Steelcase Furniture
The Michigan-based furniture maker Steelcase has a long and distinguished history, but collectors focus on its vintage office furniture and desk chairs from the 1950s to the ’70s, when, along with such companies as Knoll and Herman Miller, the firm helped define the aesthetics of American mid-century modernism.
Steelcase was founded in Grand Rapids in 1912 as the Metal Office Furniture Company, promoting steel desks and other furnishings as safer, fireproof alternatives to wooden pieces at a time when smoking in the workplace was common. Boston’s first skyscraper — the 32-story Customs House — was furnished by the company in 1915. Frank Lloyd Wright, an American architect and furniture designer whose work had a profound influence on the shape of modern life, turned to the firm in 1937 to fabricate the enameled metal chairs and desks for his Johnson Wax Headquarters in Racine, Wisconsin.
In the 1950s, when Steelcase formally adopted the name it still uses today, the company developed a sleek and functional style employing rectilinear chrome frames for glass-topped tables and upholstered seating pieces. The look is similar to that of the minimal, Bauhaus-inspired designs of Florence Knoll, another icon of furniture design who helped shape the ethos of the postwar business world.
By the 1970s, Steelcase had enlivened its styling, offering such pieces as chairs and side tables designed by Gardner Leaver, with circular bases and curving supports. As you will see on these pages, Steelcase designs offer a perfect foundation for a modernist decor, with a touch of flair.
Find vintage Steelcase furniture on 1stDibs.
1970s American Mid-Century Modern Vintage Steelcase Furniture
Stainless Steel
1980s American Mid-Century Modern Vintage Steelcase Furniture
Steel
21st Century and Contemporary Steelcase Furniture
Laminate
21st Century and Contemporary Steelcase Furniture
Velvet
1980s American Modern Vintage Steelcase Furniture
Aluminum
1970s American Mid-Century Modern Vintage Steelcase Furniture
Chrome
Late 20th Century Mid-Century Modern Steelcase Furniture
Upholstery, Wood
2010s American Mid-Century Modern Steelcase Furniture
Metal
1970s American Mid-Century Modern Vintage Steelcase Furniture
Aluminum
1970s American Mid-Century Modern Vintage Steelcase Furniture
Aluminum
1970s American Space Age Vintage Steelcase Furniture
Suede
20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Steelcase Furniture
Chrome
Mid-20th Century American Industrial Steelcase Furniture
Metal, Steel, Cut Steel, Sheet Metal
2010s American Modern Steelcase Furniture
Metal
1950s American Mid-Century Modern Vintage Steelcase Furniture
Steel
1970s American Post-Modern Vintage Steelcase Furniture
Chrome
1980s North American Mid-Century Modern Vintage Steelcase Furniture
Chrome
1970s American Mid-Century Modern Vintage Steelcase Furniture
Velvet, Acrylic, Fiberglass
1970s Mid-Century Modern Vintage Steelcase Furniture
Granite
2010s American Mid-Century Modern Steelcase Furniture
Steel
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Steelcase Furniture
Upholstery, Plastic, Polyester
Mid-20th Century American Industrial Steelcase Furniture
Chrome
Early 2000s Modern Steelcase Furniture
Metal
1980s North American Mid-Century Modern Vintage Steelcase Furniture
Steel
2010s American Modern Steelcase Furniture
Steel
2010s American Modern Steelcase Furniture
Fabric, Polyester, Plywood
1970s American Mid-Century Modern Vintage Steelcase Furniture
Stainless Steel
1970s Mid-Century Modern Vintage Steelcase Furniture
Metal
1970s German Mid-Century Modern Vintage Steelcase Furniture
Aluminum
Late 20th Century American Modern Steelcase Furniture
Metal
1950s American Vintage Steelcase Furniture
Steel
Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Steelcase Furniture
Metal
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Steelcase Furniture
Steel
1980s American Mid-Century Modern Vintage Steelcase Furniture
Metal
2010s American Modern Steelcase Furniture
Aluminum, Steel
Late 20th Century American Modern Steelcase Furniture
Chrome
2010s American Modern Steelcase Furniture
Aluminum, Steel
Late 20th Century American Modern Steelcase Furniture
Chrome
1970s American Mid-Century Modern Vintage Steelcase Furniture
Steel
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Steelcase Furniture
Metal
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Steelcase Furniture
Steel
21st Century and Contemporary North American Modern Steelcase Furniture
Metal
2010s American Modern Steelcase Furniture
Chrome, Steel
2010s American Modern Steelcase Furniture
Aluminum
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Steelcase Furniture
Steel
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Steelcase Furniture
Fabric, Polyester, Maple, Plywood
Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Steelcase Furniture
Chrome
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Steelcase Furniture
Aluminum
1970s American Mid-Century Modern Vintage Steelcase Furniture
Steel
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Steelcase Furniture
Chrome
Early 2000s American Post-Modern Steelcase Furniture
Chrome
Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Steelcase Furniture
Metal
Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Steelcase Furniture
Steel
Late 20th Century American Modern Steelcase Furniture
Fabric, Oak, Bentwood
1960s American Mid-Century Modern Vintage Steelcase Furniture
Steel
Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Steelcase Furniture
Chrome
21st Century and Contemporary North American Modern Steelcase Furniture
Fabric
1990s American Modern Steelcase Furniture
Stainless Steel