Mid-Century Modern Credenzas
Organically shaped, clean-lined and elegantly simple are three terms that well describe mid-century modern American 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.
Postwar American architects and designers were animated by new ideas and new technology. The lean, functionalist “International Style” architecture of Le Corbusier and Bauhaus eminences such as Ludwig Mies van der Rohe and Walter Gropius had been promoted in the United States during the ’30s 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, respectively, pieces such as the La Chaise and the Womb chair. George Nelson and his design team created Bubble lamp shades using a new translucent polymer skin. Harry Bertoia and Isamu Noguchi devised chairs and tables built of wire mesh and wire struts. Materials were re-purposed: the Danish-born designer Jens Risom created a line of chairs that used surplus parachute straps for webbed seats and backrests.
As the demand for casual, uncluttered furnishings grew, more mid-century 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, blonde-wood furniture — and Milo Baughman, who espoused a West Coast aesthetic in lushly upholstered chairs and sofas with angular steel frames.
As the collection of vintage mid-century modern American furniture on 1stDibs demonstrates, this period saw one of the most delightful and dramatic flowerings of creativity in design history.
1970s Danish Vintage Mid-Century Modern Credenzas
Teak
1970s American Vintage Mid-Century Modern Credenzas
Wood, Burl
1940s Italian Vintage Mid-Century Modern Credenzas
Parchment Paper
1950s American Vintage Mid-Century Modern Credenzas
Brass
1950s American Vintage Mid-Century Modern Credenzas
1970s American Vintage Mid-Century Modern Credenzas
Burl
20th Century French Mid-Century Modern Credenzas
Brass
20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Credenzas
Mahogany, Maple
1970s American Vintage Mid-Century Modern Credenzas
Chrome
20th Century Danish Mid-Century Modern Credenzas
Brass
Mid-20th Century North American Mid-Century Modern Credenzas
Marble, Steel
1960s Norwegian Vintage Mid-Century Modern Credenzas
Teak
1960s American Vintage Mid-Century Modern Credenzas
Carrara Marble, Chrome
21st Century and Contemporary Chinese Mid-Century Modern Credenzas
Brass
1950s American Vintage Mid-Century Modern Credenzas
Brass
1960s English Vintage Mid-Century Modern Credenzas
Teak
1960s Danish Vintage Mid-Century Modern Credenzas
Wrought Iron
1960s Central American Vintage Mid-Century Modern Credenzas
Metal
20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Credenzas
Marble
2010s American Mid-Century Modern Credenzas
Brass
Mid-20th Century Danish Mid-Century Modern Credenzas
Teak
1930s Belgian Vintage Mid-Century Modern Credenzas
Wood, Mahogany
Mid-20th Century Dutch Mid-Century Modern Credenzas
Glass, Teak
1960s Danish Vintage Mid-Century Modern Credenzas
Wrought Iron
1970s Unknown Vintage Mid-Century Modern Credenzas
Bamboo, Hardwood
Late 20th Century North American Mid-Century Modern Credenzas
Mahogany
1950s German Vintage Mid-Century Modern Credenzas
Metal
1970s Italian Vintage Mid-Century Modern Credenzas
Brass
1980s American Vintage Mid-Century Modern Credenzas
Brass, Bronze
1950s Italian Vintage Mid-Century Modern Credenzas
Rosewood, Wood
1970s American Vintage Mid-Century Modern Credenzas
Walnut
1970s American Vintage Mid-Century Modern Credenzas
Steel
Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Credenzas
Wood
1970s Vintage Mid-Century Modern Credenzas
Maple, Walnut
1970s Danish Vintage Mid-Century Modern Credenzas
Teak
1970s Danish Vintage Mid-Century Modern Credenzas
Glass, Teak
2010s American Mid-Century Modern Credenzas
Mahogany
20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Credenzas
Composition, Brass
1960s Vintage Mid-Century Modern Credenzas
Walnut
1960s English Vintage Mid-Century Modern Credenzas
Teak
1970s North American Vintage Mid-Century Modern Credenzas
Wood
20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Credenzas
Walnut
1970s American Vintage Mid-Century Modern Credenzas
Wood
1960s Danish Vintage Mid-Century Modern Credenzas
Hardwood, Rosewood
1950s French Vintage Mid-Century Modern Credenzas
Metal
Mid-20th Century Italian Mid-Century Modern Credenzas
Chrome, Brass
1950s American Vintage Mid-Century Modern Credenzas
Mahogany
1960s American Vintage Mid-Century Modern Credenzas
Metal
Mid-20th Century Italian Mid-Century Modern Credenzas
Brass
Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Credenzas
Wood
1970s Italian Vintage Mid-Century Modern Credenzas
Walnut, Bentwood
21st Century and Contemporary Asian Mid-Century Modern Credenzas
Brass
21st Century and Contemporary Danish Mid-Century Modern Credenzas
Oak
Mid-20th Century European Mid-Century Modern Credenzas
Wicker, Cane, Rattan, Wood, Bamboo
1960s Canadian Vintage Mid-Century Modern Credenzas
Walnut
1970s Italian Vintage Mid-Century Modern Credenzas
Brass
Mid-20th Century German Mid-Century Modern Credenzas
Steel
1970s American Vintage Mid-Century Modern Credenzas
Cane, Walnut