Vintage Bakelite Nesting

Thanks to design lovers’ enthusiasm for Art Deco and mid-century modern furniture, and the increasingly competitive market for pieces by more famous creators, 20th-century Czech designers are making their way back onto the international stage. Foremost among these talents is Jindrich Halabala.

Halabala was a cabinetmaker’s son whose training was almost wholly focused on woodwork, first at a state-run vocational school for woodworking in Valašské Meziříčí and later at UP Závody in Brno, where he ultimately became chief designer. His curvaceous bentwood H chairs, such as the H269 and H237, and stylized ottomans have become classics, while his 1930s and 1940s sofas, tables and storage cabinets, with their sweeping curves, stylized geometry and dark, richly grained wood, embody the best of Art Deco furniture design, a style that was brought to worldwide attention at an exhibition in Paris in 1925.

Some see Halabala's work as the segue between early 1900s Czech Cubism and the modern style that dominated the mid-century.

Find a collection of vintage Jindrich Halabala furniture today on 1stDibs.

Antique and vintage nesting tables and stacking tables first became popular in the early 1800s. With individual tables being used for afternoon tea, needlework and other activities, nesting tables were a perfect solution to clear up clutter at the end of the day.

These tables remained a staple of interiors over the decades for their versatility. In the 1920s, German-born American artist Josef Albers designed a modern version with each table a different color. At the Bauhaus, the German art and design school and chief crucible of modernism founded by architect Walter Gropius, Albers wasn’t the only designer to reinterpret the nesting table. Hungarian-born architect Marcel Breuer also introduced a model with chrome-plated tubular steel legs and lacquered plywood surfaces.

One can now find a range of gorgeous, carefully crafted designs, such as a three-level set of solid oak nesting tables, naturally oiled and finished with Calacatta marble. A game-themed set of nesting tables is a must-have for a living room or lounge, while a small office can be accented with vintage Scandinavian nesting tables made of teakwood, a sought-after material among mid-century modern designers.

Browse the unique collection of antique and vintage stacking tables and nesting tables on 1stDibs to find hundreds of options to match your office or living space.