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Space Age Tableware

SPACE AGE STYLE

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.

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Style: Space Age
Space Age Drinking Set Orangeade by Jean Pierre Vitrac, 1970s, Set of 9
Located in San Benedetto Del Tronto, IT
Vintage 'Orangeade' 1970s drinking set designed by Jean Pierre Vitrac in a vibrant orange color. This beautiful set includes six plastic cups and a matching jug for all types of ref...
Category

1970s French Vintage Space Age Tableware

Materials

Plastic

Set of 6 Glasses - 18 pcs tot - by Giotto Stoppino for Vursa - Italy '70s
Located in Milano, IT
Original six-person glass service divided into: 6 water glasses, 6 white wine glasses, 6 red wine glasses, total of 18 pieces. Designed by Giotto Stoppino, in an original form that h...
Category

Mid-20th Century Italian Space Age Tableware

Materials

Crystal

1960 Nencioni Moleri design Zani Acciaio Servizio Posate Da Tavola 75 pezzi
By Nencioni & Moleri, Zani
Located in Brescia, IT
Set Posate Design Carla Nencioni, Armando Moleri Prod. Zani _ Linea Design 1960s Servizio da 12 Persone + 3 posate da Servizio 75 Pezzi in Acciaio Completo di Scatola Originale Ec...
Category

1960s Italian Vintage Space Age Tableware

Materials

Steel

Black Ceramic Tableware Set Makio Hasuike Collection Arnolfo Di Cambio, 1970s
Located in San Benedetto Del Tronto, IT
Iconic and rare 70s tableware in black ceramic designed by Makio Hasuike for Arnolfo Di Cambio. This amazing set was produced by Ceramiche Ravelli Laveno, with unsurpassed manufact...
Category

1970s Italian Vintage Space Age Tableware

Materials

Ceramic

1960s Set of a Jug with Six Cups by Aldo Londi for Bitossi
Located in Milan, IT
1960s set of a jug with six cups by Aldo Londi for Bitossi (Blue Collection) in ceramic. Made in Italy The items are in excellent condition
Category

1960s European Vintage Space Age Tableware

Materials

Ceramic

Related Items
Jean Pierre Vitrac, Modular Tray, for Aperitif, Edition Guillois, circa 1970
Located in Mouscron, WHT
Jean Pierre Vitrac, modular tray, for aperitif, Edition Guillois, circa 1970.
Category

1970s Vintage Space Age Tableware

Materials

Plastic

Coppa da vino, argento massiccio, MOON, media, fatto a mano, Italia
Located in Firenze, IT
K-over coppa da vino in argento massiccio Le coppe da vino in argento massiccio fanno parte della nostra collezione più recente. Il valore di queste coppe in argento massiccio è dato...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Italian Space Age Tableware

Materials

Silver

Enchantress by International Sterling Silver Flatware Service for 8 Set 53 Pcs
Located in Big Bend, WI
Enchantress by International sterling silver flatware set of 53 pieces. This set includes: Eight knives, 8 7/8". Eight forks, 7 3/8". Eight salad forks, 6 1/2". Eight teaspoons, 6 1...
Category

1930s Vintage Space Age Tableware

Materials

Sterling Silver

Francis I by Reed & Barton Sterling Silver Flatware Set 8 Old Mark 70 Pcs Dinner
Located in Big Bend, WI
Francis I by Reed & Barton old mark vintage flatware dinner and regular size set with crisp pattern detail, 70 pieces. This set includes: 8 dinner size knives, 9 3/4" 8 dinner size ...
Category

Early 20th Century Space Age Tableware

Materials

Sterling Silver

Rubans by Christofle Silverplate Flatware Service Set 70 Pcs France Bow & Ribbon
Located in Big Bend, WI
With a dedication to perfection and quality, Christofle flatware creations unite craftsmanship and modern technique, resulting in flatware to be handed down through generations. Crea...
Category

Early 20th Century French Space Age Tableware

Materials

Silver Plate

Gerald Benney Stainless Cutlery by Viners of Sheffield, British, 1970s
Located in Melbourne, AU
Superb set of 'Fisheaters', i.e. Six knives and six forks designed by Gerald Benney, in original box. The influence of Danish design is very clear, yet these are quintessentially midcentury British in their trim, measured and practical style. 'Gerald Benney CBE (21 April 1930 – 26 June 2008) was a British silver and goldsmith who along with David Mellor...
Category

1970s British Vintage Space Age Tableware

Materials

Stainless Steel

Set of 12 Handmade Unique Goto Murano Drinking Glasses
Located in Murano, VE
The Murano Glass Goto collection brings a piece of authentic Italian art to your dining table. Hand-blown with artistic expertise, these glasses are inspired by the traditional Venet...
Category

2010s Italian Space Age Tableware

Materials

Murano Glass

Ceramic Owl by Aldo Londi for Bitossi, Italy, 1960's
Located in Barcelona, ES
Ceramic owl by Aldo Londi as part of the Blue Rimini collection for Bitossi, Italy, 1960's. Blue and turquoise glazed ceramic with carved geometric design.
Category

1960s Italian Vintage Space Age Tableware

Materials

Ceramic

Bitossi Aldo Londi Rimini Blue Ceramic Vase, 1960s
Located in Barcelona, ES
'Rimini blu' glazed ceramic vase designed by Aldo Londi for by Bitossi. Italy, 1960s. This eye-catching vase is made of blue glazed ceramic with engraved patterns surrounding the cen...
Category

Mid-20th Century Italian Space Age Tableware

Materials

Ceramic, Pottery, Terracotta

Important tableware China, circa 1950 / 1970
Located in Paris, FR
Large Chinese porcelain dinner service, circa 1950/1970, decorated with scenes of domestic life. It has been used very little and is in perfect condition. It consists of: 12 dinner plates, 12 soup plates, 12 dessert plates, 12 smaller plates, 12 bread plates, 6 presentation plates 2 vegetable dishes with lids, 1 soup tureen with lid, 1 salad bowl, 2 sauce boats, 1 butter dish, 4 ramekins 8 egg cups, 1 large round shallow dish, 1 large oval dish, 1 smaller oval dish, 12 coffee cups with saucers 11 teacups with saucers, 1 teapot, 1 coffee pot, 1 sugar bowl, 1 milk jug. Each piece is in perfect condition and bears the Qianlong Nian Zhi...
Category

20th Century Chinese Space Age Tableware

Materials

Porcelain

4 Antique Baroque Reticulated Sterling Silver 925 Souvenir Tea Spoons 75g 6"
Located in Dayton, OH
"Lot of four antique sterling silver souvenir tea spoons – The Montezuma, Las Vegas Hot Springs by Alvin Sterling, Whiting Manufacturing Imperial Queen pattern (introduced 1893) with monogram, Wisconsin Dells, Hornets Nest by Lunt Silversmiths, and Granford engraved Georgian pattern (first produced 1898) by Towle Silversmiths. ""The Alvin Corporation was founded by Wm. H. Jamoneau in 1886 as Alvin Mfg Co in Irvington, New Jersey. The firm changed to Alvin-Beiderhase Co (c. 1893) under the management of Wm. H. Jamoneau, Henry H. Leibe and George B. Beiderhase moving in 1895 to Sag Harbour, Long Island. In 1897 Alvin-Beiderhase Co, maker of Official World Fair souvenir spoons for 1893-94 Chicago Columbian Exposition, was purchased by Joseph Fahys & Co (watch-case manufacturer) operating as a branch until 1910. In 1919 the name changed to Alvin Silver Co until 1928 when assets, dies and patterns were purchased by Gorham Corporation operating in Providence plant as a separated division of Gorham under the name of Alvin Corporation."" ""Whiting Manufacturing Co traces its origin to the firm Tifft & Whiting formed in 1840 by Albert C. Tifft and William Dean Whiting. After the retirement of Tifft the firm changed to Whiting & Gooding (& Co) in 1853, Whiting Fessenden & Cowan (1858), Tifft Whiting & Co (1859, re-entering of Tifft), Whiting Cowan & Bowen (1864) until its forming as Whiting Manufacturing Co in 1866. The factory, located in North Attleboro, Massachusetts, was destroyed by a fire in 1875. What was salvaged by the ruins was acquired by F, Jones and the production transferred to New York combining its manufacturing operations and offices into one building at 692-694 Broadway at Fourth Street. The company was purchased by Gorham in 1924 and the production transferred to Providence, Rhode Island. Whiting had relatively small production output but produced exceptional handmade silverware in relatively small quantities. The Company's most famous and important designer was Charles Osborne. In the 1880's he worked for Tiffany for a period of time before returning to Whiting. His designs are some of the most important of the American aesthetic movement. From 1905 to 1924 the firm marked its production with date symbols. Whiting was absorbed by Gorham in 1926."" ""Lunt Silversmiths began its activity and was incorporated in Greenfield, MA in 1902 as Rogers, Lunt & Bowlen Company. The firm succeeded to A. F. Towle & Son Co purchasing its tools, machinery, trademarks and good-will. The business was managed by George E. Rogers (1849-1915, President and major investor), George Colby Lunt (Treasurer and General Manager) and William Caldwell Bowlen (1868-1934, Vice President and supervisor of manufacturing until his retirement in 1929). George C. Lunt and William C. Bowlen were both qualified members of the staff of the defunct Towle's factory. The company would become a celebrated domestic designer and producer of flatware, hollowware, and giftware for generations to come remaining in Lunt family hands for more than 100 years, making it the oldest continuously operating family-owned silver company in the United States. On April 4, 1912 the RLB trademark obtained the U.S. federal registration under the serial number of 71062653. In 1935 Rogers, Lunt & Bowlen Company's name was shortened to Lunt Silversmiths. In 1957 Lunt Silversmiths acquired King Silver Co and its subsidiary Richard Dimes Company of South Boston, Ma. Lunt Silversmiths had in its inventory a wide array of flatware patterns as Alexandra, American Directoire, American Victorian, Belle...
Category

Early 20th Century Space Age Tableware

Materials

Sterling Silver

Salt and Pepper Set by François Monnet, France 1970s
Located in L'Escala, ES
Rare and beautiful salt and pepper set by François Monnet for Kappa manufactured in France in 1970s. Brush aluminum structure with 2 handmade bottles in a incredible blue grey smoked...
Category

Mid-20th Century French Space Age Tableware

Materials

Aluminum

Previously Available Items
Massimo Vignelli Stackable Tableware for Heller, 1964
Located in Las Vegas, NV
33 Piece stackable dinnerware setup by Massimo Vignelli for Heller, 1964 in a vibrant, and rare, purple plastic. Impeccable space saving design gives th...
Category

1960s American Vintage Space Age Tableware

Materials

Plastic

60 Pc Space Age Galaxy Pattern Stainless Steel Flatware Set by Cambridge for 12
Located in Philadelphia, PA
Offered here for your consideration is a far-out set of flatware by Cambridge in stainless steel. This pattern called 'Galaxy' appears to have been short-lived. We can find ve...
Category

20th Century Korean Space Age Tableware

Materials

Stainless Steel

Sky Rocket Ship Pepper Mill Wood and Brass, Made in Italy, Space Age, 1970s
Located in Rome, IT
Peppermill in wood and brass details, Space Age style, in the shape of a skyrocket. Made in Italy, circa 1970.
Category

1970s Italian Vintage Space Age Tableware

Materials

Metal, Brass

Space Age Sera Set 6 Italian Coffee/Espresso Spoons Designed by Makio Hasuike
Located in San Diego, CA
Great design of these beautiful set of 6 coffee espresso spoons, circa 1970s plastic handle with polished chrome, designed by Makio Hasuike for Nescafe...
Category

20th Century Italian Space Age Tableware

Materials

Chrome

Sergio Asti Red Lauffer Boca Flatware 5-Piece Set Italian Space Age Mid-Century
Located in Hyattsville, MD
12 sets are available. One set includes; Dinner fork (7 in.,) Dessert/Salad fork (6 in.,) Soup/Table spoon (each measures (7 in.,) Teaspoon (6 in.,) and Dinner knife (7.75 in.) W...
Category

1970s Italian Vintage Space Age Tableware

Materials

Stainless Steel

Heller Ice Bucket by Sergio Asti
Located in Oklahoma City, OK
Space age, Op to pop plastic ice bucket with liner by Sergio Asti for Heller. Great the that 1960s bar set up.
Category

1960s Italian Vintage Space Age Tableware

Materials

Plastic

Gio Ponti Tableware Complete Set White Blue Orange Ceramica Italiana Pozzi, 1967
Located in Arosio, IT
Complete tableware set original 1967 by Gio Ponti. He designed this series for the Italian ceramic manufacturer Franco Pozzi. A mentor and friend of Luigi Sormani, owner of the Sorma...
Category

1960s Italian Vintage Space Age Tableware

Materials

Ceramic

Space Age tableware for sale on 1stDibs.

Find a broad range of unique Space Age tableware for sale on 1stDibs. Many of these items were first offered in the Late 20th Century, but contemporary artisans have continued to produce works inspired by this style. If you’re looking to add vintage tableware created in this style to your space, the works available on 1stDibs include serveware, ceramics, silver and glass and other home furnishings, frequently crafted with ceramic, metal and other materials. If you’re shopping for used Space Age tableware made in a specific country, there are Europe, and Italy pieces for sale on 1stDibs. While there are many designers and brands associated with original tableware, popular names associated with this style include Ravelli, and Sergio Asti. It’s true that these talented designers have at times inspired knockoffs, but our experienced specialists have partnered with only top vetted sellers to offer authentic pieces that come with a buyer protection guarantee. Prices for tableware differ depending upon multiple factors, including designer, materials, construction methods, condition and provenance. On 1stDibs, the price for these items starts at $295 and tops out at $1,437 while the average work can sell for $891.

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