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: Piero Fornasetti

Piero Fornasetti House of Cards Surrealist Porcelain Tray or Dish Vintage

Mid-Century Modern Decorative Objects

1950s Italian Vintage Mid-Century Modern Decorative Objects

Piero Fornasetti House of Cards Surrealist Porcelain Tray or Dish Vintage

1960s Italian Vintage Mid-Century Modern Decorative Objects

Piero Fornasetti Milano Porcelain Jewelry Pin Dish Vide Poche Gold Pattern

1950s Italian Vintage Mid-Century Modern Decorative Objects

1950s Fornasetti Paperweight in Porcelain by Piero Fornasetti

1960s Italian Vintage Mid-Century Modern Decorative Objects

Timeless Elegance: Piero Fornasettis "Piede Romano", (left foot) 1960s, Italy

1970s Italian Vintage Mid-Century Modern Decorative Objects

1970s Original Gorgeous Box by Piero Fornasetti. Made in Italy

1970s Italian Vintage Mid-Century Modern Decorative Objects

1970s Piero Fornasetti Astonishing Crystal Paperweight Sphere. Made in Italy

1960s Italian Vintage Mid-Century Modern Decorative Objects

Set of 6 Decorative Plates "Specialità Torinesi" by P. Fornasetti for Fiat

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

Fornasetti Box, 1950’s

1950s Italian Vintage Mid-Century Modern Decorative Objects

Piero Fornasetti, Set di due scatole da fumo

1950s Italian Vintage Mid-Century Modern Decorative Objects

Piero Fornasetti ceramic Owl Box, Italy 1950s

1950s Italian Vintage Mid-Century Modern Decorative Objects

Mid-Century Gilded Glazed "I Soli" Ceramic Pencil Holder by Piero Fornasetti

1960s Italian Vintage Mid-Century Modern Decorative Objects

Set of P. Fornasetti Decorative Porcelain Plates for Martini & Rossi, 1960s

1960s Italian Vintage Mid-Century Modern Decorative Objects

Italian Mid Century Modern Crystal Glass Head Sculpture by Piero Fornasetti 1960

20th Century Italian Mid-Century Modern Decorative Objects

Italian Fornasetti Ceramic Change Tray

1960s Italian Vintage Mid-Century Modern Decorative Objects

Pair Mid-Century Piero Fornasetti Mahogany and Metal Boxes, 1960s

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

Capricorn Astrological Sign - Piero Fornasetti Ceramic Zodiac Paperweight

1950s Italian Vintage Mid-Century Modern Decorative Objects

Rare Piero Fornasetti Tabby Cat Tray, 1950s

1960s Italian Vintage Mid-Century Modern Decorative Objects

'Butterflies' Umbrella Stand by Piero Fornasetti, circa 1960s Italy, Signed

1960s Italian Vintage Mid-Century Modern Decorative Objects

Piatto Piero Fornasetti Serie Tema E Variazioni, Italia Anni '60

1960s Italian Vintage Mid-Century Modern Decorative Objects

Piero Fornasetti Vintage Ceramic Canister Storage Jars, Italy Flour, Tea, 1960s

1960s Italian Vintage Mid-Century Modern Decorative Objects

White and Gold "Piede Romano" Roman Left Foot by Piero Fornasetti

1950s Italian Vintage Mid-Century Modern Decorative Objects

Piero Fornasetti, Mod. Re Sole Tray, Atelier Fornasetti, circa 1955

1950s Italian Vintage Mid-Century Modern Decorative Objects

1950s Fornasetti Vide Poche / Catchall by Piero Fornasetti, Made in Italy

1950s Italian Vintage Mid-Century Modern Decorative Objects

Vintage Lidded Wooden Box with Brass Hinges by Piero Fornasetti

1990s Italian Mid-Century Modern Decorative Objects

1990s Wall Clock in Glass by Fornasetti. Made in Italy

1960s Italian Vintage Mid-Century Modern Decorative Objects

Piero Fornasetti Zodiac Ceramic "Libra" Pebble Paperweight

1950s Italian Vintage Mid-Century Modern Decorative Objects

Piero Fornasetti, "Plants" Cigars Box, Milan Italy, circa 1950

1950s Italian Vintage Mid-Century Modern Decorative Objects

Piero Fornasetti Mahogany Painted Wood Box 1950

1950s Italian Vintage Mid-Century Modern Decorative Objects

Vintage Piero Fornasetti "Caduceus" Lithograph Gilt Porcelain Green Ashtray

1960s Italian Vintage Mid-Century Modern Decorative Objects

1960s, Catchall / Vide-Poche in Porcelain "Arturo Toscanini" by Piero Fornasetti

1960s Italian Vintage Mid-Century Modern Decorative Objects

Piero Fornasetti Wheat Spikes Large Ceramic Jar, Italy 1960s

1960s Italian Vintage Mid-Century Modern Decorative Objects

1960s Catchall / Vide-Poche in Porcelain "La Gioconda" by Piero Fornasetti

1950s Italian Vintage Mid-Century Modern Decorative Objects

Vintage Enameled Metal / Wood Drawer Piero Fornasetti Box

1950s Italian Vintage Mid-Century Modern Decorative Objects

Rare Box by Piero Fornasetti from 50's

1950s Italian Vintage Mid-Century Modern Decorative Objects

1950s Fornasetti Paperweight in Porcelain by Piero Fornasetti

1960s Italian Vintage Mid-Century Modern Decorative Objects

Vintage Piero Fornasetti Plates from the " Tema E Variazioni" Series

20th Century Italian Mid-Century Modern Decorative Objects

Set of Piero Fornasetti Medaglioni Crescent Catchall Trays, 1960s

1950s Italian Vintage Mid-Century Modern Decorative Objects

'Cesto di Dalie' Umbrella Stand by Piero Fornasetti, 1950s Italy, Signed

1970s Vintage Mid-Century Modern Decorative Objects

1970s Rare Porcelain Ashtray or Vide Poche by Piero Fornasetti

1970s Vintage Mid-Century Modern Decorative Objects