Skip to main content

Vladimir Kagan Unicorn Sofa

Vladimir Kagan Unicorn Sofa
By Vladimir Kagan
Located in New York, NY
Kagan design. Provenance: Collection of the artist.
Category

Vintage 1960s American Mid-Century Modern Sofas

Materials

Aluminum

Vladimir Kagan Unicorn Sofa
Vladimir Kagan Unicorn Sofa
H 32 in W 96 in D 33 in
Vladimir Kagan, "Unicorn" Sofa, Lucite, Velvet, USA, c. 1975
By Vladimir Kagan
Located in High Point, NC
A curved velvet and lucite "Unicorn" sofa, designed by Vladimir Kagan and produced by Vladimir
Category

Vintage 1970s American Mid-Century Modern Sofas

Materials

Velvet, Lucite

Vladimir Kagan, "Unicorn" Sofa, Lucite, Velvet, USA, c. 1975
By Vladimir Kagan
Located in High Point, NC
A curved velvet and lucite "Unicorn" sofa, designed by Vladimir Kagan and produced by Vladimir
Category

Vintage 1970s American Mid-Century Modern Sofas

Materials

Velvet, Lucite

Vladimir Kagan Unicorn sofa for Kagan Designs, 1967. Very Rare. One Owner.
By Vladimir Kagan
Located in Kansas City, MO
This original Vladimir Kagan Curved Unicorn sofa has had only one owner and was purchased directly
Category

Vintage 1960s American Mid-Century Modern Sofas

Materials

Aluminum, Wrought Iron

Vladimir Kagan (1927-1988) Tufted Livid Velvet 'Unicorn" Sofa Model U522, 1960s
By Vladimir Kagan
Located in Germantown, MD
A Iconic Vladimir Kagan (1927-1988) Tufted Livid Velvet Upholstered Cast Aluminum 'Unicorn' Sofa
Category

Vintage 1960s American Mid-Century Modern Sofas

Materials

Aluminum

Rare 'Unicorn' Leather and Aluminum Curved Sofa by Vladimir Kagan, c. 1963
By Vladimir Kagan
Located in Los Angeles, CA
'Unicorn' curved sofa by Vladimir Kagan Designs Inc. designed and produced circa 1963, shortly after Kagan
Category

Vintage 1960s American Mid-Century Modern Sofas

Materials

Aluminum

Important Vladimir Kagan Rosewood Brass Dresser, Desk Unit, 1950s
By Vladimir Kagan
Located in Culver City, CA
in our gallery with a set of Vladimir Kagan unicorn chairs, as well as a Vladimir Kagan serpentine
Category

Vintage 1950s American Mid-Century Modern Dressers

Materials

Brass

Early Rare Prototype for N° 5490 Chaise Lounge, George Nelson, 1953
By George Nelson
Located in Culver City, CA
mid century modern greatness in our gallery alongside a Vladimir Kagan cloud sofa a Milo Baughman
Category

Vintage 1950s American Mid-Century Modern Lounge Chairs

Materials

Steel

People Also Browsed

1950's Style Curved Velvet Sofa in Custom Velvet Colors
Located in New York, NY
The Sofa inspires itself nature where green is the predominant element and where valleys and hills prevail. The item’s details allow it to be the perfect statement piece for any cont...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Sofas

Materials

Velvet, Walnut

White Wash Brutalist Sculptural Collage Artwork, Mural from Upcycled Wood
By Peter Glassford
Located in San Antonio, TX
These WHITE WASH collage tiles are composed randomly from recycled wood remnants and when installed bathe any space with a warm feeling and texture which is meditative, sanded to a s...
Category

2010s Mexican Brutalist Contemporary Art

Materials

Wood

Hans-Agne Jakobsson 'Tratten' Verdigris Patinated Outdoor Sconce
By Hans-Agne Jakobsson, Örsjö Industri AB
Located in Glendale, CA
Hans-Agne Jakobsson 'Tratten' verdigris patinated outdoor sconce. An exclusive made for U.S. and UL listed authorized re-edition of the classic Swedish design executed in verdigris p...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Swedish Scandinavian Modern Wall Lights an...

Materials

Metal

Curved Sofa by FERRER, USA
By FERRER
Located in New York, NY
Original design by Charlie Ferrer. Inspired by the serpentine sofa forms of Kagan. Extremely comfortable. Sofa construction in very good condition. Fabric on two panels of upholster...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Sofas

Materials

Mohair, Oak, Fabric

Curved Sofa by FERRER, USA
Curved Sofa by FERRER, USA
H 31 in W 96 in D 64 in
Vladimir Kagan Sofa
By Vladimir Kagan
Located in San Francisco, CA
A "Tangent" sofa by Vladimir Kagan for Weiman Furniture. Produced in North Carolina late in Kagan's career as he re-visited his early catalog and reinterpreted it for today's trends....
Category

Vintage 1970s American Modern Sofas

Materials

Upholstery, Wood

Vladimir Kagan Sofa
Vladimir Kagan Sofa
H 38 in W 92 in D 57 in
Hudson Bed (walnut slab) By Barlas Baylar
By Barlas Baylar, Hudson Furniture
Located in New York, NY
Hudson Bed (Walnut Slab) Dimensions: King size platform (66.5" W x 84" D) / Headboard 186" L Materials: Solid walnut - Headboards are recommended to be wall-mounted with supplied cle...
Category

2010s Beds and Bed Frames

Materials

Stainless Steel

Mid Century Modern Curved Serpentine L Shape Sectional Sofa
Located in Philadelphia, PA
A sleek modern curved sectional circa 1980's. This sofa is top notch, and would look great with a brass plinth base instead of fabric wrapped. The fabric has some soiling, so recover...
Category

Vintage 1980s American Mid-Century Modern Sectional Sofas

Materials

Fabric

Afra and Tobia Scarpa Walnut Africa Dining Chair for Maxalto, 1976, Set of 4
By Maxalto, Afra & Tobia Scarpa
Located in Vicenza, IT
Set of four Africa dining chairs, designed by Afra and Tobia Scarpa and produced by the Italian manufacturer Maxalto in 1976. They feature a clear walnut briar structure and a black ...
Category

Vintage 1970s Italian Mid-Century Modern Chairs

Materials

Brass

Modern Minho Day Bed, DEDAR Bouclé, Oak Root, Handmade in Portugal by Greenapple
By Greenapple
Located in Lisboa, PT
Minho Day Bed, Contemporary Collection, Handcrafted in Portugal - Europe by Greenapple. Designed by Rute Martins for the Contemporary Collection, the Minho day bed with a wooden sid...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Chaise Longues

Materials

Bouclé, Oak

Modern Conchula Day Bed, Beige Bouclé, Handmade in Portugal by Greenapple
By Greenapple
Located in Lisboa, PT
Conchula Day Bed, Contemporary Collection, Handcrafted in Portugal - Europe by Greenapple. Designed by Rute Martins for the Contemporary Collection, the Conchula day bed is a room-d...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Sofas

Materials

Leather, Bouclé, Cotton, Velvet, Wood, Wool, Oak

Modern Curved Serpentine Sofa in Orange Velvet W Gold & Wood Details
Located in Porto, PT
Modern curved serpentine sofa in orange velvet w gold & wood details Giulia sofa is a modern mid-century style sofa. This luxury sofa promises to be the absolute protagonist of a mo...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Mid-Century Modern Sofas

Materials

Brass

Serpentine Cloud Sofa in the manner of Vladimir Kagan, 1990s
By Directional, Vladimir Kagan
Located in Hamburg, PA
A vintage 1990s Serpentine Cloud Sofa in the manner of Vladimir Kagan. The fabric on the Cloud Sofa is supple, soft, and ready to place. This sofa would look great in any Mid-Centur...
Category

1990s American Mid-Century Modern Sofas

Materials

Ultrasuede

Paul Láslzó Bench in Mahogany and Cane
By Paul Laszlo, Glenn of California
Located in Waalwijk, NL
Paul László for Glenn of California, bench or sofa, mahogany, cane, United States, 1950 This sofa or bench, a creation of Paul László, contains a well-preserved caned back and seat....
Category

Vintage 1950s American Mid-Century Modern Benches

Materials

Cane, Mahogany

Paul Láslzó Bench in Mahogany and Cane
Paul Láslzó Bench in Mahogany and Cane
H 30.99 in W 70.99 in D 25.01 in
Vladimir Kagan Mohair Wing Chair 100c-S, Polished Nickel Swivel Base, Holly Hunt
By Vladimir Kagan
Located in Brooklyn, NY
Vladimir Kagan mohair wing chair 100c, polished nickel swivel base, holly hunt. Gorgeous Amber Whiskey Mohair Custom piece. Rare metal swivel base version in polished nickel. Desig...
Category

Vintage 1940s American Mid-Century Modern Lounge Chairs

Materials

Stainless Steel, Nickel

Dining Set Designed by Alvar Aalto for Finmar Ltd., Finland, 1929
By Alvar Aalto
Located in Stockholm, SE
Dining set designed by Alvar Aalto for Finmar Ltd., Finland, 1929. Birch. Stamped. This rare dining set by the Finish design icon Alvar Aalto is characterised by the combination of...
Category

Mid-20th Century Finnish Mid-Century Modern Dining Room Sets

Materials

Birch

Wing Chair, Design and Manufacturer I. S. A. Bergamo, Italy, 1950s
By ISA Bergamo
Located in Wolfurt, AT
This Italian wing chair was manufactured by I.S.A. Bergamo in the 1950s. The armchair has a slightly extended backrest and is covered with an extravagant fabric in warm tones. The bo...
Category

Vintage 1950s Italian Mid-Century Modern Armchairs

Materials

Brass

Recent Sales

Champagne Alpaca Art Deco Wingback Mom & Pop Lounge Chairs
Located in Saint Louis, MO
: Vladimir Kagan Fiftyish sofa in super soft ivory white Bouclé Post Modern two part Onyx and Chrome coffee
Category

Vintage 1930s American Art Deco Wingback Chairs

Materials

Alpaca, Upholstery, Wood

Vladimir Kagan Unicorn sofa
Located in Newburgh, NY
The famed Unicorn sofa by Vladimir kagan...
Category

20th Century American Sofas

Vladimir Kagan Unicorn sofa
Vladimir Kagan Unicorn sofa
H 29 in W 83 in D 30 in
Get Updated with New Arrivals
Save "Vladimir Kagan Unicorn Sofa", and we’ll notify you when there are new listings in this category.

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

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 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 Seating for You

With entire areas of our homes reserved for “sitting rooms,” the value of quality antique and vintage seating cannot be overstated.

Fortunately, the design of side chairs, armchairs and other lounge furniture — since what were, quite literally, the early perches of our ancestors — has evolved considerably.

Among the earliest standard seating furniture were stools. Egyptian stools, for example, designed for one person with no seat back, were x-shaped and typically folded to be tucked away. These rudimentary chairs informed the design of Greek and Roman stools, all of which were a long way from Sori Yanagi's Butterfly stool or Alvar Aalto's Stool 60. In the 18th century and earlier, seats with backs and armrests were largely reserved for high nobility.

The seating of today is more inclusive but the style and placement of chairs can still make a statement. Antique desk chairs and armchairs designed in the style of Louis XV, which eventually included painted furniture and were often made of rare woods, feature prominently curved legs as well as Chinese themes and varied ornaments. Much like the thrones of fairy tales and the regency, elegant lounges crafted in the Louis XV style convey wealth and prestige. In the kitchen, the dining chair placed at the head of the table is typically reserved for the head of the household or a revered guest.

Of course, with luxurious vintage or antique furnishings, every chair can seem like the best seat in the house. Whether your preference is stretching out on a plush sofa, such as the Serpentine, designed by Vladimir Kagan, or cozying up in a vintage wingback chair, there is likely to be a comfy classic or contemporary gem for you on 1stDibs.

With respect to the latest obsessions in design, cane seating has been cropping up everywhere, from sleek armchairs to lounge chairs, while bouclé fabric, a staple of modern furniture design, can be seen in mid-century modern, Scandinavian modern and Hollywood Regency furniture styles.

Admirers of the sophisticated craftsmanship and dark woods frequently associated with mid-century modern seating can find timeless furnishings in our expansive collection of lounge chairs, dining chairs and other items — whether they’re vintage editions or alluring official reproductions of iconic designs from the likes of Hans Wegner or from Charles and Ray Eames. Shop our inventory of Egg chairs, designed in 1958 by Arne Jacobsen, the Florence Knoll lounge chair and more.

No matter your style, the collection of unique chairs, sofas and other seating on 1stDibs is surely worthy of a standing ovation.