Although now dubbed the King of Slovenian Design, Niko Kralj was for many years one of the great unsung heroes of industrial design.
The late architect and furniture designer Kralj was known for groundbreaking seating and tables that seamlessly blend functionality with an elegant economy of line. He received little recognition outside his own country, despite registering 120-plus patents and models, including those for the Mosquito bar stool — named for its winglike seat and first produced in 2012 — and a number of inventive “foldables,” like the Rex coffee table and Rex daybed for children.
Sleek and space-saving, Kralj's iconic foldable Rex rocking chair was created in 1956 — it epitomizes his sleek and laconic minimalism, conveying a sense of strength and fluidity, both in its pleasingly geometric open form and its gracefully arching folded silhouette. A contemporary version of Kralj’s mid-century masterwork is produced by the Ljubljana-based furniture company Rex Kralj.
Over the course of his career, Kralj also established close ties with such design giants as Charles and Ray Eames, Richard Buckminster Fuller, Olof Pira and Ilmari Tapiovaara, all proponents, like him, of an aesthetic that inhabits the sweet spot between elegant simplicity and pragmatism.
Today, Kralj’s timeless rocking chairs are in the collections of a number of international museums, including New York’s Museum of Modern Art, Copenhagen’s Designmuseum Denmark and the National Technical Museum Prague.
Find vintage Niko Kralj furniture on 1stDibs.
Rex Coffee Table in Natural Oak, Solid frame + Plywood, Mid-Century Modern Style
By Niko Kralj
Located in Ljubljana, SI
The story of the Rex furniture collection begins in the 1950s with the Rex foldable chair. Its design incorporates innovation, functionality and beau...
Oak
Rex Coffee Table in Black Oak, Solid frame + Plywood, Mid-Century Modern Style
By Niko Kralj
Located in Ljubljana, SI
The story of the Rex furniture collection begins in the 1950s with the Rex foldable chair. Its design incorporates innovation, functionality and beau...
Oak
$1,771
H 25.79 in W 43.71 in D 23.63 in
Danish Antique Handcrafted Baroque Style Coffee Table of Solid Oak 1850s
By Axel Einar Hjorth
Located in Silkeborg, Silkeborg
Danish high baroque style coffee table of solid oak with drawer. Handcrafted by a Danish cabinetmaker in the 1850s, with hand-turned bobbing legs and connecting bar between the two s...
Oak
Mid-Century Modern Italian Surfboard Coffee Table, 1970s
Located in Puglia, Puglia
Particular coffee table from the 70s, top in mahogany veneer and metal base, the shape is reminiscent of a surfboard.
Metal
French Mid-Century Modern Neoclassical Side Table or Coffee Table
By Maison Ramsay
Located in New York, NY
Elegant and sober French Mid-Century Modern neoclassical end, side or coffee table attributed to Ramsay with four legs in an arched form emanating from a central cross form. Each leg...
Bronze, Copper, Metal
Mid-Century Memphis Style Side Coffee Table, Italy 1980s
By Memphis Group
Located in Saarbruecken, DE
Mid-Century Memphis style side coffee table, Italy 1980s. Lacquered laminate table top. Perfect vintage condition. solid and stable.
Laminate
$6,044 / item
H 19.69 in W 48.43 in D 17.72 in
Contemporary Brutalist Style Small Table #5 in Solid Oak and Linseed Oil
By Sóha
Located in Paris, IDF
Small table made of solid oak (+ linseed oil) Measures: 50 x 123 x 45 cm SÓHA design studio conceives and produces furniture design and decorative objects...
Oak
$5,925 / item
H 23.63 in W 48.04 in D 17.72 in
Contemporary Brutalist Style Small Table #2 in Solid Oak and Linseed Oil
By Sóha
Located in Paris, IDF
Small table made of solid oak (+ linseed oil) Measures: 60 x 122 x 45 cm. SÓHA design studio conceives and produces furniture design and decorative objects in solid oak in an authen...
Oak
Black Oak Tables Solid Wood, France, circa 1970
Located in Vienna, AT
Solid pair of blackened oak tables, circa 1970 Beautiful pair of side tables or bedroom side tables. Handcrafted small tables made from oak in good condition with no major blemish...
Oak
$5,925 / item
H 19.69 in W 44.1 in D 17.72 in
Contemporary Brutalist Style Small Table #4 in Solid Oak and Linseed Oil
By Sóha
Located in Paris, IDF
Small table made of solid oak (+ linseed oil) Measures: 50 x 112 x 45 cm. SÓHA design studio conceives and produces furniture design and decorative object...
Oak
$2,000
H 19 in W 28 in D 28 in
Danish Mid-Century Modern Solid Thick Teak Top Square Coffee Side Table
By Dux of Sweden
Located in Rockaway, NJ
Danish Mid-Century Modern 2" solid teak top coffee side occasional table.
Teak
$1,295
H 18.75 in W 40 in D 20 in
Mid-Century Modern Two-Tiered White Laminate Parson’s Style Coffee or End Table
By (after) Jean Michel Frank
Located in Topeka, KS
Fabulous Mid-Century Modern two-tiered white laminate particle board rectangle Parson’s style coffee or end table and optional rectangle glass top. Beautiful vintage condition. A hai...
Glass, Laminate, Masonite
Mid-Century Mosaic Coffee Table with Bronze Frame, circa 1950
Located in Philadelphia, PA
A mid-century mosaic coffee table with Venetian glass tiles and a bronze frame, circa 1950.
Bronze
$1,260
H 15.75 in W 19.69 in D 19.69 in
Sama Coffee Table, Contemporary Modern Minimalist Black Oak & Black Metal
By Fulden Topaloglu, Studio Kali
Located in Istanbul, TR
Sama coffee table is part of the Sama collection, which provides functionality through simple, yet striking and sculptural forms that add a unique an...
Metal