Mid-Century Modern Decorative Objects

MID-CENTURY MODERN STYLE

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

Emerged during the mid-20th century
Informed by European modernism, Bauhaus, International style, Scandinavian modernism and Frank Lloyd Wright’s architecture
A heyday of innovation in postwar America
Experimentation with new ideas, new materials and new forms flourished in Scandinavia, Italy, the former Czechoslovakia and elsewhere in Europe

CHARACTERISTICS OF MID-CENTURY MODERN FURNITURE DESIGN

Simplicity, organic forms, clean lines
A blend of neutral and bold Pop art colors
Use of natural and man-made materials — alluring woods such as teak, rosewood and oak; steel, fiberglass and molded plywood
Light-filled spaces with colorful upholstery
Glass walls and an emphasis on the outdoors
Promotion of functionality

MID-CENTURY MODERN FURNITURE DESIGNERS TO KNOW

Charles and Ray Eames
Eero Saarinen
Milo Baughman
Florence Knoll
Harry Bertoia
Isamu Noguchi
George Nelson
Danish modernists Hans Wegner and Arne Jacobsen, whose emphasis on natural materials and craftsmanship influenced American designers and vice versa

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.

Style: Mid-Century Modern

Creator: Alfredo Barbini

Alfredo Barbini Murano Signed Rib Cage Design Italian Art Glass Flower Vase

Mid-Century Modern Decorative Objects

Mid-20th Century Italian Mid-Century Modern Decorative Objects

Alfredo Barbini Murano Signed Rib Cage Design Italian Art Glass Flower Vase

Mid-20th Century Italian Mid-Century Modern Decorative Objects

Alfredo Barbini Murano Cased Glass Bowl, Shell Motif

Mid-20th Century Italian Mid-Century Modern Decorative Objects

Barbini Murano Orange White Gold Flecks Italian Art Glass Midcentury Bowl Dish

1950s Italian Vintage Mid-Century Modern Decorative Objects

Mid-Century Modernist Fish Motif Hand-Blown Murano Glass Bowl by Alfredo Barbini

Mid-20th Century Italian Mid-Century Modern Decorative Objects

Alfredo Barbini Murano Glass Bullicante Bowl/Vide Poche with Gold Polveri

Mid-20th Century Italian Mid-Century Modern Decorative Objects

Alfredo Barbini Murano Glass Bowl with Gold Polveri

Mid-20th Century Italian Mid-Century Modern Decorative Objects

Alfredo Barbini Murano Glass Shell Bowl, Lilac & Pink with Gold Polveri

Mid-20th Century Italian Mid-Century Modern Decorative Objects

Barbini Murano Sommerso Blue Green Iridescent Italian Art Glass Bowl Ashtray

Mid-20th Century Italian Mid-Century Modern Decorative Objects

Barbini Murano Pink Blue Gold Flecks Bubbles Italian Art Glass Bowl Ashtray

1980s Italian Vintage Mid-Century Modern Decorative Objects

Set of 3 Signed Alfredo Barbini Glass Ornaments for Barbini Murano, Italy, 1980s

1960s Italian Vintage Mid-Century Modern Decorative Objects

Alfredo Barbini Aquarium Murano 2 Fish Glass Object for Cenedese 1960s

Mid-20th Century Italian Mid-Century Modern Decorative Objects

Mid-20th Century Modern Italian Frosted Murano Glass Scavo Bowl by A. Barbini

1960s Italian Vintage Mid-Century Modern Decorative Objects

Vintage Art Glass Large Ashtray or Bowl by Barbini, Murano Italy 1960's

Mid-20th Century Italian Mid-Century Modern Decorative Objects

Murano Fratelli Toso and Barbini Murrine Flowers Italian Art Glass Paperweights

Mid-20th Century Italian Mid-Century Modern Decorative Objects

Alfredo Barbini Murano Blue White Gold Flecks Italian Art Glass Decorative Bowl

Mid-20th Century Italian Mid-Century Modern Decorative Objects

Alfredo Barbini Murano Bi Color Gold Flecks Italian Art Glass Decorative Bowl

Mid-20th Century Italian Mid-Century Modern Decorative Objects

Barbini Murano Vintage Purple Gold Flecks Italian Art Glass Decorative Bowl

1960s Italian Vintage Mid-Century Modern Decorative Objects

1960s Murano Sommerso Art Glass Apple Pear Bookends Italy

Mid-20th Century Italian Mid-Century Modern Decorative Objects

Barbini Murano Sommerso Red Gold Flecks Italian Art Glass Fish Figure Sculpture

Mid-20th Century Italian Mid-Century Modern Decorative Objects

Alfredo Barbini Murano Sommerso Pink Italian Art Glass Fruit Bowl Centerpiece

Mid-20th Century Italian Mid-Century Modern Decorative Objects

Barbini Murano Sommerso Pink Iridescent Italian Art Glass Bowl Ashtray Dish

Mid-20th Century Italian Mid-Century Modern Decorative Objects

Barbini Murano Sommerso Blue Green Gold Flecks Italian Art Glass Fish Sculpture

Mid-20th Century Italian Mid-Century Modern Decorative Objects

Barbini Murano White Gold Flecks Pink Italian Art Glass Bird Figure Paperweight

Mid-20th Century Italian Mid-Century Modern Decorative Objects

Barbini Murano White Gold Flecks Italian Art Glass Bird Figurine Paperweight

Mid-20th Century Italian Mid-Century Modern Decorative Objects

Barbini Murano White Blue Gold Flecks Stripes Italian Art Glass Decorative Bowl

Mid-20th Century Italian Mid-Century Modern Decorative Objects

Barbini Murano Label Sommerso Pink Italian Art Glass Decorative Bowl Ashtray

1950s Italian Vintage Mid-Century Modern Decorative Objects

Murano Aqua Banana by Alfredo Barbini 1950s

Mid-20th Century Italian Mid-Century Modern Decorative Objects

Barbini Murano 1950s Blue Gold Flecks Bubble Italian Art Glass Vanity Powder Box

Mid-20th Century Italian Mid-Century Modern Decorative Objects

Alfredo Barbini Murano White Pink Gold Flecks Italian Art Glass Seashell Bowl

1960s Italian Vintage Mid-Century Modern Decorative Objects

Very Rare Murano Glass Aquarium by Alfredo Barbini for Cenedese, 1960s

Mid-20th Century Italian Mid-Century Modern Decorative Objects

Vamsa Barbini Murano Blue Gold Sun Hat Woman Italian Art Glass Figure Sculpture

1970s Italian Vintage Mid-Century Modern Decorative Objects

Glass planter made by Alfredo Barbini for Vetreria Barbini Murano, 70s

Mid-20th Century Italian Mid-Century Modern Decorative Objects

Barbini Murano Blue Gold Flecks Control Bubbles Italian Art Glass Flower Vase

Mid-20th Century Italian Mid-Century Modern Decorative Objects

Barbini Murano Aqua Blue Gold Fleck Handle Italian Art Glass Pitcher Flower Vase

Mid-20th Century Italian Mid-Century Modern Decorative Objects

Vase Decorative Object Alfredo Barbini Murano Glass Midcentury Modern Italy 1960

20th Century Italian Mid-Century Modern Decorative Objects

Turquoise Alfredo Barbini Murano Vase

Mid-20th Century Italian Mid-Century Modern Decorative Objects

Vintage Alfredo Barbini Murano Glass, a Macchie & Gold Polveri Sculptural Bowl

Mid-20th Century Italian Mid-Century Modern Decorative Objects

Alfredo Barbini Murano Glass Bowl or Trinket Dish w/Gold Polveri - vintage

20th Century Italian Mid-Century Modern Decorative Objects

Alfredo Barbini Black, Goldm White Murano Glass Vessel

Mid-20th Century Italian Mid-Century Modern Decorative Objects