Mid-Century Modern More Asian Art, Objects and Furniture
Organically shaped, clean-lined and elegantly simple are three terms that well describe vintage 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. The Risom lounge chair was among the first pieces of furniture commissioned and produced by legendary manufacturer Knoll, a chief influence 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.
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 chairs, dressers, coffee tables and other furniture on 1stDibs demonstrates, this period saw one of the most delightful and dramatic flowerings of creativity in design history.
1960s Vintage Mid-Century Modern More Asian Art, Objects and Furniture
Steel, Magnets
1950s Vintage Mid-Century Modern More Asian Art, Objects and Furniture
Wood, Teak, Reclaimed Wood
Mid-20th Century Burmese Mid-Century Modern More Asian Art, Objects and Furniture
Wood
Mid-20th Century Japanese Mid-Century Modern More Asian Art, Objects and Furniture
Wood, Lacquer
1960s Japanese Vintage Mid-Century Modern More Asian Art, Objects and Furniture
Bamboo, Mahogany, Paper
20th Century Chinese Mid-Century Modern More Asian Art, Objects and Furniture
Metal
1950s American Vintage Mid-Century Modern More Asian Art, Objects and Furniture
Mahogany
1950s Vintage Mid-Century Modern More Asian Art, Objects and Furniture
Wood, Reclaimed Wood
1940s Chinese Vintage Mid-Century Modern More Asian Art, Objects and Furniture
Wood
1950s American Vintage Mid-Century Modern More Asian Art, Objects and Furniture
Composition
Late 20th Century American Mid-Century Modern More Asian Art, Objects and Furniture
Carrara Marble
Mid-20th Century Italian Mid-Century Modern More Asian Art, Objects and Furniture
Mirror, Plaster, Wood
1950s Asian Vintage Mid-Century Modern More Asian Art, Objects and Furniture
Rattan
1950s Asian Vintage Mid-Century Modern More Asian Art, Objects and Furniture
Rattan
20th Century Javanese Mid-Century Modern More Asian Art, Objects and Furniture
Cotton
20th Century Danish Mid-Century Modern More Asian Art, Objects and Furniture
Teak
1970s Japanese Vintage Mid-Century Modern More Asian Art, Objects and Furniture
Silver
1960s American Vintage Mid-Century Modern More Asian Art, Objects and Furniture
Brass, Wrought Iron
1970s Indian Vintage Mid-Century Modern More Asian Art, Objects and Furniture
Bronze
19th Century Chinese Antique Mid-Century Modern More Asian Art, Objects and Furniture
Wool
1950s Mexican Vintage Mid-Century Modern More Asian Art, Objects and Furniture
Brass
Mid-20th Century Japanese Mid-Century Modern More Asian Art, Objects and Furniture
Wood, Paper
1970s American Vintage Mid-Century Modern More Asian Art, Objects and Furniture
Canvas, Paint
1930s Vintage Mid-Century Modern More Asian Art, Objects and Furniture
Tulipwood, Paper
1960s Mexican Vintage Mid-Century Modern More Asian Art, Objects and Furniture
Acrylic
1970s Puerto Rican Vintage Mid-Century Modern More Asian Art, Objects and Furniture
Paint
20th Century American Mid-Century Modern More Asian Art, Objects and Furniture
Wood, Paint
Late 20th Century American Mid-Century Modern More Asian Art, Objects and Furniture
Paint
19th Century Antique Mid-Century Modern More Asian Art, Objects and Furniture
Bronze
20th Century American Mid-Century Modern More Asian Art, Objects and Furniture
Wood, Paint
1970s Brazilian Vintage Mid-Century Modern More Asian Art, Objects and Furniture
Wood, Paint
20th Century Mexican Mid-Century Modern More Asian Art, Objects and Furniture
Canvas, Wood, Paint
Early 20th Century Mid-Century Modern More Asian Art, Objects and Furniture
Velvet, Resin, Giltwood
Mid-20th Century English Mid-Century Modern More Asian Art, Objects and Furniture
Crystal
Mid-20th Century Japanese Mid-Century Modern More Asian Art, Objects and Furniture
Wood, Paper
1960s Chinese Vintage Mid-Century Modern More Asian Art, Objects and Furniture
Porcelain
Mid-20th Century Unknown Mid-Century Modern More Asian Art, Objects and Furniture
Canvas
1950s Japanese Vintage Mid-Century Modern More Asian Art, Objects and Furniture
Plywood
1950s Hong Kong Vintage Mid-Century Modern More Asian Art, Objects and Furniture
Brass
1960s Chinese Vintage Mid-Century Modern More Asian Art, Objects and Furniture
Rosewood
1950s Chinese Vintage Mid-Century Modern More Asian Art, Objects and Furniture
Rosewood
1970s Japanese Vintage Mid-Century Modern More Asian Art, Objects and Furniture
Silver
1950s Japanese Vintage Mid-Century Modern More Asian Art, Objects and Furniture
1960s Japanese Vintage Mid-Century Modern More Asian Art, Objects and Furniture
Cork
1950s Chinese Vintage Mid-Century Modern More Asian Art, Objects and Furniture
Mother-of-Pearl
1950s Asian Vintage Mid-Century Modern More Asian Art, Objects and Furniture
Rattan