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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 legendary 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.
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.
Finding the Right more-mirrors for You
The road from early innovations in reflective glass to the alluring antique and vintage mirrors in trendy modern interiors has been a long one but we’re reminded of the journey everywhere we look.
In many respects, wall mirrors, floor mirrors and full-length mirrors are to interior design what jeans are to dressing. Exceedingly versatile. Universally flattering. Unobtrusively elegant. And while all mirrors are not created equal, even in their most elaborate incarnation, they're still the heavy lifters of interior design, visually enlarging and illuminating any space.
We’ve come a great distance from the polished stone that served as mirrors in Central America thousands of years ago or the copper mirrors of Mesopotamia before that. Today’s coveted glass Venetian mirrors, which should be cleaned with a solution of white vinegar and water, were likely produced in Italy beginning in the 1500s, while antique mirrors originating during the 19th century can add the rustic farmhouse feel to your mudroom that you didn’t know you needed.
By the early 20th century, experiments with various alloys allowed for mirrors to be made inexpensively. The geometric shapes and beveled edges that characterize mirrors crafted in the Art Deco style of the 1920s can bring pizzazz to your entryway, while an ornate LaBarge mirror made in the Hollywood Regency style makes a statement in any bedroom. Friedman Brothers is a particularly popular manufacturer known for decorative round and rectangular framed mirrors designed in the Rococo, Louis XVI and other styles, including dramatic wall mirrors framed in gold faux bamboo that bear the hallmarks of Asian design.
Perhaps unsurprisingly, mid-century modernism continues to influence the design of contemporary mirrors. Today’s simple yet chic mantel mirror frames, for example, often neutral in color, owe to the understated mirror designs introduced in the postwar era.
Sculptor and furniture maker Paul Evans had been making collage-style cabinets since at least the late 1950s when he designed his Patchwork mirror — part of a series that yielded expressive works of combined brass, copper and pewter — for Directional Furniture during the mid-1960s. Several books celebrating Evans’s work were published beginning in the early 2000s, as his unconventional furniture has been enjoying a moment not unlike the resurgence that the Ultrafragola mirror is seeing. Designed by the Memphis Group’s Ettore Sottsass in 1970, the Ultrafragola mirror, in all its sensuous acrylic splendor, has become somewhat of a star thanks to much-lauded appearances in shelter magazines and on social media.
On 1stDibs, we have a broad selection of vintage and antique mirrors and tips on how to style your contemporary mirror too.
- 1stDibs ExpertApril 5, 2022A pouf is a cushioned stool that typically sits lower than the height of a sofa seat. Poufs come in all colors, shapes and fabric types and can be used as a seat, foot stool, side table or simply a focal point in your room decor. On 1stDibs, find a collection of poufs and other furniture from top sellers.
- 1stDibs ExpertApril 5, 2022The history of plastic as a raw material for furniture traces back to the years immediately after World War II. Improvements in plastics technology during the 1960s created a boom in the design of new plastic furniture, and it’s been a popular material ever since. Shop a collection of vintage and contemporary plastic furniture from some of the world’s top sellers on 1stDibs.
- 1stDibs ExpertApril 5, 2022Yes, in fact, pecan wood has been used for furniture, cabinetry and even in making certain tools. Pecan wood is durable and only moderately heavy. Shop a collection of pecan wood furniture from some of the world’s top sellers on 1stDibs.
- 1stDibs ExpertApril 5, 2022Teakwood is a type of wood popularly used in Indonesian furniture. It is a tropical hardwood mainly used in Java, Indonesia, that can grow up to 130 feet tall. Shop a collection of Indonesian furniture from some of the world’s top sellers on 1stDibs.
- 1stDibs ExpertApril 5, 2022A variety of furniture was used during the 16th century. Items commonly found in homes include high-backed armchairs, chests, stools, benches and cupboards. Most European artisans active during the time period produced pieces out of oak wood. Find a large collection of antique furniture on 1stDibs.
- 1stDibs ExpertFebruary 1, 2024What oil you should use on wicker furniture varies. For best results, consult the care instructions that accompanied your piece for specific instructions and product recommendations. Depending on the properties of your piece, linseed oil, lemon oil or another natural plant oil may be the best option. Find a diverse assortment of wicker furniture on 1stDibs.
- 1stDibs ExpertFebruary 13, 2023Bernhardt uses engineered, multi-ply hardwood plywood as well as various solid hardwoods like teak. The brand is known for employing unique decorative materials like bone inlay, German silver, gypsum and white onyx. On 1stDibs, find Bernhardt furniture from some of the world's top sellers.
- 1stDibs ExpertFebruary 22, 2021The best paint to use on wicker furniture is enamel paint. To paint, hold the can at least 8 inches away and move back and forth for even coverage.
- 1stDibs ExpertMarch 3, 2023Whether you can use furniture polish on black lacquer furniture depends on the formulation. Heavier polishes may cause streaks and damage the finish. For best results, read the labels carefully and only choose products intended for lacquer. On 1stDibs, shop a selection of lacquer furniture.
- 1stDibs ExpertSeptember 28, 2021The best products to use on wood furniture are lacquer, varnish or polyurethane that will protect the wood from staining, and add a nice sheen to the piece. Wood furniture polishes are available in silicon, emulsion, oil-based and wax and you can choose based on the type of wooden furniture you have. It is important to test on a small patch of wood before applying it to the entire piece of furniture.
- 1stDibs ExpertOctober 12, 2021There are many different types of finishes that can be used on wood furniture. Linseed oil, also known as flaxseed oil, is one of the most popular treatments in the world to use on wood furniture. Shop a range of antique and vintage wood furniture with different finishes on 1stDibs.
- 1stDibs ExpertApril 5, 2022The common types of furniture used during the Romanesque period relate to cathedrals and churches because the style of architecture was most commonly employed to construct these types of buildings during the era. They include altars, shrines, canopies and throne chairs. On 1stDibs, shop a collection of antique furniture.
- 1stDibs ExpertMarch 13, 2024Whether you should use teak wood oil on outdoor furniture depends on the piece and the product. The formulation of most teak wood oil is intended for indoor use, and these products generally shouldn't be applied to outdoor furniture. You should read the care instructions on your furniture and the directions for use on the teak oil for specific advice. Explore a wide variety of outdoor furniture on 1stDibs.
- 1stDibs ExpertFebruary 27, 2024The style of furniture that Frank Lloyd Wright used varied. Wright's wooden chairs and tables for his “Prairie Houses” of the early 1900s have sleek, attenuated forms, influenced by both the simplicity of traditional Japanese design and the work of Gustav Stickley and other designers of the Arts and Crafts movement. For several residential projects, Wright designed severely geometric chairs that are marvels of reductivist design. For the Price Tower in Oklahoma, Wright designed angular wooden desks as well as upholstered pedestal chairs made of chromed steel that are more in line with the mid-century modern style. On 1stDibs, shop a range of Frank Lloyd Wright furniture.