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
CHARACTERISTICS OF MID-CENTURY MODERN FURNITURE DESIGN
MID-CENTURY MODERN FURNITURE DESIGNERS TO KNOW
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 celebrated 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.
Generations turn over, and mid-century modern remains arguably the most popular style going. 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.
Vintage Danish Modern Brass & Teak Cutlery Set by Carl Cohr, 1960s, 12 persons
By Carl M. Cohr
Located in Esbjerg, DK
This dining/lunch set by Carl Cohr was manufactured and designed in Denmark during the 1960s. The set consists of 10 dinner/lunch knives, 10 dinner/lunch forks, 10 dinner/lunch spoon...
Brass
1970s Mikasa "Tampa" Dinnerware Set, 12 Place Settings, Avocado Green & Yellow
By Mikasa
Located in Philadelphia, PA
A complete 12-place setting set of vintage Mikasa "Tampa" pattern stoneware, produced in the 1970s. Each setting includes a dinner plate, salad plate, cup and saucer, and coordinatin...
Ceramic
Vintage Rosewood and Brass Flatware - 43 piece
Located in Scottsdale, AZ
A chic rosewood and brass flatware set! The design and palette feel architectural and high-style! A handsome serving set that makes you want to entertain! The dinner set could be pai...
Brass
Carl Aubock Culinar Flatware for Collini (Thirteen Pieces)
By Collini 1, Werkstätte Carl Auböck
Located in New York, NY
Culinar series flatware of stainless steel designed by Carl Aubock III (1924-1993) and manufactured by Collini, Austria in 1979. Thirteen pieces in total, consisting of the followin...
Stainless Steel
Vintage Bangkok Jewels Bronze Brass & Celluloid Flatware Set in Case - 130 Pcs
Located in Philadelphia, PA
Vintage Bangkok Jewels Bronze/Brass & Black Celluloid Mid Century Modern Flatware Set in Case - 130 Pcs Total. 130 pcs. Full case weighs approx 25 lbs. Circa Mid 20th Century. Me...
Bronze
$88Sale Price / set|20% Off
Rosewood & Brass Desert Demitasse Spoons Set of 6
Located in Clifton Forge, VA
Here is a wonderful set of 6 brass demitasse spoons with rosewood handles that will brighten your afternoon coffee or your desert table for holiday celebrations. They measure 4 inche...
Brass
Pink Majolica Ceramic Dessert / Breakfast Service Set for Four
By Secla
Located in Barcelona, ES
A lovely Majolica pink glazed ceramic set of 12 pieces: four large plates, four small plates and four serving bowls. The set has a lovely pale pink color with details in white and ...
Majolica, Pottery, Ceramic
$178Sale Price|46% Off
Fruit Knives with Bakelite Stand by Otto Hammesfahr
Located in Wien, Au
Fruit knives with stand by Otto Hammesfahr. Original condition. Six pieces of knives one stand.
Stainless Steel
Italian Serving Tray in Bamboo, Rattan, Wicker, Vintage 1970s Design
Located in Milano, IT
1970s Astonishing italian serving tray in bamboo, rattan and wicker. Made in Italy It's in excellent condition. Dimension: 17,32 x 13 x 1,18 inches cm 44 x cm 33 x cm 3 H
Bamboo, Wicker, Rattan
Set of ( 10 ) "Piruett" Cocktail Forks by P. Forssell for Gense, Sweden, 1955
By Pierre Forssell, Gense
Located in Philadelphia, PA
Set of 10 Vintage "Piruett" Cocktail / Dessert Forks Pierre Forssell for Gense, Sweden 1955 plastic handles and stainless steel "in good vintage as found condition with some dings...
Stainless Steel
Bormioli Rocco 1980-1990 colored Murano glass crystal glasses set.
Located in Palermo, IT
Immerse yourself in timeless elegance with this exquisite crystal glass set by Rocco Bormioli, an icon of Italian design between the 1980s and 1990s. Each piece in this set catches t...
Crystal
Sterling Silver Decorative Minimalistic Pepper and Salt shakers, 1970's
By De Stijl, Gerrit Rietveld, Bauhaus
Located in Den Haag, NL
Sterling Silver Decorative Minimalistic Pepper and Salt shakers, The Netherlands 1970's
Sterling Silver
Extensive 159 Piece Richard Ginori Contessa Porcelain Dinner and Tea Service
Located in BROOKLYN, NY
Contessa Brown by RICHARD GINORI 1735 An exceptional and comprehensive porcelain dinner and tea service by Richard Ginori 1735, in the elegant and now-discontinued “Contessa Brown”...
Gold
$1,520Sale Price|20% Off
Boxed Helmut Alder Amboss 2050 Flatware Cutlery for Six, 30 pcs., Austria, 1950s
By Helmut Alder, Amboss Austria
Located in Vienna, AT
Beautiful Mid-century flatware, 2050 series, designed by Helmut Alder, executed by Amboss Austria in the 1950s. High-quality flatware, made of solid, brushed and polished stainless steel. Comes in its original award-winning handmade wooden box...
Stainless Steel
Dansk Jens Quistgaard Teak Salt / Pepper Mill Denmark
Located in Cincinnati, OH
A sculptural teak wood salt and pepper mill designed by the iconic Danish Mid Century artist designer Jens Quistgaard. A unique and beautiful...
Teak
75 Pc. Georg Jensen Caravel Sterling Silver Flatware Dinner Service for 12
By Georg Jensen
Located in Philadelphia, PA
A very fine 75-piece Georg Jensen sterling silver flatware set. Designed by Henning Koppel. In the Caravel pattern. Set comprises: 12 Dinner Forks (7 3/8") 12 Salad Forks (6 1/2") 12 Tea Spoons (5 15/16") 12 Place Spoons...
Sterling Silver
Arne Jacobsen 12 Place settings AJ Flatware Set 75pcs. A. Michelsen Denmark
Located in Cincinnati, OH
Twelve six piece place setting set of AJ stainless steel flatware totaling 75 pieces including 12 large forks , 12 small forks , 12 soup spoons, 12 large spoons and 12 small spoons ....
Stainless Steel
Richard Ginori Burnt Orange Contessa Extensive Dinnerware Service Of 141 Pieces
Located in Tarry Town, NY
Richard Ginori extensive dinnerware service Contessa rust red pattern dinnerware service . Pattern having a burnt orange and double gilt gold and black trim decorated design on white...
Gold
Matched Set of 7 Midcentury Roger Capron Ceramic Coasters
By Roger Capron
Located in Henley-on Thames, Oxfordshire
A matched set of earthenware drinks coasters by Roger Capron with incised and coloured decoration depicting trees and fishes. Stamped signatures to the reverse Vallauris, Fran...
Earthenware
Max Meder, Hand Carved Wooden Squirrel Brush & Pan, France, 1950s
By Max Meder
Located in Saint-Amans-des-Cots, FR
This large Mid-Century Modern wooden squirrel brush and crumb pan was designed by Max Méder in Paris, France, during the 1950s. Both decorative and practical, the set transforms an e...
Wood
Rörstrand KOKA Porcelain Set by Hertha Bengtsson, 77 Pieces, 1960s
By Rörstrand, Hertha Bengtson, Bengtsson, rorstrand studio, Herta Bengtson
Located in Round Top, TX
Rare, mint condition, twelve place settings of KOKA porcelain designed by Hertha Bengtsson. Hertha Bengtson designed "Koka Blå” (Cook Blue) in 1953 during the golden age of Swedish...
Porcelain
Pablo Picasso "Face" Bowls and Plate Great Wall Mounted Modern Art
Located in Atlanta, GA
Set of Five Ceramic Pieces, after Pablo Picasso's art of the 1960s, these are from an authorized collection put out by Picasso's family in the 1990s. They would look great mounted on...
Ceramic
Walter Bosse Rooster Dinner Bell, 1950s
Located in Wien, Au
Walter Bosse Rooster dinner bell, 1950s Original condition.
Brass
$48Sale Price / set|20% Off
Rosewood & Brass Individual Butter Cream Desert Knives Set of 4
Located in Clifton Forge, VA
This is a very sweet set of 4 individual butter or desert cream knives made of brass with rosewood handles. They have a nice curved shape to the blades and are in good condition with...
Brass
$600Sale Price|20% Off
Walter Bosse Monkey Salt and Pepper Shakers Set, Herta Baller, Austria, 1950s
Located in Vienna, AT
A charming Austrian midcentury shaker set from the 1950s, displaying a cute monkey holding salt and pepper shakers. A humorous design by Walter Bosse, manufactured by Hertha Baller i...
Glass
6 Midcentury Pastel Daisy Porcelain Coffee Cups, Lilien, Austria, 1950s
Located in Vienna, AT
A set of six charming conical coffee cups and saucers from the „Daisy“-series, made of thin, fine china in six different lovely pastel colors, yellow, light blue, light green, bluegray, pink/rosé and lilac. Made in the 1950s by Lilien Porzellan...
Porcelain
$2,940Sale Price|40% Off
Carl Auböck 2060 Flatware, 42 pcs., Complete For 6 Persons, Amboss Austria, 1950
By Werkstätte Carl Auböck, Amboss Austria, Neuzeughammer
Located in Vienna, AT
A comprehensive set of midcentury flatware from the 1950s, the award-winning model 2060, designed by Carl Aubock and executed by Amboss Neuzeug Au...
Stainless Steel
Swedish Mid-Century Cutlery Set Viktor by Gense, 1970s, Set of 47
Located in Esbjerg, DK
'Victor' flatware cutlery set consisting of: 12 dinner knives, 12 dinner forks, 12 soup spoons, 6 tea spoons and 5 dessert spoons. Beautiful wide bodies executed in stainless steel w...
Brass, Stainless Steel
Tapio Wirkkala for Rosenthal Austria "Composition S" by Rostfrei Satin 40 Piece
By Rosenthal, Rostfrei Solinger
Located in Philadelphia, PA
Tapio Wirkkala Rostfrei Solingen "Composition S" for Rosenthal made in Austria 40 Piece Satin Stainless Steel Flatware Set. Service for 8 plus a storage box. Presents like it was n...
Stainless Steel
Mancioli Italian Modernist Op Art China Set 1960s
Located in Atlanta, GA
Italian Modernist china set by Mancioli, Italy, circa 1960s. 40 pieces total, comprising of (8) coffee cups measuring 3"H x 5"W. (10) saucers measuring 6.5" diameter. (10) small plat...
Ceramic
$56Sale Price|20% Off
1960s 15 Piece Dinnerware in by Ingrid, Chicago
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Set of 15 vintage plastic dinnerware consisting of 7 dinner plates, 7 salad plates, and 5 bowls. Made of ABS. Some signs of age and use, light scra...
Plastic
Set of 4 Pink Wicker Ceramic Dinner Plates Made in Italy
Located in ROCCAVIVARA CB, IT
Enhance your table setting with the charming Handpainted Ceramic Wicker Plates, skillfully crafted and beautifully painted by artisans in Italy. Featuring an intricate wicker-inspire...
Ceramic
Rosenthal "Polygon Corfu" China Set Mid Century Danish Modern 38 Pieces
Located in Atlanta, GA
Rosenthal "Polygon Corfu" China Set, Germany, circa 1970s. The 36 piece set is comprised of 1 coffee pot, 1 teapot, 9 dinner plates, 11 tea cups, 11 saucers, and 5 bread plates.
Porcelain
$956Sale Price / set|20% Off
Mid-Century Modern 91 Piece Rosewood & Bronze Flatware Set by Jean Claude w Case
By Jean Claude Aujame
Located in Port Jervis, NY
Fabulous and never used rosewood & bronze 91 pcs, service for eight with serving pcs. Great teak storage box with brass & rosewood handle. Truly a qua...
Brass, Bronze
Set of 4 Blue Wicker Ceramic Dinner Plates Made in Italy
Located in ROCCAVIVARA CB, IT
Enhance your table setting with the charming Handpainted Ceramic Wicker Plates, skillfully crafted and beautifully painted by artisans in Italy. Featuring an intricate wicker-inspire...
Ceramic
$76Sale Price / set|20% Off
Vintage Midcentury Salt and Pepper Shakers by Ehrenreich of Denmark in Teak
Located in Søborg, DK
Vintage midcentury salt and pepper shakers by Ehrenreich of Denmark in teak. It was the late 1950s, and in Ehrenreich’s small workshop, there was no shortage of imagination. No two things were ever alike. Small silver fish were inlaid in hand-turned bowls...
Teak
Classic Vintage Dansk Design Cutting Board from the 1960s
Located in Vienna, Austria
Based on form and function, this cutting board has the knife in the handle. The blade is 18/10 stainless steel and is tappered from the spine to the cutting edge. The block is constructed in parquet style including the knife handle.
Wood
$3,200Sale Price / set|20% Off
Vintage 144 pc. Set of Thai Nickel Bronze Flatware in Teak case
Located in Pasadena, TX
This is nice set of flatware from Thailand .The set is made of nickel bronze. It's 144 pieces and is service for 12. The flatware was made in the mid century period. The flatware ser...
Bronze, Nickel
Set 12 Blown Bubble Glass Mid-Century Modern Drinking Glasses Glassware, Italy
Located in Miami, FL
Set of 12 Mid-Century Modern heavy blown bubble glass drinking glasses, glassware, stemware made in Italy. In excellent condition. A-976-335
Blown Glass
6 Midcentury Pastel Daisy Porcelain Espresso Coffee Cups, Lilien, Austria, 1950s
Located in Vienna, AT
A mokka set of six charming conical espresso coffee cups and saucers from the „Daisy“-series, made of thin, fine china in six differen...
Porcelain
Vintage Salt Shaker And Pepper Grinder, Brass And Painted Surface, Made In Italy
Located in Doraville, GA
Stunning vintage salt shaker and pepper grinder with brass tops and painted finish. The pair appear yellow in the photographs, the color is actually a greenish yellow. The two pieces...
Brass
Tjorn by Dansk Sterling Silver Flatware Set 8 Service 50 Pieces Mid-Century Mod
By Dansk
Located in Big Bend, WI
The innovative and highly desirable flatware pattern "Tjorn" by Dansk was designed by Danish artist and designer Jens Quistgaard in 1959. It features striking Scandinavian modern des...
Sterling Silver
Mid Century 20 Piece Dinnerware Set of California Ivy Poppy Trail by Metlox
By Metlox Manufacturing Company
Located in Oklahoma City, OK
A 20-piece ceramic dinnerware set by Metlox. This twenty-piece set includes seven dinner plates, eight small plates, two serving bowls, and three tea cups. Each piece is glazed in a ...
Ceramic
Set of Six Vintage Fire-King Jadeite Coffee Mugs, 1940s
Located in Coral Gables, FL
A classic set of six vintage Fire-King Jadeite coffee mugs by Anchor Hocking, one of the most iconic names in twentieth-century American glassmaking. Produced in the signature soft j...
Glass
Italian Modernist Crumb Pan / Dust Pan in Teak and Brass
Located in Brooklyn, NY
Teak dust/crumb pan in the manner of Carl Auböck (ca. 1960s, Italy). Sculptural pan boasts rich teak color and vivid grain finished with a curved brass handle. Excellent, vintage con...
Brass
$262Sale Price|37% Off
Toothpick Holder with African Boy by Richard Rohac
Located in Wien, Au
Toothpick holder with African boy by Richard Rohac Original condition.
Brass
Modernist "Odin" Flatware by Jens Quistgaard for Dansk, 72 Pieces
By Jens Quistgaard, Dansk
Located in Atlanta, GA
Large set of "Odin" pattern stainless steel flatware, designed by Jens Quistgaard in Denmark and produced in Germany for Dansk, circa 1960s. This is a complete six-piece set for 12 p...
Stainless Steel
Vintage Silver Plate Snail Salt Dish Spice Dish with Glass Inlay
Located in Miami, FL
A vintage salt or spice dish designed as a snail with a glass tray inside. Label silver plated on the bottom. Makes the perfect timeless gift! A-816-335
Silver Plate
Tiffany Midcentury Modern 148-Piece Dinner Set in Exotic Bamboo
Located in New York, NY
Bamboo sterling silver dinner set. Made by Tiffany & Co. in New York. This set comprises 148 pieces: Forks: 13 dinner forks (7 1/4), 26 salad forks (6 3/4), and 8 ice cream forks...
Sterling Silver
Los Castillo Taxco Mexican Modernist Abalone, Mother of Pearl & Silvered Tray
By Los Castillo, Los Castillos
Located in Atlanta, GA
This refined tray by Los Castillo of Taxco belongs to one of the most important chapters in 20th-century Mexican decorative arts. Founded in 1939, the Taller de Los Castillo became c...
Silver Plate
Wilhelm Wagenfeld Mid-Century Max & Moritz Salt Pepper Twins Shakers, WMF, 1950s
By WMF Württembergische Metallwarenfabrik, Wilhelm Wagenfeld
Located in Vienna, AT
A set of lovely modernist Bauhaus "Max & Moritz salt and pepper twins“ shakers, original vintage from the 1950s. Designed by Prof. Wilhelm Wagenfeld, executed by WMF Württembergische...
Stainless Steel
Hocking Glass Old Colony Pink Depression Glass Dessert Service, 1935
Located in Coral Gables, FL
A beautiful Pink Depression Glass dessert service by Hocking Glass in the Old Colony pattern, also known as Lace Edge or Open Lace. Produced betw...
Glass
Set of 6 Natural Capiz Shell and Cork Round Placemat Chargers With Brass Rims
Located in New York, NY
Set of 6 natural capiz shell round placemat chargers with brass rims and natural cork bottoms. Made by hand in the Phillipine islands.
Shell
Pink Cabbage Glazed Ceramic Small Tureen or Bowl, Portugal, 1960s
Located in Barcelona, ES
A lovely hand painted Majolica ceramic pink cabbage small tureen, sugar bowl or sauceboat with lid. Manufactured by Bordallo Pinheiro. Portugal, 1960s This eye-catching small cabbage tureen...
Majolica, Pottery, Ceramic
Exceptional decorative mirrored tray, hand-cut glass Barovier 1950s Murano Italy
Located in Wien, AT
A beautiful, exceptionally decorative serving tray from the famous glassblowing island of Murano in Venice, Italy. Made in the 1950s, most probably by Ercole Barovier. The tray cons...
Gold Leaf
Richard Ginori Black & White China Set Colonna Pattern Mid Century 36 Pieces
Located in Atlanta, GA
Extensive china or dinnerware set in the "Colonna" pattern, designed by Giovanni Gariboldi for Ginori circa 1954. Gariboldi was Gio Ponti's successor at Ginori. 36 pieces total. The ...
Porcelain
Set of 10 Imperial Stone Faux Malachite Octagonal Placemats, Signed, USA, 1980s
By Imperial Stone
Located in New York, NY
Set of 10 Imperial Stone Faux Malachite Octagonal Placemats, Signed, USA, 1980s. Set of ten octagonal faux malachite placemats in lacquered acrylic...
Resin
Mid Century Dalia Spain "Picasso" Flatware Set, 82 Pieces
Located in Brooklyn, NY
82 piece set of mid-century flatware from the "Picasso" collection by Dalia Spain. Set includes: - 13 Dinner Forks - 11 Salad Forks - 12 Dinner Spoons - 25 Dessert Spoons - 11 Lunch...
Stainless Steel
Carl Aubock for Amboss 35 Piece Flatware Set Mid Century Modern
Located in Atlanta, GA
Modernist stainless steel flatware set, designed by Carl Aubock for Amboss, Austria, circa 1960s. This is a 5 piece set for 7 guests, 35 pieces total. The largest piece measures 8.25...
Stainless Steel
Celeste by Gorham Sterling Silver Flatware Set for 12 Service, 79 Pieces, Modern
By Gorham Manufacturing Company
Located in Big Bend, WI
Mid-Century Modern Celeste by Gorham, circa 1956 sterling silver flatware set of 79 pieces. This set includes: 12 knives, 9 3/8". 12 forks, 7 1/2". 12 salad forks, 7 1/8". 12 teaspo...
Sterling Silver