as your home office will need adequate lighting — think “the brighter, the better” for this particular setting. For the bedroom, bedside wall lamps with warm-temperature bulbs could be the way to go to induce a sense of calm or intimacy. Try to match the style of the wall light or sconce that you’re installing to the overall design scheme of your room. It’s never “just a light.” You should approach the lighting of a room with a mindset that is one part practical and one part aesthetics-driven.
Let 1stDibs help you set the mood with the right wall lights and sconces for your home. Our collection includes every kind of fixture, from sculptural works by Austrian craftsman J.T. Kalmar to chic industrial-style wall sconces, from adjustable painted aluminum wall lamps designed by Artemide to a wide variety of minimalist mid-century modern masterpieces.
Read More
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.
See How New York City Designers Experiment on Their Own Homes
There are many lessons to be learned from the lofts, apartments and townhouses of architects and decorators in Manhattan and beyond.
Jeff Andrews Captures Old Hollywood Glamour in His Cinematic Spaces
Having created extravagant homes for reality TV’s biggest stars, the designer is stepping into the spotlight with his first book.
New Orleans’ Lee Ledbetter Makes Design Magic by Mixing Past and Present
The Louisiana-born and -bred architect talks to 1stdibs about the art of making timeless places that matter.
Desert Modern Designer Arthur Elrod Finally Gets His Day in the Sun
The Palm Springs interior decorator developed a mid-century style that defined the vacation homes of celebrities and other notables, including Bob Hope and Lucille Ball.
From the Hamptons to Palm Springs, FormArch’s Homes Embody Both Comfort and Cool
The houses from this New York studio cloak modernist tendencies within what are often more traditional trappings.