$9,500
H 29 in W 94 in D 30.5 in
Danish Modern Sofa by Pi Langlos Fabrikker / style Illum Wikkelso Hans Wegner
Located in Chicago, IL
Beautiful and early P.I. Langlos Fabrikker, Stranda sofa design. I believe Rosewood legs and
Rosewood
$4,500
H 26.5 in W 84 in D 26.5 in
Nanna Ditzel Style Four Seat Sculptural Teak Sofa Mid-Century Danish Modern
By Nanna Ditzel
Located in Pemberton, NJ
by Pi Langlos Fabrikker- often attributed to Nanna Ditzel. New Upholstery recommended.
Teak, Upholstery
Oscar Langlo for Pi Langlos Fabrikker Sofa
By P.I. Langlos Fabrikker AS Stranda
Located in Hamilton, Ontario
Superb Scandinavian Modern sofa designed by Oscar Lango and produced by P. I. Langlo’s Fabrikker
Upholstery, Teak
Sold
H 28.5 in W 88 in D 30.5 in
Midcentury Danish Modern Sofa in Teak by Oscar Langlo for Pi Langlos Fabrikker
By P.I. Langlos Fabrikker AS Stranda
Located in Philadelphia, PA
A sleek modern sofa designed by Oscar Langlo and produced in Norway, circa 1960. This sofa is all
Fabric, Teak
$1,357 / item
H 13.39 in W 10.63 in D 10.63 in
Set Antique Vintage Acorn Opaline White Milk Glass Ceiling Pendant Light Lamp
Located in Sale, GB
- A fabulous run of church opaline acorn pendant lights with steel galleries, circa 1950. - Wear commensurate with age, all in excellent condition, the steel galleries are aged worn...
Glass
$4,900 / item
H 34 in W 86 in D 42 in
Custom Made Modern English Arm Sofa in Performance Linen Velvet - 86"
By Bloom Home Inc
Located in Old Town Orange, CA
This beautiful english arm sofa has a modern twist, with its single bench cushion, and beautiful curved apron sides. It’s upholstered in a Linen Velvet Performance fabric. Shown in...
Linen, Velvet
$6,237 / set
H 24.01 in Dm 13.78 in
Pair of Constant Night Stands in Iroko Wood by Master Studio for Lemon
By Lemon
Located in Amsterdam, NL
Neatly proportioned with exceptional detailing, the constant nightstand is your perfect bedside partner. In our furniture making, the IDEA is to create special pieces that you can bu...
Hardwood
LU Swing Sconce
By Lumfardo Luminaires
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Beautiful brass LU swing sconce made by Lumfardo Luminaires in patinated brass. Wired with an E26 medium based socket. Light bulb provided as well as all mounting hardware. Priced in...
Brass
$6,950 / item
H 47.25 in Dm 21.66 in
Florian Schulz Double Onos 55-Pendant Lamp with Side Counter Weights
By Florian Schulz
Located in Berlin, DE
Really beautiful Florian Schulz double Onos 55-pendant lamp with one E27 / model for each lamp 100 Watt bulbs. Also available in US wired.
Brass
$2,000 / item
H 8.5 in Dm 17.5 in
Vintage Inspired Handcrafted Fluted Farmhouse Porcelain Pendant Light
By DBO Home
Located in Sharon, CT
Classic, elegant, with a perfectly imperfect touch. We just love our new porcelain Parasol Fluted Pendants. Inspired by a vintage pie cover, we designed them to hang over our kitchen...
Brass
Pair of French Wrought Iron Martini Tables
Located in London, GB
Wrought iron martini tables, hand made in England inspired by an original 1940s French design. Finished with a natural bronze patina as standard. Can also be supplied in black or gi...
Iron
$4,000 / item
H 18 in W 54 in D 18 in
Sculptural ICO Bench Series 60 in Natural Walnut by Stamford Modern
By Stamford Modern
Located in Westport, CT
The ICO Bench is a sophisticated reinterpretation of Ico Ponti’s modernism, where architectural form meets modern functionality. Defined by its signature angled legs and subtle metal...
Walnut, Oak
$2,455 / item
H 11.8 in W 11.8 in D 7.5 in
Tulip Organic Modern Contemporary Wall Sconce, Wall Light in White Plaster
By Hannah Woodhouse
Located in London, GB
Handmade Tulip organic modern wall light/ wall sconce, in silky smooth white plaster, created by artist Hannah Woodhouse in her London studio. Contemporary organic modern design insp...
Plaster
Midcentury Adrian Pearsall for Craft Gondola Sofa
By Adrian Pearsall
Located in Rio Vista, CA
Large Mid-Century Modern gondola sofa attributed to Adrian Pearsall for Craft Associates. Features an angular case with distinctive canted arms at each end, and a low sleek profile. ...
Fabric, Walnut
Scandinavian Modern Low Teak Upholstered Sofa
Located in Brooklyn, NY
Sleek, low, Scandinavian modern, teak frame sofa features streamlined, chocolate brown tweed upholstery with rolled back cushion. The frame is minimal from the front and sides but fe...
Fabric, Teak
Carl Malmsten "Berlin" Three-Seater Sofa, Sweden 1960s
By Carl Malmsten
Located in Utrecht, NL
The “Berlin” three-seater sofa is “Malmstenesque” to its core. Designed in 1960, this sofa shows the designer’s predilection for traditional Swedish craftsmanship. Rejecting strict f...
Fabric, Wood
$8,304
H 33.86 in W 70.87 in D 26.78 in
Midcentury Modern Rare Carl Malmsten Velvet "Samsas" Sofa Sweden, 1960s
By O.H. Sjögren, Carl Malmsten
Located in Hillringsberg, SE
This midcentury icon sofa was designed by Carl Malmsten and this one was produced by O.H Sjögren. The sofa has a rare fabric in shifting red/pink velvet. It’s in good vintage conditi...
Velvet, Birch
Milo Baughman Style Selig Imperial Mid Century Sofa
By Selig, Milo Baughman
Located in Franklin Park, IL
Milo Baughman Style Selig Imperial Mid Century Sofa This sofa measures: 93 wide x 33 deep x 27 inches high, with a seat height of 15 and arm height of 22.5 inches All pieces of fur...
Upholstery, Wood
Danish Four Seat Sofa in Teak and Olive Green Upholstery
Located in Waalwijk, NL
Four seat sofa, teak, fabric, Denmark, 1950s Typical Scandinavian Modern sofa with modest yet striking lines. The way the armrests bent outwards remind of the designed by Folke Ohls...
Fabric, Teak
Classic Harvey Probber style 4 Seater Sofa Mid-Century Modern
By Harvey Probber
Located in Pemberton, NJ
Classic Harvey Probber style 4 seater sofa with chunky round feet. This is a designer delight in that it needs new upholstery-original is well worn and faded. We love the long low...
Upholstery, Wood
Black leather, silk velvet cushions, breathable bouclé fabric — when shopping for antique or vintage sofas, today’s couch connoisseurs have much to choose from in terms of style and shape. But it wasn’t always thus.
The sofa is typically defined as a long upholstered seat that features a back and arms and is intended for two or more people. While the term “couch” comes from the Old French couche, meaning to lie down, and sofa has Eastern origins, both are forms of divan, a Turkish word that means an elongated cushioned seat. Bench-like seating in Ancient Greece, which was padded with soft blankets, was called klinai. No matter how you spell it, sofa just means comfort, at least it does today.
In the early days of sofa design, upholstery consisted of horsehair or dried moss. Sofas that originated in countries such as France during the 17th century were more integral to decor than they were to comfort. Like most Baroque furnishings from the region, they frequently comprised heavy, gilded mahogany frames and were upholstered in floral Beauvais tapestry. Today, options abound when it comes to style and material, with authentic leather offerings and classy steel settees. Plush, velvet chesterfields represent the platonic ideal of coziness.
Vladimir Kagan’s iconic sofa designs, such as the Crescent and the Serpentine — which, like the sectional sofas of the 1960s created by furniture makers such as Harvey Probber, are quite popular among mid-century modern furniture enthusiasts — showcase the spectrum of style available to modern consumers. Those looking to make a statement can turn to Studio 65’s lip-shaped Bocca sofa, which was inspired by the work of Salvador Dalí. Elsewhere, the furniture of the 1970s evokes an era when experimentation ruled, or at least provided a reason to break the rules. Just about every area of society felt a sudden urge to be wayward, to push boundaries — and buttons. Vintage leather sofas of that decade are characterized by a rare blending of the showy and organic.
With so many options, it’s important to explore and find the perfect furniture for your space. Paying attention to the lines of the cushions as well as the flow from the backrest into the arms is crucial to identifying a cohesive new piece for your home or office.
Fortunately, with styles from every era — and even round sofas — there’s a luxurious piece for every space. Deck out your living room with an Art Deco lounge or go retro with a nostalgic '80s design. No matter your sitting vision, the right piece is waiting for you in the expansive collection of unique sofas on 1stDibs.
You know the designs, now get the stories about how they came to be.
If anyone is brave, humble and adept enough to recolor these mid-century masterpieces, it’s Ilse Crawford. Here, she gives us the details on her five earthy paint choices and tells us how she feels about design collaborations.
In an innovative display, the Designmuseum Danmark is permanently exhibiting the 20th century's most iconic seats.
Our feed is filled with the world's most beautiful spaces. See the 10 our followers have deemed the best of the best this month.