Modern 1950
Vintage 1950s French Mid-Century Modern Chandeliers and Pendants
Brass
Vintage 1950s American Mid-Century Modern Serving Pieces
Wood
Vintage 1950s Italian Mid-Century Modern Coffee and Cocktail Tables
Brass, Iron
Vintage 1950s Dutch Mid-Century Modern Stools
Wood, Rush
Vintage 1950s Belgian Mid-Century Modern Floor Mirrors and Full-Length M...
Giltwood
Vintage 1950s Italian Mid-Century Modern Pitchers
Brass
Vintage 1950s Spanish Mid-Century Modern Carts and Bar Carts
Rattan
Vintage 1950s North American Mid-Century Modern Table Clocks and Desk Cl...
Leather
Vintage 1950s Scandinavian Scandinavian Modern Barware
Rosewood
Vintage 1950s Danish Scandinavian Modern Coffee and Cocktail Tables
Cane, Oak, Teak
Vintage 1950s Austrian Mid-Century Modern Magazine Racks and Stands
Brass
Vintage 1950s Danish Scandinavian Modern Floor Lamps
Beech
Vintage 1950s Italian Mid-Century Modern Table Lamps
Blown Glass
Vintage 1950s American Mid-Century Modern Table Lamps
Vintage 1950s African Mid-Century Modern Figurative Sculptures
Bronze
Vintage 1950s Mexican Mid-Century Modern Barware
Silver Plate, Brass
Mid-20th Century Brazilian Mid-Century Modern Figurative Sculptures
Wood
Vintage 1950s Mid-Century Modern Table Lamps
Wood
20th Century American Art Deco Stools
Steel
Vintage 1950s Danish Scandinavian Modern Side Chairs
Beech, Wool
Vintage 1950s French Mid-Century Modern Table Lamps
Ceramic
20th Century European Mid-Century Modern Coffee and Cocktail Tables
Wood, Glass
Mid-20th Century African Mid-Century Modern Stools
Wood
Vintage 1970s Italian Post-Modern Commodes and Chests of Drawers
Walnut
Vintage 1950s Swedish Mid-Century Modern Chairs
Antler
Vintage 1950s Austrian Mid-Century Modern Magazine Racks and Stands
Brass
Vintage 1950s Belgian Mid-Century Modern Cabinets
Metal
Vintage 1950s Italian Mid-Century Modern Dressers
Brass
Vintage 1950s Danish Mid-Century Modern Sofas
Wool, Teak
Vintage 1950s Mexican Mid-Century Modern Coffee and Cocktail Tables
Marble, Brass, Bronze
Mid-20th Century Danish Scandinavian Modern Lounge Chairs
Bouclé, Oak
Vintage 1950s Italian Mid-Century Modern Floor Lamps
Metal
Mid-20th Century German Mid-Century Modern Ashtrays
Metal, Brass
Mid-20th Century French Mid-Century Modern Table Lamps
Metal, Brass
Vintage 1950s Italian Mid-Century Modern Ashtrays
Art Glass
Vintage 1950s German Mid-Century Modern Barware
Bronze
20th Century American Art Deco Desks
Maple
Vintage 1950s Mexican Mid-Century Modern Barware
Brass, Silver Plate
Vintage 1950s Swedish Scandinavian Modern Floor Lamps
Brass
Mid-20th Century Danish Scandinavian Modern Armchairs
Cane, Wood
Vintage 1950s Belgian Mid-Century Modern Coffee and Cocktail Tables
Wood
Mid-20th Century Danish Scandinavian Modern Dining Room Chairs
Leather, Rosewood
Mid-20th Century European Mid-Century Modern Models and Miniatures
Pine
Mid-20th Century French Mid-Century Modern Table Lamps
Brass, Metal
Vintage 1950s Danish Scandinavian Modern Coffee and Cocktail Tables
Oak, Teak
Vintage 1950s Italian Mid-Century Modern Floor Lamps
Marble, Bronze
Vintage 1950s Scandinavian Scandinavian Modern Pitchers
Bamboo, Glass
Vintage 1950s French Mid-Century Modern Paintings
Canvas, Linen, Masonite, Paint
Vintage 1950s German Mid-Century Modern Barware
Brass
Vintage 1950s German Mid-Century Modern Table Lamps
Metal, Brass
Vintage 1950s Mexican Mid-Century Modern Coffee and Cocktail Tables
Brass
Vintage 1950s American Mid-Century Modern Table Lamps
Steel
Vintage 1950s American Table Lamps
Porcelain
Vintage 1950s Danish Scandinavian Modern Rocking Chairs
Beech, Papercord, Rush
21st Century and Contemporary British Mid-Century Modern Lounge Chairs
Metal, Brass
Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Benches
Wood, Birch
Mid-20th Century Danish Scandinavian Modern Floor Lamps
Metal, Iron
Vintage 1950s American Mid-Century Modern Floor Lamps
Steel
Mid-20th Century Danish Scandinavian Modern Floor Lamps
Brass
Vintage 1950s Italian Mid-Century Modern Vases
Gold
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Modern 1950 For Sale on 1stDibs
How Much is a Modern 1950?
A Close Look at Mid-Century Modern Furniture
Organically shaped, clean-lined and elegantly simple are three terms that well describe mid-century modern American 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.
Postwar American architects and designers were animated by new ideas and new technology. The lean, functionalist “International Style” architecture of Le Corbusier and Bauhaus eminences such as Ludwig Mies van der Rohe and Walter Gropius had been promoted in the United States during the ’30s 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, respectively, pieces such as the La Chaise and the Womb chair. George Nelson and his design team created Bubble lamp shades using a new translucent polymer skin. Harry Bertoia and Isamu Noguchi devised chairs and tables built of wire mesh and wire struts. Materials were re-purposed: the Danish-born designer Jens Risom created a line of chairs that used surplus parachute straps for webbed seats and backrests.
As the demand for casual, uncluttered furnishings grew, more mid-century 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, blonde-wood furniture — and Milo Baughman, who espoused a West Coast aesthetic in lushly upholstered chairs and sofas with angular steel frames.
As the collection of vintage mid-century modern American furniture on 1stDibs demonstrates, this period saw one of the most delightful and dramatic flowerings of creativity in design history.
Read More

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Mies van der Rohe’s Barcelona Chair Shook Modernism and Charmed Hollywood
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Smilow Design Makes Marvels of the Mid-Century New Again
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Eileen Gray’s Deco Designs Launched Modernism. That Was Just the Beginning
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Harvey Probber Was the Godfather of Modern Modular Seating
The forward-thinking designer is finally getting his due.

How Noguchi Elevated Ashtrays to Objets d’Art
Smoking might have fallen out of fashion, but these ashtrays have enduring design appeal.

Mid-Century Genius Charlotte Perriand Shines Bright in Paris
No longer in the shadows of her male contemporaries, the trailblazing designer finally gets her due.

Herman Miller Got Its Start in the Office, but Its Legacy Is in the Home
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.