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Mel Smilow Slat Bench

Mel Smilow Slat Bench in Walnut
Located in Brooklyn, NY
Beautiful Mel Smilow walnut slat bench. Elegant silhouette with simple lines and just the right
Category

Mid-20th Century Benches

Materials

Walnut

Mel Smilow Slat Bench in Walnut
Mel Smilow Slat Bench in Walnut
H 14 in W 60 in D 18 in
Mel Smilow Slat Bench/End Table in Walnut
By Mel Smilow
Located in Brooklyn, NY
Beautiful Mel Smilow walnut slat bench. Elegant silhouette with simple lines and just the right
Category

Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern End Tables

Materials

Walnut

44" Slatted Walnut Bench or Coffee Table by Mel Smilow
By Mel Smilow
Located in New York, NY
Originally designed by Mel Smilow in 1956 and officially reintroduced by his daughter Judy Smilow
Category

21st Century and Contemporary American Mid-Century Modern Benches

Materials

Walnut

60" Slatted Walnut Bench or Coffee Table by Mel Smilow
By Mel Smilow
Located in New York, NY
Originally designed by Mel Smilow in 1956 and officially reintroduced by his daughter Judy Smilow
Category

21st Century and Contemporary American Mid-Century Modern Benches

Materials

Walnut

Mel Smilow Slatted Solid Walnut Mid-Century Modern Bench on Tapered Dowel Legs
By Mel Smilow
Located in Rockaway, NJ
Mel Smilow Slatted solid walnut Mid-Century Modern bench on tapered dowel legs.
Category

20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Benches

Materials

Walnut

Mel Smilow Walnut Slat Table
By Smilow-Thielle, Mel Smilow
Located in Garnerville, NY
A Mel Smilow (1922-2002) designed solid walnut slat table. Wonderful oiled walnut featuring that
Category

Vintage 1950s American Mid-Century Modern End Tables

Materials

Walnut

Mel Smilow Walnut Slat Table
Mel Smilow Walnut Slat Table
H 14.25 in W 18 in D 28 in
Mel Smilow Walnut Slat Table
By Smilow-Thielle, Mel Smilow
Located in Garnerville, NY
A Mel Smilow (1922-2002) designed solid walnut slat table. Wonderful oiled walnut featuring that
Category

Vintage 1950s American Mid-Century Modern End Tables

Materials

Walnut

Mel Smilow Walnut Slat Table
Mel Smilow Walnut Slat Table
H 14.25 in W 18 in D 28 in
Mel Smilow Walnut Slat Tables, A Set of Three
By Smilow-Thielle, Mel Smilow
Located in Garnerville, NY
A fine set of three Mel Smilow (1922-2002) designed solid walnut slat tables. Wonderful oiled
Category

Vintage 1960s American Mid-Century Modern End Tables

Materials

Walnut

Pair Square Mel Smilow Slatted Solid Walnut Modern Benches Side Tables MINT!
By Mel Smilow, Adrian Pearsall
Located in Rockaway, NJ
Pair of Mel Smilow Solid Walnut Tapered Dowel Legs Square Slatted Solid Walnut Modern Benches
Category

20th Century American Mid-Century Modern End Tables

Materials

Walnut

Elegant Mid Century Modernist Coffee Table/ Slat Bench
By Mel Smilow
Located in Buffalo, NY
Elegant mid century modernist coffee table/ slat bench..,, simple, sleek design, wonderful quality
Category

Vintage 1960s American Mid-Century Modern Coffee and Cocktail Tables

Materials

Wood

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Recent Sales

Vintage Slat Table with Iron Legs
By Mel Smilow, George Nelson
Located in Chicago, IL
A beautifully crafted vintage table / bench in the Manner of George Nelson or Mel Smilow. Quite
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Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Coffee and Cocktail Tables

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Vintage Slat Table with Iron Legs
Vintage Slat Table with Iron Legs
H 15.25 in W 36 in D 36 in
Slatted Bench or Table by Mel Smilow
By Mel Smilow, Smilow-Thielle
Located in Brooklyn, NY
slats; and cantilevered top. Original 1950s production. Legs screw off without tools for easy transport
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Vintage 1950s American Mid-Century Modern Benches

Materials

Walnut

Mid-Century Modern Mel Smilow Elongated Walnut Slat Bench End/Coffee Table
By Mel Smilow
Located in Wilmington, DE
Modern walnut slat bench table by Mel Smilow. Has been refinished and is in good condition with minor
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Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Benches

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Walnut

Mel Smilow for Smilow-Thielle Slat Walnut Coffee Table
By Mel Smilow, Smilow-Thielle
Located in Brooklyn, NY
Mid-Century Modern, slat walnut coffee table bench with elegant dovetail details and tapered legs
Category

Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Coffee and Cocktail Tables

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Walnut

Mid-Century Modern Slat Walnut Coffee Table Bench by Mel Smilow
By Mel Smilow, Smilow-Thielle
Located in Brooklyn, NY
Mid-Century Modern, slatted walnut bench or coffee table with elegant dovetail details and tapered
Category

Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Coffee and Cocktail Tables

Materials

Walnut

Rare Mel Smilow Slat Bench or Coffee Table
By Mel Smilow
Located in Brooklyn, NY
Beautiful Mel Smilow slat bench in walnut. Beautifully executed atop sculpturally tapered legs. In
Category

Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Coffee and Cocktail Tables

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Walnut

Rare Mel Smilow Slat Bench or Coffee Table
Rare Mel Smilow Slat Bench or Coffee Table
Free Shipping
H 15.5 in W 60 in D 18 in
Mel Smilow Slat Bench
By Mel Smilow, Smilow-Thielle
Located in Garnerville, NY
Six foot slat bench/table designed by Mel Smilow. The joinery is the ornament in this very simple
Category

Vintage 1950s American Mid-Century Modern Benches

Materials

Walnut

Mel Smilow Slat Bench
Mel Smilow Slat Bench
H 14 in W 72 in D 18 in
Mel Smilow Walnut Slat Bench, Coffee Table, 1950s
By Mel Smilow
Located in Bainbridge, NY
Original Mel Smilow Slat bench, coffee table, bed end bench. Featuring rectangular frame on 4
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Vintage 1950s American Mid-Century Modern Coffee and Cocktail Tables

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Walnut

Mel Smilow for Smilow-Thielle Slat Bench
By Mel Smilow
Located in Middlesex, NJ
Mel Smilow for Smilow-Thielle slat bench. Bench has been restored. Rare 6' version of this style by
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20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Benches

Walnut Slatted Bench by Mel Smilow
By Mel Smilow
Located in Brooklyn, NY
Elegant and clean lined slatted bench designed by Mel Smilow. Constructed of solid walnut slats
Category

Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Benches

Materials

Walnut

Walnut Slatted Bench by Mel Smilow
Walnut Slatted Bench by Mel Smilow
H 17 in W 48 in D 18 in
Mel Smilow Walnut Slat Bench or Coffee Table
By Mel Smilow
Located in Atlanta, GA
Midcentury walnut slat bench or coffee table, designed by Mel Smilow, American, circa 1950s. It has
Category

Vintage 1950s American Mid-Century Modern Benches

Materials

Metal

Pair of Mel Smilow Solid Walnut Slat Benches or Coffee Tables
By Mel Smilow
Located in Rockaway, NJ
Pair of solid walnut Mid-Century Modern slat wood benches by Mel Smilow.
Category

20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Benches

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Walnut

Mel Smilow Slat Walnut Bench or Coffee Table
By Mel Smilow
Located in Middlesex, NJ
Mel Smilow slat walnut bench or coffee table.
Category

20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Coffee and Cocktail Tables

Slat Bench or Table by Mel Smilow
By Smilow-Thielle, Mel Smilow
Located in Brooklyn, NY
5 feet long. Light and airy design with its long, tapered legs, slender slats, and cantilevered top
Category

Vintage 1950s American Mid-Century Modern Coffee and Cocktail Tables

Materials

Walnut

Slat Bench or Table by Mel Smilow
Slat Bench or Table by Mel Smilow
H 14 in W 60 in D 18 in
Slat Bench or Table by Mel Smilow
By Smilow-Thielle, Mel Smilow
Located in Brooklyn, NY
, tapered legs; slender slats; and cantilevered top. Original 1950s production. Legs screw off without tools
Category

Vintage 1950s American Mid-Century Modern Coffee and Cocktail Tables

Materials

Wood, Walnut

Slat Bench or Table by Mel Smilow
Slat Bench or Table by Mel Smilow
H 14 in W 72 in D 18 in
Mel Smilow Mid Century Slat Bench Coffee Table in Walnut c 1950's
By Mel Smilow
Located in New York, NY
Exceptional Mid Century in solid walnut slat bench, coffee table by Mel Smilow. The bench
Category

Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Coffee and Cocktail Tables

Materials

Walnut

Mid-Century Modern Long Slat Walnut Bench Coffee Table by Mel Smilow
By Smilow-Thielle, Mel Smilow
Located in Brooklyn, NY
Mid-Century Modern, long, slatted walnut bench/coffee table with elegant dovetail details and
Category

Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Coffee and Cocktail Tables

Materials

Walnut

Mid-Century Modern Slatted Cocktail Table by Mel Smilow
By Mel Smilow
Located in Port Jervis, NY
Fabulous walnut slatted bench or cocktail table with finger joint construction. Delicate walnut
Category

Vintage 1950s American Mid-Century Modern Coffee and Cocktail Tables

Materials

Walnut

Mid-Century Modern Walnut Slatted Bench / Coffee Table
By Mel Smilow
Located in Brooklyn, NY
Beautiful mid-century modern walnut slatted bench / coffee table. This table would made a great
Category

Mid-20th Century Unknown Mid-Century Modern Coffee and Cocktail Tables

Materials

Walnut

1960s Classic Beech Wood Slat Bench or Table
By George Nelson, Mel Smilow
Located in Garnerville, NY
Classic 1960s Yugoslavian Beech wood slat bench or coffee table. These are getting harder to find
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Vintage 1960s Serbian Mid-Century Modern Coffee and Cocktail Tables

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Beech

1950 Mel Smilow Slat Bench
By Mel Smilow
Located in Hudson, NY
Nicely restored walnut bench. Versatile as a table or a bench.  
Category

Vintage 1950s American Mid-Century Modern Benches

Materials

Walnut

1950 Mel Smilow Slat Bench
1950 Mel Smilow Slat Bench
H 14 in W 72 in D 18 in
Midcentury Walnut Mel Smilow Slat Bench or Coffee Table
By Mel Smilow, Smilow-Thielle
Located in Brooklyn, NY
Slender slat 1950s solid American walnut bench or coffee table by Mel Smilow for Smilow-Thielle
Category

Vintage 1950s American Mid-Century Modern Benches

Materials

Walnut

Rare Bench by Mel Smilow for Smilow-Thielle
By Mel Smilow
Located in Tarrytown, NY
Rare, six foot long slat bench designed by Mel Smilow for Smilow-Thielle. The bench exhibits very
Category

Vintage 1950s American Benches

Handsome 1950 Mel Smillow Slat Bench
By Mel Smilow
Located in Hudson, NY
Walnut slats. Nice restored condition. A few very minor dents in wood. Smillow Company-NYC.
Category

Vintage 1950s American Mid-Century Modern Benches

Materials

Walnut

Slat Bench Designed by Mel Smilow.
By Mel Smilow
Located in Tarrytown, NY
1950's slat bench designed by Mel Smilow. Very appealing construction.
Category

Vintage 1950s American Benches

Materials

Wood

Slat Bench Designed  by Mel Smilow.
Slat Bench Designed  by Mel Smilow.
H 14 in W 48 in D 18 in
Mel Smilow Long Bench, 1950s MidCentury Slat Bench
By Mel Smilow
Located in Newtown, CT
Vintage Mel Smilow long bench from the 1950s. Measures: It is 72" long x 14" high x 18" deep. Great
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Vintage 1950s American Mid-Century Modern Benches

Slat Coffee Table or Bench by Mel Smilow
By Mel Smilow
Located in San Diego, CA
Slatted coffee table or bench with tapered legs by Mel Smilow. Beautiful walnut grain and joinery
Category

Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Coffee and Cocktail Tables

Materials

Walnut

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Mel Smilow Slat Bench For Sale on 1stDibs

At 1stDibs, there are many versions of the ideal mel smilow slat bench for your home. Each mel smilow slat bench for sale was constructed with extraordinary care, often using walnut, wood and metal. There are 10 variations of the antique or vintage mel smilow slat bench you’re looking for, while we also have 2 modern editions of this piece to choose from as well. Whether you’re looking for an older or newer mel smilow slat bench, there are earlier versions available from the 20th Century and newer variations made as recently as the 21st Century. When you’re browsing for the right mel smilow slat bench, those designed in Mid-Century Modern styles are of considerable interest.

How Much is a Mel Smilow Slat Bench?

Prices for a mel smilow slat bench can differ depending upon size, time period and other attributes — at 1stDibs, they begin at $1,500 and can go as high as $4,600, while the average can fetch as much as $2,815.

Mel Smilow for sale on 1stDibs

“Enduring, modern and classic” is how mid-century modern furniture designer Mel Smilow used to describe his chairs, benches, coffee tables and other pieces, which were not only functional and durable but were designed to become timeless heirlooms for American families.

Smilow was born in the Bronx, New York, and, in 1939, attended Pratt Institute, where he studied to become a commercial artist. However, his father’s death forced him to discontinue his schooling and, at the age of 17, he took over his father’s role as a wholesale furniture salesman.

Following his stint in the army during World War II, Smilow partnered with colleague Morton Thielle in 1949 to form the furniture manufacturer and retailer Smilow-Thielle. Although they had planned to sell quality furniture made by American manufacturers, Smilow was unsatisfied with their designs and became Smilow-Thielle’s chief designer. 

Throughout the 1950s and 1960s, Smilow used a variety of American hardwoods such as walnut, beech and oak for his benches, lounge chairs, sofas, table lamps, coffee tables, and other furnishings. One of his more popular designs was the Floating Platform bed — John Lennon and Yoko Ono owned one. 

Although Smilow intended his designs to be comfortable and affordable for the “average American family,” his work was defined by the clean lines, delicate construction and symmetry often seen in Scandinavian modernist or Japanese furniture, and it drew attention and acclaim from designers and critics. 

For instance, Buckminster Fuller placed Smilow’s rocking chairs in the geodesic dome he designed as the U.S. pavilion for Expo 1967, in Montreal, and Pratt Institute featured his ottoman as part of an exhibition of “well-designed furniture for under $25.” The New York Times, the New Yorker magazine and William Hennessey’s book Modern Furnishings for the Home also featured Smilow’s furniture.

Smilow-Thielle operated retail locations in the New York metro area as well as in Washington, D.C., with the firm’s flagship store occupying prime real estate on Lexington Avenue in Manhattan for several decades. Smilow’s designs have been likened to those of Jens Risom and Børge Mogensen and certainly wouldn’t have looked out of place in a Herman Miller showroom in the postwar era, but they have distinctive joinery details and a quiet strength that make them unique.

In 1969, Smilow and Thielle ended their partnership, with Smilow retaining sole company ownership. In 1981, Smilow retired and closed the business, turning his attention toward sculpting, painting and printmaking. 

Although he died in 2002, Smilow’s legacy of furniture-making has lived on. His daughter, Judy, formed Smilow Design in 2013, which carries on her father’s tradition of creating “enduring, modern and classic” designs. Following Judy’s death of ALS in 2018, the company has been run by her husband, Steven Schoenfelder and her two children, who are still managing the brand today.

On 1stDibs, find a range of vintage Mel Smilow seating, tables and lighting.

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 benches for You

Don’t underestimate a good bench — antique and vintage benches are storage pieces, stylish accents and statement-making additional seating.

Today, benches are a great option to maximize seating in your house and outdoor space. The perfect option to create a warm, welcoming atmosphere in foyers and entryways, benches can also transform dining areas, making it possible to host a hungry family with limited space. Whether you’re sprucing up your entertaining with upholstered Empire-style benches or adding more options to a dining room that’s seen a farmhouse makeover, this humble furnishing has only become more versatile over the years. Designers have recognized the demand for a good bench, crafting the convenient seating alternative from a range of materials, including wood, iron and even concrete.

Mid-century modern benches from George Nakashima, Charlotte Perriand and the pared-down Platform bench by George Nelson for Herman Miller are classics of innovation, but maybe you’re looking for an unconventional design approach to your home's seating. Opt for something totally outside the box — an antique pine church-pew bench paired with a vintage wool throw and stationed under the mounted coatrack in your mudroom is a distinctive touch.

For your outdoor oasis, a wrought-iron patio bench is the obvious choice but not the only option. An enclosed back patio would do well to inherit a rattan bench with cushions, but it can be susceptible to weathering and should be covered or moved indoors when not in use.

Whatever your seating arrangement needs are, find vintage, new and antique benches for every space on 1stDibs.