Unavailable|$1,776
Vico Magistretti “Telegono” lamp, 1960s
By Vico Magistretti
Located in Paris, IDF
The Telegono lamp, designed by the renowned Italian architect and designer Vico Magistretti in 1968, is a timeless example of mid-century modern design. This table lamp features a pl...
Plexiglass
Unavailable|$950 / item
Table lamp "ABN-Amro lamp" by Aldo van den Nieuwelaar
By Aldo van den Nieuwelaar
Located in Amsterdam, NL
Rare desk light specifically designed for all branch offices of the Dutch ABN Amro bank. Moulded plexiglass base with a shade of milk white plastic. To be either used with a circular...
Plexiglass, Plastic
Unavailable|$2,400
Joe Colombo Style Lamp
By Joe Colombo
Located in Baltimore, MD
A wonderful unique 60's tall table or low floor lamp with orange lacquered base. It features a yoyo form pull on a central brass stem. Simply depress the yoyo, and the light switch i...
Wood, Plexiglass
Unavailable|$1,125 / set
Pair of Philips Floor Lamps, 1980s
By Philips
Located in Lisboa, Lisboa
This pair of post-modern floor lamps from Philips' "Manhattan" series are iconic lighting fixtures, epitomizing the adventurous spirit of mid-1980s design. Their slim, vertical statu...
Plexiglass
Unavailable|$2,309
Stilnovo Floor Lamp, Italy, circa 1960
By Stilnovo
Located in Megeve, FR
Stilnovo floor lamp, Italy, circa 1960. Steel lacquered structure, marble base and four Plexiglas circle that encircles the opaline.
Marble, Steel
Unavailable|$1,421
French Sculptural Floor Lamp by Maison Charles
By Maison Charles, Jacques Charles
Located in JM Haarlem, NL
The French floor light 'Ruban' (ribbon) was designed by Jacques Charles around 1965. And just like many other Charles designs from that period it’s shade is made out of folded metal,...
Steel, Chrome
Unavailable|$1,776
Vintage Floor Lamp D668 by Candle, Italy, 1960s
By Candle
Located in Torino, Italy
Floor lamp with nickel-plated brass structure, white opal glass shade and opal plexiglas. Model D668 Candle manufacturer 1960s.
Brass
Unavailable|$1,700
Paul Mayen for Habitat NYC Floor Lamp
By Paul Mayen
Located in Hudson, NY
Paul Mayen for Habitat NYC. Frosted plexiglass over metal base. Comes with 24 LED 3wt. bulbs, non-dimming. They are very bright, but easily changeable. Great condition.
Metal
Unavailable|$2,960
Table Lamp by Roméo Rega
By Romeo Rega
Located in Brussels, BE
Impressive geometric design table lamp in Plexyglass and chrome by Romeo Rega.
Chrome
Unavailable|$3,315
Rare Wall Lamp by Stilnovo, circa 1955
By Stilnovo
Located in Saint-Ouen, FR
Beautiful wall lamp by Stilnovo, circa 1955. Cast steel and polished brass base, black lacquered metal and brass, copper gun barrel finish and light purple plexiglass and opaline ...
Brass, Metal
Unavailable|$2,072
Angelo Lelli Table Lamp for Arredoluce, Italy
By Arredoluce, Angelo Lelii
Located in Maastricht, NL
A table lamp attributed to Angelo Lelli for Arredoluce, made of blue, green, orange and yellow plexiglass panels on a brass frame.
Brass
Unavailable|$2,723
Arteluce Floor Lamp by Gregotti, Meneghetti and Stoppino 1966
By Lodovico Meneghetti, Giotto Stoppino and Vittorio Gregotti
Located in Roma, Lazio
The floor lamp consists of a moulded opal perspex diffuser, a brass stem and a black cast iron base; it can be used both as a reading lamp and, thanks to the opal diffuser, as an amb...
Brass
Unavailable|$3,848
Gioffredo Reggiani, Hammered Copper Marble Floor Lamp, Italia, 1960
By Gioffredo Reggiani
Located in Porto, PT
An Italian sculptural floor lamp, c.1960, made of chromed metal frame, leaf shaped hammered copper and plexiglass shade, marble base. Fitted for electricity, european plus.
Marble, Copper, Steel
Unavailable|$2,309
Elio Martinelli Beautiful Serpente Floor Lamp, circa 1960
By Elio Martinelli
Located in Megeve, FR
Martinelli beautiful floor lamp, circa 1960, serpente model. Swivel axis. Measure: Globe diameter 54 cm.
Metal
Unavailable|$1,480
Verner Panton Panthella Floor Lamp by Louis Poulsen
By Verner Panton, Louis Poulsen
Located in Megeve, FR
Original Verner Panton Panthella floor lamp by Louis Poulsen.
Metal
Unavailable|$400
Lightolier 1950s Chrome Center Table Lamp
Located in Boca Raton, FL
Lightolier 1950 th center table chrome lamp in 4 arms with globe shades.
Chrome
Unavailable|$3,079 / item
Pair of Missaglia Engraved Perspex Table Lamps
By Missaglia
Located in Brussels, BE
Pair of Missaglia engraved Perspex table lamps. White lacquered metal base.
Plexiglass
Unavailable|$1,421
midcenturyHarvey Guzzini for Guzzini Floor Lamp 'Lucerna'
By Harvey Guzzini
Located in Palermo, Italia
Nice and rather hard to find floor lamp of the 1970s designed and produced by Italian famous light maker GUZZINI This model is in perfect working condition with original electrical...
Steel
Unavailable|$947 / set
Pair of Philips Table Lamp, Line Manhattan, 1980s
By Philips
Located in Lisboa, Lisboa
The "Manhattan" table lamps by Philips Creative Line are a pair of illuminating artifacts straight from the design revolution of the 1980s. With their origin in the United Kingdom, t...
Plexiglass
Paul Secon Pendant Lamp Sompex Mid-century Nylon Plexiglass 1970s Germany
By Sompex, Paul Secon
Located in Antwerpen, BE
Transport yourself to the timeless elegance of the 70s with this captivating pendant lamp, a masterful design by Paul Secon for the esteemed German manufacturer, Sompex. Steeped in a...
Nylon, Plexiglass
Unavailable|$735
midcenturyPlexiglas Metal Chrome Table Lamp, Italy, 1970s
Located in Palermo, Italia
Minimalist and rational Italian design table lamp, design, 1970s.
Plexiglass
Unavailable|$1,950
Table Lamp by Stilnovo made in Italy
By Stilnovo
Located in New York, NY
Futuristic Stilnovo table lamp made in Milan. The lamp shade has a cilinder combined from white plexiglass and yellow lacquer on iron tripod. Stilnovo was a small Italian design an...
Iron
Unavailable|$2,960
Table Lamp 526p by Massimo Vignelli for Arteluce, 1965, Italy
By Massimo Vignelli, Arteluce
Located in Torino, Italy
Table lamp with steel structure and Plexiglas lampshade Model 526p Designer Massimo Vignelli Producer Arteluce Year 1965.
Steel
Unavailable|$2,072 / set
Beautiful Pair of Reversible Table Lamps, circa 1960
Located in Megeve, FR
Beautiful pair of reversible table lamps, circa 1960.
Metal
Verner Panton Vintage White Panthella Floor Lamp, Louis Poulsen, Denmark, 1971
By Louis Poulsen, Verner Panton
Located in Milano, IT
Floor lamp, designed by Verner Panton, model Panthella designed in 1971. It was created in collaboration with Louis Poulsen, who manufactures the lamp. Acrilic shade and an on/off ...
Steel
midcenturyPlexiglass Metal Chrome Table Lamp, 1970s Italian Design
Located in Palermo, Italia
Minimalist and rational Italian design table lamp, 1970s, design.
Plexiglass
Unavailable|$2,221
Floor Lamp by Adalberto Dal Lago for Esperia, Italy, circa 1960
By Esperia, Adalberto Dal Lago
Located in Wilnis, UT
Beautiful floor lamp designed by Adalberto Dal Lago, manufactured by Esperia in Italy around 1960. This eye-catching piece is made of high quality chrome metal with a plexiglass s...
Chrome, Metal
Unavailable|$23,636 / set
Rare Signed Pair Gio Ponti Polsino Black White Table Lamps Acrylic Guzzini 1967
By D. H. Guzzini, Gio Ponti
Located in Nierstein am Rhein, DE
Super rare signed pair Gio Ponti "Polsino" table lamps with black and white curved acrylic / plexiglass / plastic shades with chromed steel handle, designed by Gio Ponti and executed...
Metal, Steel, Chrome
Unavailable|$1,421 / item
Midcentury Danish Lamp in Massive Brass and Plexiglass, 1960s
Located in Oslo, NO
Impressive manufacturing quality set of Danish pendant in massive brass with plexiglass shade. Heavy brass body with turn hook attachment reminding of Louis Poulsen productions. In...
Brass
Unavailable|$500 / item
Scandinavian Modern Patinated Brass Lamps Plexi shades Danish Manufacture, 1960
Located in Oslo, NO
Scandinavian Modern brass set lamps plexi shades Danish manufacture 1960. Good size nicely patinated brass lamps with white poleaxe shade. Very precise fabrication in brass probably...
Brass
Paul Secon Sompex Pendant Lamp 1970s Midcentury Nylon Plexiglass Germany
By Paul Secon, Sompex
Located in Antwerpen, BE
This timeless and beautiful pendant lamp is a design from the 1970s, and designed by Paul Secon for the German manufacturer, Sompex, a German company that to this day makes lamps in ...
Nylon, Plexiglass
Lluminated Coatstand, Coatrack Floor Lamp Italy 70s Plexiglass Steel Pop Design
Located in L'Isle sur la Sorgue, FR
lluminated coatstand, coatrack, floor lamp. Italy 1970s For an interior pop and design.
Metal, Stainless Steel
Unavailable|$1,200
Large Mid-Century Saucer Pendant Lamp from Guzzini
By Guzzini
Located in Ljubljana, SI
Total height of the lamp is adjustable up to 135cm. The lamp socket is designed for standard E27 light-bulb (not included) but also takes your standard American/Canadian E26 size ...
Plexiglass
Unavailable|$710 / set
French Midcentury Design, Two Maison Arlus Brass and Plexi Wall Sconces Lamps
By Arlus
Located in Brussels, Ixelles
Set of two wall sconces produced by Maison Arlus in the 1950s, floral shaped plexiglas diffusers matching black painted metal and brass accents.
Metal, Brass
Unavailable|$1,065
Large Mid-Century White Bud Pendant Lamp from Guzzini, 1970s
Located in Ljubljana, SI
This is the bigger version (45cm diameter) of the famous Bud lamp. Takes one standard E27/E26 light bulb (not included). Works with 220v as well as 110v. Total height of the lamp is ...
Plexiglass
Unavailable|$888 / set
Mid-Century Italian Brass and Acrylic Glass Pendant Lamps, Set of 2
Located in Ljubljana, SI
Total height of the lamp is adjustable, length of the cable alone is 140cm and can be shortened to your preference. Takes one E27 light bulb (not included). A standard E26 American/C...
Brass
Unavailable|$1,421
Mid-Century Modern Cabras Lamp by Luigi Massoni for Guzzini, 1960s
Located in Ljubljana, SI
Takes one standard E27 light bulb (not included). A standard E26 American/Canadian size also fits (tested). Works with 220v as well as 110v. Total height of the lamp is adjustable, l...
Plexiglass
Raimondo Guzzini Pendant Chandelier for Kartell, Model Hanging Lamp 20th Century
By Harvey Guzzini
Located in Palermo, Italia
Particularly high-end suspended chandelier for Raimondo Guzzini "Harvey Guzzini" hanging lamp model. Made in Italy in 1900. Material: methacrylate. The chandelier has a...
Plexiglass
Unavailable|$3,890
RAAK Ceiling or Wall Lamp, Dutch, 1960s
By RAAK
Located in Maastricht, NL
A mid-century ceiling, wall or table lamp by Dutch lighting company Raak.
Metal
Unavailable|$800
Space Age Pendant Lamp From Guzzini
By Guzzini, Luigi Massoni
Located in Ljubljana, SI
Total height of the lamp is adjustable, length of the cable is 120cm and can be shortened to your preference. The lamp socket is designed for standard E27 light-bulb (not included...
Plexiglass
Unavailable|$600
Paul Secon for Sompex Pendant Lamp "Swag"
By Paul Secon
Located in Palermo, Italia
Year 1960, Germany Plexiglas pendant lamp with frame and wire made of nylon. In very good condition German design Small model. Measurements: Height 20 cm Diameter 16 cm.
Plexiglass
Unavailable|$6,714
Impressive Ceiling Lamp Made in Germany 'm'
By Gino Sarfatti, Angelo Lelii
Located in Frankfurt, Hessen, DE
Ceiling lamp, Germany, 1970. This impressive ceiling lamp has been exclusively designed and manufactured for the reconstruction of East Berlin State Library "Unter den Linden" betwe...
Metal, Brass
Unavailable|$680
White Space Age Pendant Lamp from Guzzini, 1960s
By Luigi Massoni, Guzzini
Located in Ljubljana, SI
Total height of the lamp is adjustable, length of the cable is 140cm and can be shortened to your preference. The lamp socket is designed for standard E27 light-bulb (not included) ...
Plexiglass
Unavailable|$38,370
1950s brass details Ceiling Lamp made in Germany
Located in Frankfurt, Hessen, DE
Prominent Ceiling Lamp, made in Germany, 1952. Beautiful and formidable ceiling lamp made of lacquered, zinc-plated steel pipes, with brass details and plexiglass. The lamp comes wi...
Brass, Steel, Zinc
Unavailable|$750
Vintage Space Age Pendant Lamp from Guzzini & Meblo, 1970s
By Guzzini
Located in Ljubljana, SI
Total height of the lamp is adjustable up to 135cm. The lamp socket is designed for standard E27 light-bulb (not included) but also takes your standard American/Canadian E26 size (t...
Plexiglass
Unavailable|$690
Space Age Jolly Pendant Lamp by Luigi Massoni from Guzzini
By Luigi Massoni, Guzzini
Located in Ljubljana, SI
Total height of the lamp is adjustable, length of the cable is 140cm and can be shortened to your preference. The lamp socket is designed for standard E27 light-bulb (not included) ...
Plexiglass
Unavailable|$500
Vintage Italian Eyeball Wall Lamp in Chrome from Guzzini
By Guzzini
Located in Ljubljana, SI
Takes one standard E14 light bulb (not included). We will provide all American/Canadian customers with the E14 to E12 adapter for the lightbulb. Works well with 220V as well as 110V....
Chrome
Unavailable|$730
Large Space Age Jolly Pendant Lamp by Luigi Massoni from Guzzini
By Luigi Massoni, Guzzini
Located in Ljubljana, SI
This is a bigger 45cm diameter version opposed to more common 35cm version. Total height of the lamp is adjustable, length of the cable is 130cm and can be shortened to your preferen...
Plexiglass
Unavailable|$750
Space Age Jolly Pendant Lamp by Luigi Massoni from Guzzini
By Luigi Massoni, Guzzini
Located in Ljubljana, SI
Total height of the lamp is adjustable, length of the cable is 120cm and can be shortened to your preference. The lamp socket is designed for standard E27 light-bulb (not included...
Plexiglass
French Midcentury Design Maison Arlus Brass & Glass Torchere Wall Sconces Lamps
By Arlus
Located in Brussels, Ixelles
Elegant extra large sized Maison Arlus hallway sconce, brass elements matched with black painted metal, Bordeaux velvet covering. Opalescent glass diffuser.
Metal, Brass
Pair of Mid-Century Modern Plexiglass Table Lamp
Located in Brussels, BE
Pair of Mid-Century Modern Plexiglass Table Lamp
Plexiglass
Mid-Century Modern Plexiglass Table Lamp, 1970s
Located in Brussels, BE
Mid-Century Modern plexiglass table lamp, 1970s.
Plexiglass
Mid-Century Modern Floor Lamp, Plexiglass and Marble Base, Italy
Located in Brussels, BE
Mid-Century Modern floor lamp, Plexiglass and Marble base, Italy.
Marble
Pair of Mid Century Chrome and Frosted Plexiglass Lamps
Located in Astoria, NY
A pair of vintage table lamps in chrome and frosted white plexiglass with matching shades. The body of each lamp is also lit from within independently from the exterior bulb.
Chrome
1970 Mid Century Italian Red Plexi Floor Lamp by Reggiani
By Reggiani
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Beautiful Italian Floor Lamp with red plexiglass shade by Reggiani.
Chrome
Mod Mid-Century Floor Lamp with Plexi Mushroom Shade by Dijkstra
By Dijkstra
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Mid-Century MOD floor lamp with variegated beige plexi mushroom shade and chocolate brown enameled metal base and body.
Metal
Italian Mid-Century Modern Style Brass and Plexiglass Floor Lamp, 1980s
Located in MIlano, IT
Italian Mid-Century Modern style brass and plexiglass floor lamp, 1980s Floor lamp with square base and brass stem, with pyramidal diffuser in opaque plexiglass with brass edge.
Brass
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.
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.
The right table lamp, outwardly sculptural chandelier or understated wall pendant can work wonders for your home. While we’re indebted to thinkers like Thomas Edison for critically important advancements in lighting and electricity, we’re still finding new ways to customize illumination to fit our personal spaces all these years later. A wide range of antique and vintage lighting can be found on 1stDibs.
Today, lighting designers like the self-taught Bec Brittain have used the flexible structure of LEDs to craft glamorous solutions by working with what is typically considered a harsh lighting source. By integrating glass and mirrors, reflection can be used to soften the glow from LEDs and warmly welcome light into any space.
Although contemporary innovators continue to impress, some of the classics can’t be beat.
Just as gazing at the stars allows you to glimpse the universe’s past, vintage chandeliers like those designed by Gino Sarfatti and J. & L. Lobmeyr, for example, put on a similarly stunning show, each with a rich story to tell.
As dazzling as it is, the Arco lamp, on the other hand, prioritizes functionality — it’s wholly mobile, no drilling required. Designed in 1962 by architect-product designers Achille & Pier Giacomo Castiglioni, the piece takes the traditional form of a streetlamp and creates an elegant, arching floor fixture for at-home use.
There is no shortage of modernist lighting similarly prized by collectors and casual enthusiasts alike — there are Art Deco table lamps created in a universally appreciated style, the Tripod floor lamp by T.H. Robsjohn-Gibbings, Greta Magnusson Grossman's sleek and minimalist Grasshopper lamps and, of course, the wealth of mid-century experimental lighting that emerged from Italian artisans at Arredoluce, FLOS and many more are hallmarks in illumination innovation.
With decades of design evolution behind it, home lighting is no longer just practical. Crystalline shaping by designers like Gabriel Scott turns every lighting apparatus into a luxury accessory. A new installation doesn’t merely showcase a space; carefully chosen ceiling lights, table lamps and floor lamps can create a mood, spotlight a favorite piece or highlight your unique personality.
The sparkle that your space has been missing is waiting for you amid the growing collection of antique, vintage and contemporary lighting for sale on 1stDibs.
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.