An assortment of vintage bakelite glasses is available at 1stDibs. Each of these unique vintage bakelite glasses was constructed with extraordinary care, often using
plastic,
bakelite and
metal. Vintage bakelite glasses have been produced for many years, with earlier versions available from the 20th Century and newer variations made as recently as the 20th Century. There are many kinds of vintage bakelite glasses to choose from, but at 1stDibs,
Art Deco,
Mid-Century Modern and
Industrial vintage bakelite glasses are of considerable interest.
Pragotron,
Poul Henningsen and
Louis Poulsen each produced beautiful vintage bakelite glasses that are worth considering.
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.