$2,319Sale Price / set|20% Off
unique Set of 2 large 40x25cm teak wall light panel elements, Germany 1950s
Located in Kirchlengern, DE
Article: Set of two wall lights Origin: Germany Age: 1950s This set of two modernist lights was produced in Germany in the 1950s. The light has wooden teak frame wall fix...
Metal
Pair of Sconces Opalin Glass, Black Metal & Teak circa 1960 France
Located in Labrit, Landes
Pair of wall lights with a geometric design typical of the 1960s, combining a black metal structure, a wooden base, and a rectangular opal glass diffuser. The clean lines and contra...
Metal
Pair of Teak Wood and Opaline Wall Lights by Philips - Netherlands 1960s
By Philips
Located in New York, NY
Pair of elegant "appliques volantes" teakwood sconces by Philips. Consists of milk glass opaline shades embedded in a teakwood frame. Brass accents. In good vintage condition. A th...
Brass
Italian Designer, Wall Lights, Teak, Brass, Metal, Glass, Italy, 1950s
Located in High Point, NC
A pair of teak, brass, black-lacquered metal and white opaline glass wall lights designed and produced in Italy, c. 1950s. Very light scratching present throughout brass. Overall ...
Metal, Brass
set of 2 minimalist satin white glass and teak Wall Light, Denmark, 1960s
By Fog and Morup
Located in Kirchlengern, DE
Article: wall light set of 2 Origin: Denmark Age: 1960s This modernist wall light set was produced in DENMARK in the 1960s. The light has solid teak wood wall fixation and...
Metal
set of 3 minimalist satin white glass and teak Wall Light, Denmark, 1960s
By Fog and Morup
Located in Kirchlengern, DE
Article: wall light set of 3 Origin: Denmark Age: 1960s This modernist wall light set was produced in DENMARK in the 1960s. The light has solid teak wood wall fixation and...
Metal
minimalist satin white glass and teak Wall Light by BEGA Lights, Germany 1960s
Located in Kirchlengern, DE
Article: wall light Origin: Germany Producer: BEGA Lights, Germany Age: 1960s This modernist wall light was produced in Germany by BEGA Lights in the 1960s. The light ...
Metal
Pair of Double Sconces Opalin Glass, Black Metal & Teak c 1960 France
Located in Labrit, Landes
Pair of wall lights with a geometric design typical of the 1960s, combining a black metal structure, a wooden base, and a rectangular opal glass diffuser. The clean lines and contra...
Metal
Lisa Larson, Sizeable Wall Lights, Copper, Teak, Stoneware, Sweden, 1960s
Located in Boden, SE
Unique Wall lamp, Lisa Larson Sweden. Gustavsberg's Studio. Stoneware and copper. Circular shape. Openwork decor of roundels. Fastener made of copper. Height: 30 cm There is a sma...
Copper
cubic Large 38cm Teak and Metal adjustable wall light element, Germany 1950s
By Stilnovo, Gio Ponti
Located in Kirchlengern, DE
Article: wall lights element Origin: Germany Age: 1950s This vintage modernist wall light was produced in the 1950s in Germany. very minimalist and cubic one of a kind d...
Metal, Brass
Highly Rare C-1575 Teak and Opaline Glass Wall Lamp by Eje Ahlgren for RAAK 1957
By Eje Ahlgren, RAAK
Located in Steenwijk, NL
This elegant and very rare wall lamp was designed by Eje Ahlgren for RAAK in 1957. It is made of a teak wooden star shaped frame with a metal hook that holds the opaline glass cone s...
Metal
Scandinavian Modernist Wall Light
Located in London, GB
This Modernist wall lamp can be either hardwired into an existing wall circuit or cable with inline switch to plug. Whichever, its a very slick design. Produced in Denmark circa 1960...
Glass, Teak
Orientable wall lamp by Jean Rispal
By Jean Rispal
Located in Brussels, BE
Rare wall lamp by the French lighting designer Jean Rispal around 1950. Structure in solid teak. Adjustable in orientation, perfect for reading corners or above Sideboards as showe...
Teak
Hans-Agne Jakobsson, Wall Lamp, Markaryd, 1950s
By AB Markaryd, Hans-Agne Jakobsson
Located in Hammarö, SE
A sculptural wall lamp by Hans-Agne Jakobsson, produced in Markaryd during the 1940-1950s, exemplifying the refined balance between form, material, and atmosphere that defines Swedis...
Brass
$8,987 / item
Wall lamp system by Rupprecht Skrip
Located in Brussels, BE
This remarkable lamp was created by Rupprecht Skrip in the 1950s. It is crafted from teak, featuring two teak counterweights filled with plumb. It uses two E27 (Model A) bulbs and ca...
Teak, Coconut
$9,880 / item
Wall lamp system by Rupprecht Skrip
Located in Brussels, BE
This remarkable lamp was created by Rupprecht Skrip in the 1950s. It is crafted from teak, featuring two real coconut counterweights filled with metal powder. It uses two E27 (Model ...
Teak, Coconut
Counterweight Wall Lamp, Sweden, 1960
Located in Catonvielle, FR
Counterweight wall lamp, Sweden 1960. Teak plate, chrome metal arm, black fabric thread. The reflector is made of braided resin. The height is adjusted by sliding the wire and by adj...
Metal
Wall Lamp attributed to Erik Hansen circa 1950
By Erik Hansen
Located in Mouscron, WHT
Wall Lamp attribued to Erik Hansen circa 1950 the lamp swivels and is depth adjustable
Teak
$5,751Sale Price|20% Off
breathtaking coconut weight wall lamp by skrip
Located in Munich, DE
wonderful teakwood wall lamp with two arms 120cm ( 47inch) + 170cm ( 67inch) . these can be adjusted in any place you like by coconat counterweights. a amazing addition to every mid ...
Teak, Coconut
Adjustable Pleated Wall Lamp by Kaiser Leuchten
By Kaiser Leuchten, Rupert Nikoll, Hans-Agne Jakobsson, Temde Leuchten, J.T. Kalmar
Located in München, DE
Charming adjustable wall lamp from the 1950s. Great and exceptionally minimalist design with a fantastically elegant look. Very nice swivel teak arm. The pleated lampshade creates a ...
Brass
Danish Mid-Century Teak Mirror and Sconce Hallway Set, 1950s. Set of 2.
Located in Asaa, DK
Danish Mid-Century Teak Mirror and Sconce Hallway Set, 1950s.
Brass
$1,300Sale Price / set|50% Off
Pair of Large French 1960s Wall Lights
Located in New York, NY
A wonderful large pair of French wall lamps composed of teak, polished brass, and gun metal enamel bodies with white glass cone shades. Newly rewired each with one candelabra socket.
Brass
Plastic Paper and Wood Sconce or Ceiling Lamp by Domus, 1980s, Italy
By Domus
Located in Hagenbach, DE
Plastic Paper and Wood Sconce or Ceiling Lamp by Domus, 1980s, Italy Minimalist and rare design. Lampshade is in good condition and clean. This lamp works with 2x E27 light bulbs....
Fabric, Teak
Stilnovo adjustable wall lamp with wood Italy 1950
By Stilnovo
Located in Roosendaal, Noord Brabant
This rare and large adjustable wall lamp, designed and crafted by Stilnovo in the 1950s, stands out as a unique piece due to its distinctive use of a wooden arm—a material rarely emp...
Aluminum, Brass
Tito Agnoli 177a wall lamp Oluce Italy 1957
By Tito Agnoli, Oluce
Located in Roosendaal, Noord Brabant
Rare adjustable 177a wall lamp designed by Tito Agnoli and manufactured by Oluce in Italy in 1957. This lamp is made with a beautiful blended use of materials. The lamp has a brass w...
Aluminum, Brass
$834Sale Price|20% Off
Original Minimalist Adjustable Metal Wall Light, Cosack Attrib. Germany 1960s
By Cosack Leuchten, Staff Leuchten, Fog & Mørup
Located in Kirchlengern, DE
Article: Wall light Origin: Germany Decade: 1960s Producer: Cosack Attrib. Description: This wall light was designed and produced in Germany in th...
Metal
Maison Lunel, Large Wall Lamp with 4 Lights, France 1960
By Maison Lunel
Located in Catonvielle, FR
Large four-light wall lamp from Maison Lunel, France 1960. On a tapered teak piece are intertwined arms in gilded brass, receiving the 4 opalines. The design and manufacturing qualit...
Opaline Glass, Teak
Wall Lamp Walnut and Opaline Glass by Rupert Nikoll
By Rupert Nikoll
Located in Vienna, AT
Walnut frame fitted with two E14 sockets and opaline glass shades. Made in the 1960s by Rupert Nikoll in Vienna, Austria.
Glass, Teak
Pair of Midcentury Wall Lamps Sego Armatur, Sweden, 1960s
Located in Praha, CZ
-very rare type - nice style of lighting - marked by label
Metal
1960s Wall Light Made by Luxus Vittsjö Sweden Design by Uno & Östen Kristiansson
By Luxus Vittsjö, Uno & Östen Kristiansson
Located in Kirchlengern, DE
Article: wall light Producer: Luxus Vittsjö, Sweden Design: Uno & Osten Kristiansson Origin: Sweden Age: 1960s Original 1960s wa...
Plastic, Teak
$1,029Sale Price|20% Off
Plafo wall lamp by Uno and Osten Kristiansson for Luxus, Sweden 1960s
By Luxus Vittsjö, Östen Kristiansson, Uno Kristiansson
Located in ECHT, NL
This minimalist design lamp was designd by Uno and Östen Kristiansson for the Swedish company Luxus in the 1960s. The natural teak frame holds the round white opaline plastic shade. ...
Plexiglass, Teak
Mid-Century Modern Teak and Opaque Glass Wall Lamps, 1960s, Scandinavian, Pair
Located in Hagenbach, DE
A pair of Danish wall lamps made in the 1960s. It is fascinating with its rare glass shape. The body of the lamp is beautiful teak wood. The light requires one E14 light bulbs.
Opaline Glass, Teak
Swedish Designer, Wall Light, Acrylic, Teak, Sweden, 1950s
Located in High Point, NC
An acrylic and teak wall light designed and produced by a Swedish Designer, Sweden, 1950s. Dimensions of Back Plate (inches) : 9.8 x 1.6 x 0.4 (Height x Width x Depth) Socket t...
Acrylic, Teak
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.
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. Carefully selected vintage sconces and wall lights 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 is no longer merely practical, and 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 and 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 instead of bedside table lamps 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 antique and vintage 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.
The alluring pendant light exemplifies the designer’s winsome mid-career work.
Patrizio Chiarparini of Brooklyn’s Duplex gallery sheds light on the lasting legacy of Italy’s postwar furniture boom.
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.
The Louisiana-born and -bred architect talks to 1stdibs about the art of making timeless places that matter.
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.
The houses from this New York studio cloak modernist tendencies within what are often more traditional trappings.
In the market for a fantastic fixture from the 1940s, ’50s or ’60s? Here are some names to know.