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
$1,786
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
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
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
$4,540
H 22.05 in W 25.2 in D 19.3 in
Mid-Century Modern Vintage Wood Sofa Table Coffee Table, 1950s Austria
Located in Vienna, AT
Mid-Century Modern Organic vintage coffee table or sofa table from wood with stunning motifs designed and manufactured in Austria 1950s. A...
Wood
$1,911
H 15.36 in W 47.25 in D 27.56 in
Mid-Century Modern Italian Lucite and Lacquer Coffee Table, 1970s
Located in Puglia, Puglia
This coffee table has an ivory lacquered wooden top with a marble effect motif and feet in lucite and brass, production of the 70s.
Brass
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
$3,106
H 20 in W 26 in D 16 in
Mid-Century Modern Coffee Table Ico Parisi manner, in walnut with Glass Top
By Ico Parisi
Located in Vigonza, Padua
Mid-Century Modern Coffee Table Ico Parisi manner, in walnut with Glass Top I consider this coffee table the most refined expression of the 1950s Italian design its shape gives the ...
Glass, Walnut
$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
$3,942
H 9.45 in W 37.41 in D 15.75 in
Studio Craft Solid Wood Coffee Table Mid-Century Modern, USA, 1970s
Located in Antwerp, BE
Studio Craft; Solid Wood; coffee table; Mid-Century Modern; USA; 1970s Wendell Castle; Roger Sloan; JB Blunk; Jawar; Richard Bronk; Gerald Mccabe; Bobby Falwell; David Scott; Charles Fischer; Howard...
Walnut
Round Coffee Table in Oak and Black Glass
By Dunleavy Bespoke
Located in Caragh, IE
Modern round coffee table with a black glass internal shelf and black glass top. The table photographed has been made with bog oak veneer to soften...
Glass, Oak
$1,147Sale Price|20% Off
H 16.34 in W 43.71 in D 23.63 in
Solid Oak Coffee Table with Natural Slate Top - Rustic Chic Style"
Located in Labrit, Landes
French slate and wood coffee table Mid-century Typical style of the sixties. Good condition Shipping: H 41.5 cm x W 111 cm x D 60 cm, 49 kg.
Slate