Skip to main content

Mid-Century Modern Floor Lamps

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

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 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.

1
177
to
9
93
82
177
177
177
137
88
27
16
11
7
1
1
5
9
5,453
620
19
3,644
1,473
3
1
3
28
1,228
1,147
1,101
196
33
Height
to
Width
to
165
13
1
147
112
51
48
37
158
91
28
25
24
6
4
4
3
3
Style: Mid-Century Modern
Period: 1940s
Italian Midcentury Floor Lamp by Barovier & Toso
Located in bari, IT
Floor lamp in worked glass and brass by Barovier & Toso form late 1940s.
Category

1940s Italian Vintage Mid-Century Modern Floor Lamps

Materials

Brass

Mid-Century Modern Gilt Plaster Floor Lamp by Mario Porcu
By Mario Porcu
Located in London, GB
Unusual figurative floor lamp by Mario Porcu. This plaster lamp has glazed and gilded sections showing different figures. Comes with bespoke shade with gold interior. Signed to base....
Category

1940s Italian Vintage Mid-Century Modern Floor Lamps

Materials

Plaster

1940s French Floor Lamp Made of Glass and Copper Metal
Located in bari, IT
Aluminum structure with glass rods and copper elements.
Category

1940s French Vintage Mid-Century Modern Floor Lamps

Materials

Aluminum, Copper

Mid-Century Modern Standing Lamp, 3 Lightning Branches and Satin Lampshade-Italy
Located in Girona, ES
Standing lamp, stained beech fluted stand, French polish. Thick glass and solid polished brass base. Polished brass three lightning branches and lampshade support. Marron glacé satin...
Category

1940s Italian Vintage Mid-Century Modern Floor Lamps

Materials

Brass

Mid-Century Modern Vintage Brass Beech Floor Lamp Giuseppe Ostuni Attributed
Located in Vienna, AT
Mid century modern vintage beech brass floor lamp attributed to Giuseppe Ostuni. The design features are very similar to Giuseppe Ostuni. The renewed lampshade in playful apple green...
Category

1940s Italian Vintage Mid-Century Modern Floor Lamps

Materials

Brass

Mid-Century Modern Standing Lamp with Double Lighting System - Italy, 1940s
Located in Girona, ES
Standing lamp with stained beech base and stand, French polish. Solid brass decorations in the base and in the middle of the stand. Double lightning system. New lampshade in a golden...
Category

1940s Italian Vintage Mid-Century Modern Floor Lamps

Materials

Brass

J.T Kalmar & A. Pöll Floor Lamp Model 2076 / Dornstab by J.T Kalmar in Vienna
Located in Limhamn, Skåne län
Very rare floor lamp model 2076 / dornstab designed by J.T Kalmar & A. Pöll. Produced by J.T Kalmar in Vienna, Austria.
Category

1940s Austrian Vintage Mid-Century Modern Floor Lamps

Materials

Brass

Mid-Century Modern Floor Lamp with Eyelet Linen Shades
Located in New York, NY
This slender and graceful lamp features a pair of flexible brass arms which allow the lamp to illuminate both up or down, providing reading and working light as well as to spotlight ...
Category

1940s Swedish Vintage Mid-Century Modern Floor Lamps

Materials

Fir

Attributed to Barovier & Toso, Murano Glass Floor Lamp, circa 1940
Located in Marcq-en-Barœul, Hauts-de-France
This very nice Murano floor lamp is made of glass. This is a beautiful model attributed to Barovier & Toso, Murano, Italy, circa 1940.    
Category

1940s French Vintage Mid-Century Modern Floor Lamps

Materials

Glass, Fabric

Rare Adjustable Italian Floor Lamp in Brass and Green Faux Leather, 1940s
Located in Milan, IT
Unknown designer adjustable Italian floor lamp in brass and green faux leather, 1940s Size varies depending on positioning.
Category

1940s Italian Vintage Mid-Century Modern Floor Lamps

Materials

Brass

Unique and Breathtaking No. 12300 Floor Lamp by Angelo Lelii for Arredoluce
Located in Munich, DE
The only known chrome version of this outstanding rare and amazing floor lamp by Angelo Lelli. Made on custom order and unique. Only a handful of these lamps have shown up over the l...
Category

1940s Italian Vintage Mid-Century Modern Floor Lamps

Materials

Brass

Italian Designer, Floor Lamp, Brass, Rattan, Fabric, Italy, 1940s
Located in High Point, NC
A brass, rattan, fabric floor lamp designed and produced in Italy, 1940s. Dimensions stated are of Floor Lamp with Lampshade. Socket takes standard E-26 medium base bulb. There i...
Category

1940s Italian Vintage Mid-Century Modern Floor Lamps

Materials

Brass

Italian Designer, Floor Lamp, Mahogany, Brass, Fabric, Italy, 1940s
Located in High Point, NC
A floor lamp in dark-stained mahogany, brass and fabric produced and designed in Italy, 1940s. Sold with Lampshade. Dimensions stated are of Floor Lamp with Lampshade. Socket take...
Category

1940s Italian Vintage Mid-Century Modern Floor Lamps

Materials

Brass

Rare Gino Sarfatti for Arteluce Floor Lamp
Located in St.Petersburg, FL
A rare and original Gino Sarfatti for Arteluce floor lamp, circa 1940s. Anodized wood and tripod brass base.
Category

1940s Italian Vintage Mid-Century Modern Floor Lamps

Materials

Brass

Brass Vintage Floor Lamp attributed to Guiseppe Ostuni, Italy, circa 1940
Located in Vienna, AT
Brass vintage floor lamp attributed to Guiseppe Ostuni, which shows very similar design features by Guiseppe Ostuni. The stem was made of brass and beechwood. The renewed lamp shade ...
Category

1940s Vintage Mid-Century Modern Floor Lamps

Materials

Beech

Dunbar Snack Table Floor Lamp, Model 4856, Designed by Edward Wormley
Located in Hanover, MA
Rare Dunbar floor lamp/snack table combo, Model 4856, designed by Edward Wormley circa 1948. Original Dunbar tag on underside. Slender tapered walnut leg and lamp stem. Round top, 25...
Category

1940s American Vintage Mid-Century Modern Floor Lamps

Materials

Brass

Italian Designer, Floor Lamp, Brass, Rosewood, Fabric, Italy, 1940s
Located in High Point, NC
A modernist brass, rosewood, fabric floor lamp designed and produced in Italy, 1940s. Dimensions stated are of Floor Lamp with Lampshade. Socket takes standard E-26 medium base bu...
Category

1940s Italian Vintage Mid-Century Modern Floor Lamps

Materials

Brass

Italian Fontana Arte Style Glass and Bronze Floor Lamp
Located in Houston, TX
Italian Fontana Arte style glass and bronze floor lamp. Stunning Italian Fontana Arte style glass (Murano glass?) and bronze floor lamp. This great Italian floor lamp has geometric ...
Category

1940s Italian Vintage Mid-Century Modern Floor Lamps

Materials

Bronze

Seguso Vetri d'Arte, Floor Lamp, Brass, Murano Glass, White Fabric, Italy, 1940s
Located in High Point, NC
A brass and Murano glass floor lamp produced by Seguso Vetri D'arte, Italy, 1940s. Sold with Lampshade. Dimensions stated are of Floor Lamp with Lampshade. Socket takes standard E...
Category

1940s Italian Vintage Mid-Century Modern Floor Lamps

Materials

Brass

Maison Baguès French Neoclassical Bronze & Brass Round Base Floor Lamp, 1940s
Located in Miami, FL
Maison Baguès French neoclassical bronze & brass floor lamp round base from the 1940s. Solid bronze high quality floor lamp. Perfect working ...
Category

1940s French Vintage Mid-Century Modern Floor Lamps

Materials

Brass, Bronze

Hans Bergström, Floor Lamp, Brass, Rattan, ASEA, Sweden, 1940s
Located in High Point, NC
A brass and rattan floor lamp, design attributed to Hans Bergström and produced by ASEA, Sweden, 1940s. Sold with Lampshade. Dimensions stated are of Floor Lamp with Lampshade. So...
Category

1940s Swedish Vintage Mid-Century Modern Floor Lamps

Materials

Brass

Brass Beech Vintage Floor Lamp Attributed to Giuseppe Ostuni Italy ca 1949
Located in Vienna, AT
Brass and beech vintage Art Deco floor lamp, which shows design features, which are very similar to Giuseppe Ostuni Italy, circa 1949. The...
Category

1940s Italian Vintage Mid-Century Modern Floor Lamps

Materials

Brass

Italian Midcentury Floor Lamp by Stilnovo, 1960s
Located in Weesp, NL
Stylish and sophisticated midcentury Stilnovo floor lamp designed and produced in the late 1940s for the upper class Milanese. This b...
Category

1940s Italian Vintage Mid-Century Modern Floor Lamps

Materials

Metal

Rooster Floor Lamp in the Taste of Gilbert Poillerat, 1940s
Located in Saint Ouen, FR
A rooster patinated in black and gilt wrought iron .The foot lamp is lacquered in white with a golden spiral around it. This lamp is in the style and rem...
Category

1940s French Vintage Mid-Century Modern Floor Lamps

Materials

Wrought Iron

Italian Fontana Arte Style Murano Glass and Bronze Floor Lamp
Located in Houston, TX
Italian Fontana Arte style Murano glass and bronze floor lamp. Sensational Italian Fontana Arte style Modernist floor lamp of bronze with large solid glass rods, newly wired for U.S....
Category

1940s Italian Vintage Mid-Century Modern Floor Lamps

Materials

Bronze

Nessen Studio Swing Arm Floor Lamp
Located in New York, NY
Early swing arm floor lamp by Nessen Studio. Oxidized chrome lamp with swing-arm feature and original bakelite turn switch. Recently polished out,...
Category

1940s American Vintage Mid-Century Modern Floor Lamps

Maison Jansen Gold Mirrored Floor Lamp
Located in New York, NY
Vintage Maison Jansen gold mirrored gilt bronze floor lamp, Paris, France, circa 1940s. Inclusive of oversize natural color shade. Shade dimension...
Category

1940s French Vintage Mid-Century Modern Floor Lamps

Materials

Ormolu

Mid-Century Modern Brass White Vintage Floor Lamp Style Gio Ponti, 1940s, Italy
Located in Vienna, AT
Mid century modern brass vintage floor lamp from white lacquered wood and brass style Gio Ponti and Pietro Chiesa 1940s in Italy. An elegant and gorgeous floor lamp in the style of...
Category

1940s Italian Vintage Mid-Century Modern Floor Lamps

Materials

Brass

Mid-Century Modern Brass and White Vintage Floor Lamp, 1940s, Italy
Located in Vienna, AT
Mid Century Modern original delicate Italian brass and white floor lamp from the 1940s consists of metal and grooved brass tubes, which are white lacquered. The floor lamp shows crys...
Category

1940s Italian Vintage Mid-Century Modern Floor Lamps

Materials

Metal

Mid-Century Modern System Standing Lamp, Polished Brass and Leather - Italy
Located in Girona, ES
Elegant system polished brass standing lamp, telescopic, oscillating, orientable lampshade. Stand partially covered with leather, original switch. New black chintz and golden lampshade...
Category

1940s Italian Vintage Mid-Century Modern Floor Lamps

Materials

Brass

Large French 1940s Floor Lamp after Gilbert Poillerat
Located in New York, NY
A large elegant wrought iron standing lamp patinated black with the tall stem in a twist form. The lamp rests on a tripod base with each leg ending in curve. Shade is for demonstr...
Category

1940s French Vintage Mid-Century Modern Floor Lamps

Gino Sarfatti for Arteluce Rare Floor Lamp Model 1025
Located in New York, NY
Gino Sarfatti for Arteluce rare floor lamp model 1025 with adjustable tubular polished brass stem wrapped in leather ending on tripod base with custom silk Empire shade with gold ribbon details, Italy, 1946-1948. This floor lamp is a very rare model, classic in its simplicity and form, and elegant in its subtle details. Beautifully restored original leather and rewired to U.S. standards. Sold with certificate of authenticity from Sandra Severi Sarfatti...
Category

1940s Italian Vintage Mid-Century Modern Floor Lamps

Materials

Brass

Vintage Venetian Blue Lantern Style Floor Lamp
Located in Asheville, NC
Wrought iron works for frame. Rectangular framed blue bubble glass shade. One standard bulb in centre. Wired for 20th century lighting.
Category

1940s Vintage Mid-Century Modern Floor Lamps

Materials

Wrought Iron

Mid-Century Modern Brass and White Italian Floor Lamp, 1940s
Located in Vienna, AT
Mid Century Modern original amazing Italian brass and white vintage floor lamp from the 1940s consists of brass, metal and white lacquered beechwood. Furthermore it presents a renewe...
Category

1940s Vintage Mid-Century Modern Floor Lamps

Materials

Beech

Floor Lamp from the 1940s Engraved Glass and Brass Parts
Located in Palermo, Sicily
Floor lamp from the 1940s engraved glass and brass parts, floor lamp of the 1940s engraved glass and brass parts, elegant refined and of great furnishing.
Category

1940s European Vintage Mid-Century Modern Floor Lamps

Materials

Brass

Floor Lamp Ercole Barovier 1940s Murano Art Glass Model "Lenti" Midcentury
Located in Palermo, Sicily
Big floor lamp Ercole Barovier, 1940s Murano art glass model "Lenti", brass base diameter cm.37, central staple with large Murano glass glasses lens created by Ercole Barovier diamet...
Category

1940s Italian Vintage Mid-Century Modern Floor Lamps

Materials

Brass

Wonderful Floor Lamp Attributed to Barovier
Located in Piacenza, Italy
Stunning brass and handblown Murano glass floor lamp attributed to Barovier.
Category

1940s Italian Vintage Mid-Century Modern Floor Lamps

Neoclassical Floor Lamp with Heads Decor, circa 1940
Located in Saint-Ouen, FR
Neoclassical floor lamp with heads decor, gold patinated metal, circa 1940.
Category

1940s French Vintage Mid-Century Modern Floor Lamps

Pair of Floor Lamps By Sottsass
Located in Brooklyn, NY
Two pairs available. Designed by Ettore Sottsass for an hotel in Milano.
Category

1940s Italian Vintage Mid-Century Modern Floor Lamps

Materials

Brass

Iron Floor Lamp With Bronze-Like Patina - France, 1940s
Located in Isle Sur La Sorgue, Vaucluse
Stylish iron floor lamp with a verdigris textured bronze finish.
Category

1940s French Vintage Mid-Century Modern Floor Lamps

Mid Century Floor Lamp by Brusotti
Located in London, GB
Unusual standard lamp designed by Brusotti with base of ebonised wood and etched mirror in a star design. The stem comprises glass rods held in place with chrome collars. There is a ...
Category

1940s Italian Vintage Mid-Century Modern Floor Lamps

Materials

Glass

Pair French Modern Neoclassical Hammered Iron Torchiere / Floor Lamp, Poillerat
Located in New York, NY
Unique, extraordinary handmade pair of French 1940s floor lamps, standing lamps or sculptures in hand-forged and hand-hammered iron. These stunning master works of blacksmithing are...
Category

1940s French Vintage Mid-Century Modern Floor Lamps

Materials

Iron

Custom Tree Form Lamp by Frances Elkins
Located in Palm Desert, CA
This is a custom tree from floor lamp by Frances Elkins from the estate of Elkin's daughter, Katherine Elkins Boyd. This whimsical lamp is carved in wood and finished in Gesso. It is...
Category

1940s American Vintage Mid-Century Modern Floor Lamps

Materials

Gesso, Wood

Floor Lamps by Kurt Versen
Located in Highland, IN
These two floor lamps by Kurt Versen are both handsome and highly functional. One is a simple up-light or torchiere, offering the most flattering ambient light. The other, a signatur...
Category

1940s American Vintage Mid-Century Modern Floor Lamps

Materials

Steel

Mid-Century Modern Marble and Porcelain Vintage Floor Lamp 1940s Italy
Located in Vienna, AT
Mid Century Modern vintage floor lamp from marble and porcelain designed in Italy 1940s. While the base consists of a disc made of marble, the stem was made of hand-painted porcelain...
Category

1940s Italian Vintage Mid-Century Modern Floor Lamps

Materials

Marble, Brass

Italian Murano Glass and Bronze Floor Lamp
Located in Houston, TX
Italian Murano glass and bronze floor lamp. Chic Italian Fontana Arte style modernist floor lamp of bronze with glass tubes, newly wired for U.S. market. We have seen a similar floor...
Category

1940s Italian Vintage Mid-Century Modern Floor Lamps

Materials

Bronze

French Mid-Century Modern Gilt Iron Faux Bamboo Floor Lamp by Maison Baguès 1940
Located in New York, NY
Elegant French midcentury gilt iron faux bamboo standing lamp by Maison Baguès in the modern neoclassical spirit. The iron has been delicately hammered to produce the feeling of b...
Category

1940s French Vintage Mid-Century Modern Floor Lamps

Materials

Wrought Iron

French Mid-Century Mirrored Obelisk Floor Lamps
Located in New York, NY
French 1940/50s two-tier floor lamp with mirrored and reverse painted obelisk columns on wood foot culminating in mirrored & reverse painted tiers with floral motif.
Category

1940s French Vintage Mid-Century Modern Floor Lamps

Materials

Mirror

Murano Glass Floor Lamp in the Manner of Barovier e Toso, circa 1940
Located in Amsterdam, NL
Stunning Murano glass floor lamp in the manner of Barovier e Toso, manufactured in Italy around 1940. It has a uniquely constructed brass base covered in Murano glass, giving this...
Category

1940s French Vintage Mid-Century Modern Floor Lamps

Materials

Brass

Pair of French, 1940s Style Wrought Iron Standing Lamps
Located in New York, NY
Pair of Classic French wrought iron floor lamps in a Sober Architectural style. A bronze ring surrounds the upper stem and the lamps rest on tripod bases with elegantly formed feet. ...
Category

1940s French Vintage Mid-Century Modern Floor Lamps

Materials

Wrought Iron

French Floor Lamp by Ramsay
Located in Cathedral City, CA
1940s French floor lamp by Maison Ramsay Original condition.
Category

1940s French Vintage Mid-Century Modern Floor Lamps

Materials

Metal, Brass

Tripod Midcentury Floor Brass lamp from Josef Frank by Kalmar, Austria 1940s
Located in Halle, DE
An ultra rare Tripod Floor Brass lamp from Josef Frank by Kalmar, Austria 1940s Made of Brass this Lamp is real fine masterpiece of this era. With the elegant formed 3-leg lampbase a...
Category

1940s Austrian Vintage Mid-Century Modern Floor Lamps

Materials

Brass

Pair of Jean Royère Adjustable Iron Floor Lamp 1940
Located in Benington, Herts
A Matched Pair of Jean Royère adjustable Iron standing Floor Lamp France Paris circa 1940’s Both in wonderful original condition by one of the most sought after mid 20th century Fr...
Category

1940s French Vintage Mid-Century Modern Floor Lamps

Materials

Iron

1940s Carved Italian Wood Floor Lamp after Franco Albini
Located in Chula Vista, CA
1940s Style of Franco Albini Italian Tripod Floor Lamp Wood and Brass Sculptural spiral three sections of carved wood. Main body construction is brass with original vintage patina. B...
Category

1940s Italian Vintage Mid-Century Modern Floor Lamps

Materials

Aluminum, Brass, Copper

Italian Midcentury Floor Lamp in White Fabric Wood Brass and Gray Marble, 1940s
Located in MIlano, IT
Italian midcentury Floor lamp in white fabric, wood, brass and gray marble, 1940s Floor lamp with round base lampshade in white fabric, with beige trimmings on the profiles. The lam...
Category

1940s Italian Vintage Mid-Century Modern Floor Lamps

Materials

Marble, Brass

Midcentury Wood and Brass Floor Lamp, Italy, 1940
Located in Piacenza, Italy
Elegant floor lamp with wood and brass structure, made in Italy in the 40s. Two bulb lights covers with a pink pleated fabric shade mounted on a ...
Category

1940s Italian Vintage Mid-Century Modern Floor Lamps

Materials

Brass

Set of 2 Luigi Caccia Dominioni Floorlamps Manufactured by Azucena in 1948
Located in Wolfurt, AT
Very rare Italian lamp set from 1948, the two lamps , model Lte1, were designed by Luigi Caccia Dominioni and manufactured by Azucena. The lampshades...
Category

1940s Italian Vintage Mid-Century Modern Floor Lamps

Materials

Aluminum, Chrome

Italian Designer, Floor Lamp, Lacquered Iron, Fabric, Italy, 1940s
Located in High Point, NC
A black-lacquered iron and fabric floor lamp designed and produced in Italy, 1940s. Sold with Lampshade(s). Stated dimensions refer to the Floor Lamp with the Shade(s). Sock...
Category

1940s Italian Vintage Mid-Century Modern Floor Lamps

Materials

Iron

Mid-century Modern floor lamps for sale on 1stDibs.

Find a broad range of unique Mid-Century Modern floor lamps for sale on 1stDibs. Many of these items were first offered in the 21st Century and Contemporary, but contemporary artisans have continued to produce works inspired by this style. If you’re looking to add vintage floor lamps created in this style to your space, the works available on 1stDibs include lighting, tables, decorative objects and other home furnishings, frequently crafted with metal, brass and other materials. If you’re shopping for used Mid-Century Modern floor lamps made in a specific country, there are Europe, Italy, and North America pieces for sale on 1stDibs. While there are many designers and brands associated with original floor lamps, popular names associated with this style include Stilnovo, Angelo Lelii, J.T. Kalmar, and Oluce. 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 floor lamps differ depending upon multiple factors, including designer, materials, construction methods, condition and provenance. On 1stDibs, the price for these items starts at $144 and tops out at $150,000 while the average work can sell for $2,844.

Recently Viewed

View All