Vintage Space Age furniture captured post–World War II optimism with swooping shapes, bowed lines and experimentation with new materials including plastic and fiberglass.
From the launch of the Sputnik 1 satellite in 1957 to the landing of Apollo 11 astronauts on the moon in 1969, the space race between the Soviet Union and the United States propelled advancements in technology that transformed culture. Space Age design encompassed fashion, architecture, cars, furniture and objects for the home, bringing wonder and hope for the future into everyday life.
Coinciding with Pop art, Space Age style featured bold colors and forms. Eero Aarnio’s Ball chair, which debuted in 1966, used molded fiberglass for a capsule-like space while Verner Panton’s 1959 Panton chair was a single piece of molded plastic for a gravity-defying S shape. Red versions of Olivier Mourgue’s 1964 Djinn chair were futuristic enough to appear on the space station in Stanley Kubrick’s 1968 film 2001: A Space Odyssey. Today, Joe Colombo is revered as a master of modern Italian design thanks to the provocative modular furniture pieces he created, such as the Tube chair and the Elda armchair, both of which embody the future-forward spirit of the Space Age.
The Space Age spirit extended to home building too. The futuristic Case Study Houses, which were designed by the likes of Pierre Koenig, Charles and Ray Eames, Richard Neutra and Whitney R. Smith, are considered a high point of modernism and the Southern California lifestyle.
Sometimes the nods to space exploration were more literal, like moon and star motifs or the 1965 Eclisse lamp by Vico Magistretti that saw the mid-century Italian designer integrating a movable inner shade to “eclipse” the light source. Alongside the pioneering moon missions, JVC manufactured the Videosphere portable television reminiscent of the Apollo 11 space helmets.
Although the style faded in the 1970s — with the 1975 joining of the Apollo and Soyuz spacecrafts signaling a new era of cooperation and the global oil crisis impacting the availability of plastics — the era’s innovations influenced designers into the 21st century such as Zaha Hadid and Djivan Schapira.
Find a collection of vintage Space Age seating, tables, lighting and other furniture on 1stDibs.
Huge Iron Meteorite Sphere with Crystalline Structure
Located in London, GB
A magnificent, and particularly large meteorite sphere – weighing an impressive 4.5 kg – cut from the famous Aletai meteorite and etched to reveal the shimmering Widmanstätten patter...
Iron
Meteorite Cross Section with Amber-Coloured Peridot Gems and Metal Matrix
Located in London, GB
A magnificent cross-section from the famed pallasite meteorite, Seymchan, recovered in the Russian far east, and revealing the honeycomb-like structure characteristic of pallasites. ...
Iron
Meteorite Display Piece, Iron Meteorite Sphere with Metallic Matrix and Peridot
Located in London, GB
A mesmerising iron sphere carved from a mass of the Seymchan meteorite, one of the most important meteorite discoveries of the twentieth century. Found in the Magadan region of the R...
Iron
4.5 Billion Year Old Sculptural Stone Meteorite - NWA 17936
Located in London, GB
This striking stone meteorite is a rare type of natural sculpture from outer space. Its form and radiating thumb-shaped impressions - known as regmaglypts - are the result of its fie...
Stone
Sculptural Iron Fragment from the Sikhote-Alin Meteorite Shower
Located in London, GB
This extraterrestrial sculpture originates from the famed Sikhote-Alin meteorite, which fell to Earth on 12 February 1947, in the largest recorded meteorite fall in history. Entering...
Iron
Iron Meteorite Sphere with Crystalline Structure Unique to Outer Space
Located in London, GB
This polished extraterrestrial iron sphere is a fascinating display piece, dating back to the formation of the Solar System and from the core of a large asteroid. Carved from the fam...
Iron
Cross-Section of the Seymchan Meteorite with Peridot Gems and Crystalised Metal
Located in London, GB
A magnificent cross-section of the famed pallasite meteorite, Seymchan, recovered from the bed of the river Hekandue in the Russian Far East, and revealing the honeycomb-like structu...
Iron
Large Cross-Section of Sericho Meteorite with Translucent Olivine Crystals
Located in London, GB
A spectacular monolithic slice of the renowned Sericho meteorite, displaying the characteristic crystalline structure of the pallasite meteorite, with translucent olivine crystals su...
Iron
Polished Seymchan Meteorite Sphere with Olivine Crystals in Iron Matrix
Located in London, GB
A magnificent iron sphere carved from the renowned Seymchan pallasite meteorite, discovered in the Hekandue River in the Russian Far East. This sculptural example reveals the distinc...
Iron
Meteorite Cross Section with Amber-Coloured Peridot Gems and Metal Matrix
Located in London, GB
A magnificent cross-section from the renowned Seymchan meteorite, recovered in the Russian far east, and cut to reveal the honeycomb-like structure characteristic of pallasite meteor...
Iron
Mosaic-like Lunar Meteorite Cross Section
Located in London, GB
This spectacular polished slice of the Lunar meteorite Gadamis 004, reveals a mosaic-like interior, evoking the surface of the Moon as seen by the eye on a clear night. Weighing 149 ...
Stone
Meteorite Sphere from the Seymchan Meteorite with Amber-Coloured Olivine Gems
Located in London, GB
A magnificent meteorite sphere, carved and polished from the famed pallasite meteorite, Seymchan, which was formed over 4.5 billion years ago at the beginning of our Solar System. Co...
Iron
Meteorite Cross-Section with Crystalline Metal and Translucent Orange Olivine G
Located in London, GB
A spectacular meteorite cross-section from the renowned pallasite meteorite, Seymchan, formed over 4.5 billion years ago at the beginning of our Solar System. Comprising only 0.2% of...
Iron
Rare Sculptural Meteorite with Wave-Like Impressions
Located in London, GB
This striking natural sculpture is in fact a meteorite, formed at the creation of our Solar System around 4.5 billion years ago. Journeying across hundreds of millions of miles from ...
Stone
Sculptural Oriented Meteorite with Wave-Like Surface
Located in London, GB
Formed during the earliest moments of our Solar System, around 4.5 billion years ago, this meteorite originates from a small rocky parent body that later became part of the asteroid ...
Stone
Sculptural Iron Meteorite Fragment from the Largest Fall in Recorded History
Located in London, GB
A beautifully preserved and sculptural fragment from the famed Sikhote-Alin meteorite, which fell to Earth on 12 February 1947 in the largest recorded meteorite fall in history. En...
Iron
Huge Translucent Golden Yellow Desert Glass from Meteorite Impact
Located in London, GB
An extremely large and sculptural piece of Libyan Desert Glass, a rare type of impact glass formed when a meteorite impacted in the eastern Sahara around 29 million years ago. This...
Glass
Small Twisted Meteorite Fragment with Impressions
Located in London, GB
This small, but perfectly formed extraterrestrial sculpture originates from the Sikhote-Alin meteorite, which fell to Earth on 12 February 1947 in the largest recorded fall in histor...
Iron
Greyish-White Lunar Meteorite Fragment
Located in London, GB
This beautifully polished lunar meteorite fragment is a precious but powerful display piece, offering both extraterrestrial provenance and striking natural beauty. This specimen is f...
Stone
Black-Green Spotted Martian Meteorite
Located in London, GB
This striking meteorite slice is perfectly polished to reveal the mesmerising green-black crystalline interior unique to the Martian surface. This specimen belongs to the rare class ...
Stone
Mosaic-Like Lunar Meteorite Specimen with Grey and White Brecchiated Interior
Located in London, GB
This spectacular polished slice of Gadamis 004 reveals the lunar meteorite’s mosaic-like interior, with its matrix of white, grey, and charcoal angular clasts, evoking the surface of...
Stone
Small Sculptural Iron Meteorite Fragment from the 1947 Sikhote-Alin Fall
Located in London, GB
This precious and sculptural fragment originates from the famed Sikhote-Alin meteorite, which fell to Earth on 12 February 1947, in the largest recorded meteorite fall in history. En...
Iron
Translucent Golden-Yellow Desert Glass from Meteorite Impact with Sand Deposits
Located in London, GB
A striking, translucent piece of Libyan Desert Glass, a type of impact glass formed when a meteorite impacted in the eastern Sahara around 29 million years ago. This catastrophic imp...
Glass
Deep Purple Botryoidal Fluorite Specimen - Extremely Rare and Sculptural
Located in London, GB
An exceptionally rare, deep purple fluorite specimen from the recently discovered Dongqiyishan Fluorite Mine in Inner Mongolia. With its rich colouration and unusual form, this speci...
Other
Monolithic Meteorite Cross Section with Mirror-Polish and Translucent Gemstones
Located in London, GB
This small, monolithic meteorite cross-section originates from the famed pallasite meteorite, Seymchan. Formed over 4.5 billion years ago at the creation of our Solar System, it was ...
Iron
Vibrant Green ‘Rocket’ Tourmaline with Red Rubelite Stem
Located in London, GB
A rare, vibrant green ‘rocket’ tourmaline, with a red rubellite stem from the celebrated 2001 discovery of the ‘Rocket Pocket’ at the Pederneira Mine in Brazil. Famed among the min...
Other
Pale Blue Aquamarine Crystals on Sparkling White Feldspar Matrix
Located in London, GB
A fine cluster of water-like blue aquamarine crystals on a feldspar matrix. The elongated, prismatic formations of the crystals display crisp, vertical striations and a delicate, pal...
Other
Pink Stilbite Bowtie Formation on Green-Grey Sparkling Stalactites
Located in London, GB
A remarkable mineral specimen from the famed Jalgaon location in India, and once belonging to one of the greatest art collections of the 20th century, the Sheikh Al Thani Collection....
Other
Sculptural Iron Meteorite Fragment from the Largest Meteorite Fall in Recorded H
Located in London, GB
A beautifully preserved and sculptural fragment from the famed Sikhote-Alin meteorite, which fell to Earth on 12 February 1947 in the largest recorded meteorite fall in history. En...
Iron
Vintage Boho Monumental Fiberglass Mushrooms - Set of 2
Located in West Palm Beach, FL
These exceptional sculptural pieces capture the irreverent charm of 1970s Pop Art and whimsical design, utilizing durable molded fiberglass for a grand, monumental scale. The bold, h...
Resin, Fiberglass, Paint
Small Sculptural Iron Meteorite Fragment from the 1947 Sikhote-Alin Fall
Located in London, GB
A beautifully preserved fragment from the famed Sikhote-Alin meteorite, which fell to Earth on 12 February 1947 in the largest recorded meteorite fall in history. Entering the atmo...
Iron
Iron Fragment from the Famed Sikhote-Alin Meteorite
Located in London, GB
A small and beautifully shaped iron fragment originating in space roughly 4.5 billion years ago. It was part of a much larger meteoroid that fell to Earth as the famed Sikhote-Alin M...
Iron