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.
Ice Bucket in Chrome in the shape of a bowling ball, France, 1970
Located in Auribeau sur Siagne, FR
Vintage chrome ice bucket with an iconic spherical design reminiscent of the 1970s. Its perfectly round shape and mirrored finish give it a futuristic aesthetic typical of space age ...
Chrome
1970s Space Age Portable Plastic Wine Cooler Caddy Two-Bottle Capacity
Located in San Diego, CA
The decor insulated wine carrier with wine chiller was designed in 1978 to meet the needs of people in Melbourne Australia who patronised 'BYO' (bring your own) restaurants, which wa...
Plastic
Baccarat Ice Bucket, Original Decorative Object, 1970s
Located in Roma, IT
Baccarat ice bucket is an original decorative object realized by Baccarat manufacture in the 1970s. Ice bucket entirely realized in crystal. ...
Crystal
$898
H 11.82 in W 25.6 in D 14.97 in
Vintage Large 8 Bottle Wine Champagne Cooler Ice Bucket 20th Century
Located in London, GB
This is a large elegant and stylish Vintage champagne cooler dating from the late 20th Century. This alluring item is perfectly suited to a party, and can easily accommodate eight b...
Silver Plate
Spanish Ball Footed Ice Bucket Champagne / Wine Cooler
By Valenti
Located in Barcelona, ES
Eye-catching Midcentury Ball Shaped Ice Bucket with Bronce Details. This sexy stainless steel and brass wine chiller features a ball standing on ba...
Metal, Brass, Steel, Stainless Steel
$950
H 31 in W 11.5 in D 8.5 in
Glitzy Chrome Standing Champagne Ice Bucket with Brass Ball Shaped Handles
Located in Miami, FL
A glamorous and functional midcentury modern chrome champagne ice bucket or cooler on a stand having brass shaped ball handles and finial on top. Also works well with Art Deco. Ple...
Aluminum, Brass
$19,800 / item
H 11.5 in Dm 11.5 in
Pair of Elkington & Co Gilt Bronze Neoclassical Jardiniere/Champagne Ice Buckets
Located in New York, NY
Fine pair of signed Elkington & Co gilt bronze Neoclassical Jardinière/Champagne ice buckets or wine coolers. Depicting new classical Roman figures and subjects with lions and leopar...
Gold, Bronze
Panther Wine Cooler
Located in Paris, FR
Wine Cooler Panther with structure in steel in chrome finish, with 2 panther handles.
Steel, Chrome
$360
H 7.88 in W 9.45 in D 8.27 in
1970s Mid-Century Modern Silver Plated Hammered Italian Wine Cooler
By Cesa 1882
Located in Aci Castello, IT
Elevate your barware collection with this sophisticated 1970s Italian wine cooler, a quintessential example of Mid-Century Modern design. This vintage piece is crafted from high-qual...
Silver Plate
$1,579
H 11.62 in Dm 5.71 in
Pineapple Ice Bucket Wine Cooler in the Style of Mauro Manetti, Italy, 1950s
Located in Barcelona, ES
Metal Plated Pineapple Ice Bucket, 1950s ____________________________________________________________ An exquisite Hollywood Regency metal plated pineapple shaped ice bucket or wine ...
Metal
$1,400
H 49 in Dm 9 in
Achille Castiglioni Zanotta Servino Wine Bottle Cooler, Ice Bucket, Italy, 1987
By Achille Castiglioni, Zanotta
Located in Vienna, AT
A beautiful, minimalist, and quite rare postmodern floor-standing champagne, wine, and drinks cooler / ice bucket / bottle holder designed in 1987 by Achille Castiglioni and produced...
Metal
Antique English Wine Cooler
Located in London, GB
Constructed in oak, rising from wood castor shod bun footed baluster legs adorned with lotus leaf carving, the body of everted sarcophagus form, carved with ring handles, and having ...
Zinc
$1,990
H 10 in W 13.75 in D 4.75 in
French Silver Plate Two-Bottle Handled Wine Cooler, 1st quarter 20th century
Located in Atlanta, GA
of obround form with two handles and decorative grape and vine motifs, the interior well with a removable divider for ice
Silver Plate
Two Danish Royal Copenhagen Flora Danica Porcelain Wine Coolers
Located in London, GB
Two Danish Royal Copenhagen Flora Danica Porcelain Wine Coolers Danish, 20th Century Height 16cm, diameter 18cm These 20th century wine coolers come from the Flora Danica dinner s...
Porcelain
Plastic Wine Rack Flair Holland 1970s
By Kartell
Located in Den Haag, NL
Very nice Plastic portable wine rack. Manufactured by Flair Holland 1970s. 5 bottles. Very good condition.
Plastic
1970s Space Age Portable Plastic Wine Caddy Triple-Bottle Capacity
Located in San Diego, CA
Insulated wine carrier with wine chiller was designed in 1978 to meet the needs of people in Melbourne Australia who patronized 'BYO' (bring your own) restaurants, which was a popula...
Plastic
1970s Space Age Portable Plastic Wine Caddy Two-Bottle Capacity
Located in San Diego, CA
The decor insulated wine carrier with wine chiller was designed in 1978 to meet the needs of people in Melbourne Australia who patronised 'BYO' (bring your own) restaurants, which wa...
Plastic
1970s Space Age Portable Plastic Wine Caddy, Two-Bottle Capacity
Located in San Diego, CA
The decor insulated wine carrier with wine chiller was designed in 1978 to meet the needs of people in Melbourne Australia who patronised 'BYO' (bring your own) restaurants, which wa...
Plastic