At 1stDibs, there are many versions of the ideal molded plastic desk for your home. Frequently made of
plastic,
metal and
aluminum, every molded plastic desk was constructed with great care. You’ve searched high and low for the perfect molded plastic desk — we have versions that date back to the 20th Century alongside those produced as recently as the 21st Century are available. A molded plastic desk made by
Mid-Century Modern designers — as well as those associated with
Modern — is very popular. Many designers have produced at least one well-made molded plastic desk over the years, but those crafted by
Ettore Sottsass,
Olivetti and
Dorothee Maurer-Becker are often thought to be among the most beautiful.
Prices for a molded plastic desk can differ depending upon size, time period and other attributes — at 1stDibs, they begin at $75 and can go as high as $5,975, while the average can fetch as much as $800.
Arguably the world’s most ubiquitous man-made material, plastic has impacted nearly every industry. In contemporary spaces, new and vintage plastic furniture is quite popular and its use pairs well with a range of design styles.
From the Italian lighting artisans at Fontana Arte to venturesome Scandinavian modernists such as Verner Panton, who created groundbreaking interiors as much as he did seating — see his revolutionary Panton chair — to contemporary multidisciplinary artists like Faye Toogood, furniture designers have been pushing the boundaries of plastic forever.
When The Graduate's Mr. McGuire proclaimed, “There’s a great future in plastics,” it was more than a laugh line. The iconic quote is an allusion both to society’s reliance on and its love affair with plastic. Before the material became an integral part of our lives — used in everything from clothing to storage to beauty and beyond — people relied on earthly elements for manufacturing, a process as time-consuming as it was costly.
Soon after American inventor John Wesley Hyatt created celluloid, which could mimic luxury products like tortoiseshell and ivory, production hit fever pitch, and the floodgates opened for others to explore plastic’s full potential. The material altered the history of design — mid-century modern legends Charles and Ray Eames, Joe Colombo and Eero Saarinen regularly experimented with plastics in the development of tables and chairs, and today plastic furnishings and decorative objects are seen as often indoors as they are outside.
Find vintage plastic lounge chairs, outdoor furniture, lighting and more on 1stDibs.