Mid-Century Modern Chandeliers and Pendants

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 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.

Style: Mid-Century Modern

Creator: Gaetano Sciolari

Sculpture Italian Design Chandelier Crystal Brass Gold Aldo Marchetti 1970s

Mid-Century Modern Chandeliers and Pendants

1970s Italian Vintage Mid-Century Modern Chandeliers and Pendants

Sculpture Italian Design Chandelier Crystal Brass Gold Aldo Marchetti 1970s

1970s German Vintage Mid-Century Modern Chandeliers and Pendants

Brass and Crystal Chandelier, Sciolari Design by Palwa, Germany, 1970s

Mid-20th Century Italian Mid-Century Modern Chandeliers and Pendants

1970s Chrome, Brushed Brass and Glass Chandelier by Sciolari

1960s Italian Vintage Mid-Century Modern Chandeliers and Pendants

Gaetano Sciolari Architectural Mid-Century Modern Pendant lamp, Italy, 1960s

1970s Italian Vintage Mid-Century Modern Chandeliers and Pendants

Gaetano Sciolari Gold Plated & Glass Eight-Light Chandelier Italy 1970

Mid-20th Century Italian Mid-Century Modern Chandeliers and Pendants

1970s Gold Aluminium and Glass Seven-Light Chandelier by Sciolari

1970s German Vintage Mid-Century Modern Chandeliers and Pendants

Midcentury Sciolari Style Brass Chandelier, 1970s

Mid-20th Century Italian Mid-Century Modern Chandeliers and Pendants

Mid-century Italian Modern Sciolari Trapezoidal Tubular Glass & Steel Chandelier

1970s Italian Vintage Mid-Century Modern Chandeliers and Pendants

1970 Italy Gaetano Sciolari Sputnik Cascade Chandelier Crystal Balls & Chrome

Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Chandeliers and Pendants

Mid-Century Modern Italian Chandelier by Sciolari for Lightolier

1970s Italian Vintage Mid-Century Modern Chandeliers and Pendants

Polished Aluminum 'Cyclone' Pendant Fixture by Gaetano Sciolari

20th Century Italian Mid-Century Modern Chandeliers and Pendants

Gaetano Sciolari Midcentury Italian Modern Polished Chrome Chandelier

1970s Vintage Mid-Century Modern Chandeliers and Pendants

Italian Mid-Century Two-Tiered Chandelier by Gaetano Sciolari

1970s German Vintage Mid-Century Modern Chandeliers and Pendants

1 of 4 Large Gilt Brass Chandelier, Sciolari Design by Palwa, Germany, 1970s

1960s Italian Vintage Mid-Century Modern Chandeliers and Pendants

Monumental Mid-Century Modern Chrome Chandelier by Gaetano Sciolari

Mid-20th Century Italian Mid-Century Modern Chandeliers and Pendants

1960's 9 light Chrome and Glass Chandelier by Gaetano Sciolari

20th Century Italian Mid-Century Modern Chandeliers and Pendants

Mid-Century Italian Gilt Brass / Clear Glass Chandelier by Sciolari, circa 1970

1970s German Vintage Mid-Century Modern Chandeliers and Pendants

Midcentury Sciolari Style Brass Chandelier, 1970s

1960s Italian Vintage Mid-Century Modern Chandeliers and Pendants

Mid-century Modern Twin-shade Set of 3 Sconces by Sciolari, 1960s, Italy

Mid-20th Century Italian Mid-Century Modern Chandeliers and Pendants

1970s Chrome, Brushed Brass and Glass Chandelier by Sciolari

1970s Italian Vintage Mid-Century Modern Chandeliers and Pendants

Very Rare and Incredible Beautiful Large Chandelier by Sciolari

20th Century Italian Mid-Century Modern Chandeliers and Pendants

Midcentury Italian Sciolari Chrome Chandelier, circa 1970

Mid-20th Century Mid-Century Modern Chandeliers and Pendants

Glass Rod Chandelier by Sciolari

1960s Italian Vintage Mid-Century Modern Chandeliers and Pendants

Rare 1960's Gaetano Sciolari Chrome and Beaded Crystal Chandelier

1970s Italian Vintage Mid-Century Modern Chandeliers and Pendants

Mid Century Modern Gaetano Scolari Satin Brass and Crystal Chandelier

1970s Italian Vintage Mid-Century Modern Chandeliers and Pendants

Gaetano Sciolari XXL Chandelier with chrome and aluminium fixture, Italy, 1970s

20th Century Italian Mid-Century Modern Chandeliers and Pendants

Gaetano Sciolari Italian Modern Wood and Brass Eight-Light Chandelier

1970s Italian Vintage Mid-Century Modern Chandeliers and Pendants

Gaetano Sciolari Modernist Brass Chandelier with Crystal Blades

Mid-20th Century Italian Mid-Century Modern Chandeliers and Pendants

Modernist Midcentury Gaetano Sciolari Crystal and Chrome Sculptural Chandelier

1960s Italian Vintage Mid-Century Modern Chandeliers and Pendants

Mid-Century Modern Italian 8 Drop Light with Chrome Chandelier Gaetano Sciolari

1970s Italian Vintage Mid-Century Modern Chandeliers and Pendants

Set of Gaetano Sciolari 8 & 6 Light Chandeliers Chrome & Glass Balls Italy 1970

1960s Italian Vintage Mid-Century Modern Chandeliers and Pendants

Sciolari Chrome and Glass Chandelier

20th Century Italian Mid-Century Modern Chandeliers and Pendants

Gaetano Sciolari for Lightolier Italian Mid-Century Round Metal Cage Chandelier

Mid-20th Century Italian Mid-Century Modern Chandeliers and Pendants

1960s Gaeteno Sciolari Brass and Glass Chandelier

1950s Italian Vintage Mid-Century Modern Chandeliers and Pendants

Sciolari Chandelier in Antiqued Nickel with Crystals 1950s

1960s North American Vintage Mid-Century Modern Chandeliers and Pendants

Sculptural Gaetano Sciolari Spiral Chrome, Mid-Century Modern Chandelier

1970s Italian Vintage Mid-Century Modern Chandeliers and Pendants

Gold-Plated Brass and Crystal Chandelier by Gaetano Sciolari

Mid-20th Century Italian Mid-Century Modern Chandeliers and Pendants

Sculptural Sciolari Chandelier Italian, Design 1970

1970s Italian Vintage Mid-Century Modern Chandeliers and Pendants

Midcentury Design 5-Arm Gaetano Sciolari Ceiling Lamp Chandelier Chrome

1960s Italian Vintage Mid-Century Modern Chandeliers and Pendants