Robin Day For Hille
Mid-20th Century British Mid-Century Modern Lounge Chairs
Steel
Vintage 1960s British Mid-Century Modern Lounge Chairs
Chrome
Vintage 1970s Armchairs
Aluminum
Vintage 1950s British Mid-Century Modern Armchairs
Velvet, Oak
Vintage 1960s English Mid-Century Modern Living Room Sets
Metal
Vintage 1960s Sofas
Wool
Mid-20th Century English Mid-Century Modern Armchairs
Oak
Mid-20th Century British Minimalist Desks and Writing Tables
Wood
Vintage 1960s English Mid-Century Modern Swivel Chairs
Chrome
21st Century and Contemporary British Armchairs
Metal
Vintage 1950s British Mid-Century Modern Dining Room Chairs
Walnut, Plywood
Vintage 1960s British Futurist Desk Sets
Aluminum
Mid-20th Century British Mid-Century Modern Chairs
Chrome
Mid-20th Century Danish Art Deco Chairs
Beech
Vintage 1960s Brazilian Mid-Century Modern Chairs
Leather, Plastic
Recent Sales
Vintage 1950s Danish Mid-Century Modern Bookcases
Glass, Hardwood
Vintage 1950s English Mid-Century Modern Daybeds
Metal
Mid-20th Century British Mid-Century Modern Sofas
Wool, Mahogany
Vintage 1950s Mid-Century Modern Armchairs
Ash, Oak
Vintage 1950s English Mid-Century Modern Desks
Beech, Plywood
Late 20th Century English Mid-Century Modern Dining Room Chairs
Metal
Mid-20th Century European Mid-Century Modern Dining Room Tables
Beech, Cherry
Vintage 1950s French Mid-Century Modern Armchairs
Vintage 1960s British Mid-Century Modern Lounge Chairs
Mid-20th Century British Mid-Century Modern Sideboards
Beech
Vintage 1950s English Mid-Century Modern Sideboards
Leather, Wood
Vintage 1950s British Mid-Century Modern Sideboards
Wood
Vintage 1960s British Mid-Century Modern Desks and Writing Tables
Metal
Vintage 1950s British Mid-Century Modern Sideboards
Wood
Mid-20th Century European Mid-Century Modern Desks
Rosewood
Vintage 1960s French Mid-Century Modern Dining Room Chairs
Metal
Vintage 1960s French Mid-Century Modern Dining Room Chairs
Metal
Mid-20th Century British Mid-Century Modern Armchairs
Chrome
Vintage 1960s British Mid-Century Modern Desks and Writing Tables
Steel
Vintage 1950s English Mid-Century Modern Dining Room Tables
Wood
Vintage 1950s British Mid-Century Modern Lounge Chairs
Steel
Vintage 1970s British Mid-Century Modern Lounge Chairs
Metal
Vintage 1970s British Mid-Century Modern Lounge Chairs
Metal
Mid-20th Century English Chairs
Canvas, Wood
Vintage 1960s British Mid-Century Modern Sectional Sofas
Chenille, Foam, Teak
Vintage 1970s English Mid-Century Modern Chairs
Metal
Vintage 1950s English Mid-Century Modern Dining Room Sets
Wood
Vintage 1950s British Mid-Century Modern Benches
Metal
Mid-20th Century British Mid-Century Modern Dining Room Sets
Beech, Plywood, Walnut
Mid-20th Century British Mid-Century Modern Cupboards
Teak
Mid-20th Century European Mid-Century Modern Dining Room Tables
Mahogany
Vintage 1950s British Mid-Century Modern Dining Room Tables
Other
Vintage 1950s British Mid-Century Modern Lounge Chairs
Steel
Vintage 1950s British Mid-Century Modern Sofas
Metal
Vintage 1950s European Mid-Century Modern Sideboards
Satinwood, Walnut
Mid-20th Century British Mid-Century Modern Sofas
Steel
Vintage 1950s British Mid-Century Modern Sideboards
Elm, Walnut
Vintage 1950s British Mid-Century Modern Sofas
Cotton, Cane, Foam, Mahogany
Vintage 1950s British Mid-Century Modern Daybeds
Metal
Mid-20th Century British Mid-Century Modern Sofas
Metal, Chrome
Vintage 1950s British Mid-Century Modern Daybeds
Metal
Mid-20th Century British Mid-Century Modern Credenzas
Leather, Rosewood
Vintage 1950s British Mid-Century Modern Dining Room Sets
Leather, Mahogany
Mid-20th Century British Mid-Century Modern Chairs
Beech, Plywood
Mid-20th Century English Mid-Century Modern Dining Room Sets
Leather, Mahogany
Mid-20th Century Brazilian Mid-Century Modern Swivel Chairs
Mid-20th Century British Mid-Century Modern Credenzas
Leather, Rosewood
Mid-20th Century British Mid-Century Modern Lounge Chairs
Steel
Mid-20th Century Danish Mid-Century Modern Dining Room Sets
Leather, Wood
Vintage 1950s English Armchairs
Wool
Mid-20th Century English Mid-Century Modern Swivel Chairs
Leather
Vintage 1950s English Mid-Century Modern Sideboards
Satinwood, Walnut
Vintage 1950s English Mid-Century Modern Bookcases
Wood
Mid-20th Century British Lounge Chairs
Fabric, Teak
Mid-20th Century Dining Room Chairs
Fabric
Vintage 1950s English Mid-Century Modern Desks and Writing Tables
Beech, Walnut
Mid-20th Century British Mid-Century Modern Desks and Writing Tables
Cherry
Mid-20th Century English Mid-Century Modern Dining Room Chairs
Beech, Plywood, Walnut
Mid-20th Century British Mid-Century Modern Dining Room Tables
Beech
Vintage 1960s English Mid-Century Modern Lounge Chairs
Metal
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21st Century and Contemporary Swedish Mid-Century Modern Table Lamps
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2010s South African Minimalist Night Stands
Wood
2010s British Scandinavian Modern Ottomans and Poufs
Velvet, Mohair, Oak
2010s American Modern Table Lamps
Brass, Silver Leaf, Steel
21st Century and Contemporary Danish Mid-Century Modern Wall Mirrors
Brass
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Center Tables
Wood
2010s Italian Wardrobes and Armoires
Walnut
Vintage 1950s French Mid-Century Modern Armchairs
Straw, Beech
Robin Day For Hille For Sale on 1stDibs
How Much is a Robin Day For Hille?
A Close Look at Mid-century Modern Furniture
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
- Emerged during the mid-20th century
- Informed by European modernism, Bauhaus, International style, Scandinavian modernism and Frank Lloyd Wright’s architecture
- A heyday of innovation in postwar America
- Experimentation with new ideas, new materials and new forms flourished in Scandinavia, Italy, the former Czechoslovakia and elsewhere in Europe
CHARACTERISTICS OF MID-CENTURY MODERN FURNITURE DESIGN
- Simplicity, organic forms, clean lines
- A blend of neutral and bold Pop art colors
- Use of natural and man-made materials — alluring woods such as teak, rosewood and oak; steel, fiberglass and molded plywood
- Light-filled spaces with colorful upholstery
- Glass walls and an emphasis on the outdoors
- Promotion of functionality
MID-CENTURY MODERN FURNITURE DESIGNERS TO KNOW
- Charles and Ray Eames
- Eero Saarinen
- Milo Baughman
- Florence Knoll
- Harry Bertoia
- Isamu Noguchi
- George Nelson
- Danish modernists Hans Wegner and Arne Jacobsen, whose emphasis on natural materials and craftsmanship influenced American designers and vice versa
ICONIC MID-CENTURY MODERN FURNITURE DESIGNS
- Eames lounge chair
- Nelson daybed
- Florence Knoll sofa
- Egg chair
- Womb chair
- Noguchi coffee table
- Barcelona chair
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.