The design of brutalist furniture encompasses that which is crafted, hewn and worked by hand — an aesthetic rebuke (or, at least, a counterpoint) to furniture that is created using 21st-century materials and technology. Lately, the word “brutalist” has been adopted by the realms of furniture design and the decorative arts to refer to chairs, cabinets, tables and accessory pieces such as mirror frames and lighting that are made of rougher, deeply textured metals and other materials that are the visual and palpable antithesis of the sleek, smooth and suave.
ORIGINS OF BRUTALIST FURNITURE DESIGN
CHARACTERISTICS OF BRUTALIST FURNITURE DESIGN
BRUTALIST FURNITURE DESIGNERS TO KNOW
VINTAGE BRUTALIST FURNITURE ON 1STDIBS
The term brutalism — which derives from the French word brut, meaning “raw” — was coined by architecture critic Reyner Banham to describe an architectural style that emerged in the 1950s featuring monumental buildings, usually made of unornamented concrete, whose design was meant to project an air of strength and solidity.
Le Corbusier essentially created the brutalist style; its best-known iterations in the United States are the Whitney Museum of American Art, which was designed by Marcel Breuer, and Paul Rudolph's Yale Art and Architecture Building. The severe style might have been the most criticized architectural movement of the 20th century, even if it was an honest attempt to celebrate the beauty of raw material. But while the brutalist government buildings in Washington, D.C., seemingly bask in their un-beauty, brutalist interior design and decor is much more lyrical, at times taking on a whimsical, romantic quality that its exterior counterparts lack.
Paul Evans is Exhibit A for brutalist furniture design. His Sculpture Front cabinets laced with high-relief patinated steel mounts have become collector's items nonpareil, while the chairs, coffee table and dining table in his later Cityscape series and Sculpted Bronze series for Directional Furniture are perhaps the most expressive, attention-grabbing pieces in American modern design. Other exemplary brutalist designers are Silas Seandel, the idiosyncratic New York furniture designer and sculptor whose works in metal — in particular his tables — have a kind of brawny lyricism, and Curtis Jere, a nom-de-trade for the California team of Curtis Freiler and Jerry Fels, the bold makers of expressive scorched and sheared copper and brass mirror frames and wall-mounted sculptures.
Brutalist furniture and sculptures remain popular with interior designers and can lend unique, eccentric, human notes to an art and design collection in any home.
Find authentic vintage brutalist chairs, coffee tables, decorative objects and other furniture on 1stDibs.
Pair of Stained Glass Lamps in Quadrangular Prism Form, Midcentury Modern
Located in Bochum, NRW
Pair of Stained Glass Lamps in Regular Quadrangular Prism Form, Midcentury Modern Style A vibrant pair of stained glass accent lamps, each crafted in the form of a regular quadrangul...
Metal
French Iron Brutalist Floor Lamp
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Lovely vintage wrought iron brutalist floor lamp from France, 1940s. Heavy iron stem with three curved iron legs. New linen tapered shade and newly re-wired. Unique and striking piec...
Iron
$528Sale Price|20% Off
Brutalist Spaceage alabaster table lamp in the style of Eclipsi, Spain, 1970
Located in SANT ADRIÀ DE BESÒS, ES
Spanish brutalist table lamp made of alabaster, 1970s. The body itself has two parts, where a cylindrical piece is introduced inside the other, which is larger and more organic in sh...
Alabaster
$2,031Sale Price|20% Off
French Sunburst Light Fixture with Nail Design in Gilt Iron and Milk Glass
Located in Barcelona, ES
Brutalist Ceiling Sunburst Light Fixture in Gilt Iron and Milk Glass __________________________________________________________________________ Nail Design sunburst flush mount, gilt...
Gold Leaf, Wrought Iron, Iron
Midcentury Italian Brutalist Spider Detailed Rare Green Glass Body Sconce
Located in Firenze, Toscana
Housing one light. Will be rewired with certified UL US sockets for the USA and appropriate sockets for all other countries and ready to hang. Wrought iron body with detailed rare gr...
Wrought Iron
Brutalist Metal Table Lamp by Laurel Lamp Company
Located in Philadelphia, PA
A sculptural metal table lamp by Laurel Lamp Company, executed in a bold Brutalist style. The design features textured metalwork with strong, architectural detailing, reflecting the ...
Metal
Spanish Starburst Sunburst Foliage Flush Mount Light Fixture in Gilt Iron, 1950s
By Ferro Art
Located in Barcelona, ES
Outstanding spanish foliage sunburst flush mount ceiling light in gilt iron, Ferro Art, 1950s Five Lights This stunning five-light ceiling lamp features an intrincate of branches in ...
Metal, Iron, Gold Leaf, Wrought Iron
Large French Organic Table Lamp, 1970s
Located in Vienna, AT
Very large French organic table lamp from the 1970s. The base is made of a single piece of olive tree root with a large shade covered in strands of earthen-tone wool. Very nice origi...
Wool, Wood
Pair of Copper Wall Lamps by Svend Aage Holm Sorensen, 1960s, Denmark
By Holm Sørensen, Svend Aage Holm Sørensen
Located in Værløse, DK
A pair of eye-catching Copper wall lamps with diamond-shaped leafs designed by Svend Aage Holm Sorensen in the 1960s. A true masterpiece from the design lightning designer. * A pair...
Metal, Copper
Scandinavian Mid Century Sculptural Floor Lamp in Solid Pine, 1970s
By Sven Larsson, Roland Wilhelmsson
Located in Odense, DK
Large organic floor lamp in solid pine. Made by unknown cabinetmaker in 1970s - probably Swedish or Danish. This piece is in a great vintage condition. A warm colour and patina th...
Pine
Cereus Lamp Raffia Shade (Small) by Nani Goods Contemporary Ceramic Cactus Lamp
By Nani Goods, Steven Lancaster
Located in South Pasadena, CA
Inspired by the organic, undulating shapes of desert night blooming cacti, the Cereus Lamp balances minimalist design with playful natural form. Hand‑built from a dark, rusty‑brown c...
Brass
A Sculptural RUSTIC MODERN BRUTALIST Ceramic TABLE LAMP, VALLAURIS, France 1950
Located in PARIS, FR
A very large, spectacular and sculptural, table or floor lamp with 2 lights and 2 handles, Modernist, Free Form, Popular Art, Shabby-Chic, unique piece in thick ceramic with brown an...
Ceramic
French Sunburst Light Fixture with Nail Design in Gilt Iron and Milk Glass
Located in Barcelona, ES
Nail Design small sunburst flush mount light fixture, gilt wrought iron, milk glass, France, 1940s-1950s. Hand-hammered iron and opaline glass sunburst flush mount with nails decorat...
Iron, Wrought Iron, Gold Leaf
Green Cereus Lamp (Medium) by Nani Goods Contemporary Ceramic Cactus Lamp
By Nani Goods, Steven Lancaster
Located in South Pasadena, CA
Inspired by the undulating forms of night‑blooming desert cacti, the Night Blooming Cereus Lamp balances minimalism with playful organic movement. Hand‑built from speckled stoneware ...
Brass
Brutalist Brass Pendant by Svend Aage Holm Sørensen
By Svend Aage Holm Sørensen, Holm Sørensen & Pedersen Belysning
Located in Vienna, AT
Brass lamp fitted with one E27 socket. Designed by Svend Aage Holm Sørensen in the 1960 in Denmark. 2 Pieces available, price per lamp.
Brass
Large Brutalist Brass Flush Mount chandelier
Located in Jersey City, NJ
American wired 2 lamps This brutalist flush mount is built like a flower with petals. All in think brass with a dark gold patina, and with a circular glass in the center. ( 6.85 inches)
Bronze
Jacques Duval Brasseur Illuminated Gold Butterfly Coffee Table
Located in Hastings, GB
A beautiful butterfly inspired hand crafted coffee table, designed and made by the world renowned artist and sculptor Jacques Duval Brasseur in the 1970's. The stunning brass body is...
Agate, Brass
A MID-CENTURY-MODERN BRUTALIST Wooden FLOOR LAMP, France 1950
By George Nakashima, Charles Dudouyt
Located in PARIS, FR
A thin, low and elegant brutalist floor lamp, Mid-Century-Modern, Modernist, Brutalist, massive tree slice base mounted on 3 wooden feet, sculptural, thin and very graphic vertical a...
Wood
$4,591Sale Price|20% Off
Paul Evans Style Brutalist Gilt Iron Floor Lamp, 1950s
By Paul Evans
Located in Barcelona, ES
Brutalist Floor Lamp in Gilt Wrought Iron, 1950s Rare find Outstanding hand forged floor lamp with geometric decorative construction and brutalist design. Inspired in Paul Evans desi...
Iron, Wrought Iron, Gold Leaf
Rare Pair of Italian Brutalist Wall Lamps, Italy 60s
Located in Lucija, SI
Large pair of Brutalist wall lamps Made in Italy in the 60s very heavy
Metal
Pair of Large Grey Ceramic Table Lamps for Soholm with Silk Shade, Denmark 1960
Located in Rijssen, NL
Pair of beautiful ceramic table lamps from Soholm, Denmark 1960s. Combined with a silk custom lampshade with creme silk innerschade designed door R. Houben. The off-white and dark g...
Ceramic
A BRUTALIST Wild Wood RUSTIC MODERN TABLE LAMP, France 1960
By George Nakashima, Atelier Marolles, Alexandre Noll
Located in PARIS, FR
A strong and very dramatic, organic and almost zoomorphic, massive wood table lamp, made by an anonymous French artist from the 60s, using a natural...
Wood
$950Sale Price|40% Off
Green Red Blue Plastic Chunk Brutalist Hanging Pendant Lamp
Located in Ferndale, MI
Brutalist hanging lamp of multicolored plastic chunks set in gold tone resin.
Resin, Plastic, Acrylic
Hammered Glass Wrought Iron Murano Glass Sconce by Longobard, Italy, 1970s
By Longobard
Located in SAINT-OUEN, FR
Mid-Century Modern wall lamp light sconce hammered glass and wrought iron, murano glass cup, gilding gold copper patina, by the manufacture Longobard in Verona in a Brutalist style, ...
Wrought Iron
Mid-Century Studio Pottery Brutalist Table Lamp, 1960s
Located in Hamburg, DE
Mid Century Studio Pottery Table Lamp. A brutalist design of imposing size. The lamp body is made of heavy ceramic and has a rou...
Metal
Brutalist, Handmade Ceramic Table Lamp, Hi-Hat Lamp by Streicher Goods
By Ethan Streicher, Streicher Goods
Located in Brooklyn, NY
The Hi-Hat lamp is a tall and broad brutalist-inspired table lamp, perfect for bedside or accent lighting in larger living spaces, created by Streicher Goods in Brooklyn, NY. The l...
Brass
Modernist Brutalist Gold Chandelier Tom Green for Feldman
By Tom Greene
Located in Hastings, GB
LA based designer and sculptor Tom Greene hand crafted this brutalist chandelier for 'Feldman Lighting Company' in the late 1960s/1970s The design features staggered tiers of torch c...
Brass
Ceramic Table Lamp with Custom Silk Lampshade by Rene Houben
Located in Rijssen, NL
Beautiful ceramic table lamp, combined with a custom silk lampshade made by Rene Houben. The warm colors of the ceramic with the custom made shade complement each other very well an...
Ceramic
$2,597Sale Price|20% Off
Brutalist Oval Sunburst Ceiling Light Fixture in Gilt Iron, Spain 1950s
Located in Barcelona, ES
Sunburst oval light fixture in wrought gilt iron with triangle accents, 1950s. Sculptural gold leaf gilt hand hammered iron oval shaped sunburst flu...
Wrought Iron, Gold Leaf, Metal, Iron
Brutalist Sconce by Felipe Delfinger (Derflingher) for Feders, Mexico, 1960s
Located in San Antonio, TX
Brutalist hand-blown thick glass sconce, México, c. 1960s, by Felipe Delfinger (Derflingher) for Feders. This Mexican mid-century modernist sconce is high-quality in construction wit...
Metal
1 of 2 Sunburst Crown Light Fixtures in Gilt Iron, Spain 1950s
Located in Barcelona, ES
Pair of Sunburst crown flush mounts, gilt iron, frosted glass, Spain, 1950s. Priced individually. Beautiful hand-hammered sunburst crown shape leafed flush mount ceiling light fixtur...
Metal, Gold Leaf, Iron
Pair of Hand Painted Sculptural Table Lamps for Soholm, Denmark 1960s
Located in Rijssen, NL
Pair of beautiful ceramic table lamps from Soholm, Denmark 1960s. Combined with a custom lampshade. The vibrant ceramic base has a beautiful shape with hand painted waves. The light...
Ceramic
Pair of Multicolored Hammered Glass and Wrought Iron Sconces by Longobard, Italy
By Longobard
Located in Benalmadena, ES
An extraordinary pair of wall sconces from the renowned Italian manufacturer Longobard, iconic of the Brutalist style of the 1970s. Each sconce features a crescent shape made of wrou...
Wrought Iron
1970s Brutalist Modernist Wrought Iron Chandelier with Geometric Design
Located in Los Angeles, CA
A striking Brutalist Modernist chandelier handcrafted in wrought iron, dating from the 1970s. This sculptural fixture features bold geometric panels and sweeping curves that embody t...
Wrought Iron
$3,160Sale Price / set|20% Off
Pair of 1970s Brutalist Wall Sconces
Located in Palm Springs, CA
A pair of 1960s steel brutalist sconces with amber glass globes. Very sculptural with a large scale.
Metal
Pair Mid-Century Stiffel Solid Brass Brutalist Table Lamps with Original Shades
By Ralph Lauren, Stiffel, Dorothy Draper, Frederick Cooper
Located in San Diego, CA
A striking and highly sophisticated pair of Mid-Century Modern Stiffel table lamps, masterfully crafted in solid brass with a bold sculptural silhouette that bridges classic refineme...
Brass
Vintage French mid century turned wood table lamp, Charles Dudouyt style
Located in Bristol, GB
Lamp base only - Shade not supplied. Small French table lamp In the style of Charles Dudouyt. Made of turned wood in a late deco style. Sturdy wi...
Oak
Pair of Brutalist Tripod Table Lamps by Marcelo Bessa
By Alberto and Diego Giacometti
Located in Tarrytown, NY
Pair of Brutalist style tripod table lamps in the style of Giacometti.
Brass
$1,558Sale Price|20% Off
Large brutalist Murano glass wall lamp by Toni Zuccheri, Italy, 60s
Located in SANT ADRIÀ DE BESÒS, ES
Large piece of multicolored Murano glass with an organic shape in brutalist style, attached to a silver chrome metal base. The diffuser is rough inside, creating an unique lighting e...
Metal, Chrome
Isabelle Faure Signed Illuminated Gold Butterfly Sculpture Light Brass and Agate
Located in Hastings, GB
An incredibly rare sculpture by world renowned sculptor Isabelle Faure, in hand worked brass and agate. The enormous butterfly spans over 80cm in diameter and the stunning agate wing...
Agate, Brass
American Nautical Hand-Crafted Coral Brass Fish Sculptural Table Lamp Modern
Located in Miami, FL
Brutalist Style whimsical nautical Brass Fish on a natural white coral core and mounted on a rectangle Wood Base. The Stem is a copper piece of pipe and topped with the socket and ...
Coral, Brass
$2,400 / set
Pair of Vintage Brutalist Sconces
Located in Pasadena, CA
Striking pair of vintage brutalist three-lite sconces embodies the raw, architectural aesthetic of the brutalist movement. Crafted from robust, weathered metal, the wall sconces fea...
Metal
Large Sunburst Light Fixture with Leaves Design in Gilt Iron, 1950
Located in Barcelona, ES
Spanish Sunburst Flush Mount, Gilt Iron, Spain, 1950s. _________________________________________________________________________ Stunning Brutalist Foliage Sunburst Light Fixture / C...
Metal, Iron, Gold Leaf
Brutalist Ceramic Pendant Light, France, 1960s–1970s
Located in Antwerp, BE
Brutalist Ceramic Pendant Light, France, 1960s–1970s Striking handmade ceramic pendant light from France, crafted in the 1960s–1970s. This bold Brutalist design features a richly te...
Brass
Set of Copper Wall Lamps by Svend Aage Holm Sorensen, 1960s, Denmark
By Svend Aage Holm Sørensen, Holm Sørensen
Located in Værløse, DK
Pair of impressive of Copper wall lamps with Diamond-shaped leafs by Svend Aage Holm Sorensen. An eye-catching set for a beautiful place. * A pair (2) sconces with five flame-cut c...
Metal, Copper
Exceptional Italian Brutalist Green Dalle de Verre Table Lamp in Brass, 1970s
Located in The Hague, NL
This exceptional table lamp was produced in Italy in the 1970s. A refined example of Italian Brutalist lighting, the design combines strong architectural lines with a more decorative...
Brass
$1,391Sale Price / set|20% Off
Set Brutalist Copper Lamps by Koch & Söhne Germany 1970s
Located in Hannover, DE
Rare set of three brutalist pendant lights. These three master-crafted copper lights are something special. The lampshade is made in the shape of a funnel, decorations were burned in...
Brass, Copper
$5,800 / set
1930's Forge Iron Tripod Italian Floor Lamps
Located in New York, NY
Amazing pair of large forge iron tripod Italian floor lamps, newly rewired and ready to use with some wear and patina due to age and use. One of the lamps is 1' shorter.
Iron
Brutalist Wall Sconces by Paul Evans, Metal & Resin, 20th Century
By Paul Evans
Located in San Francisco, CA
Pair of interesting brutalist sconces in the manner of Paul Evans, 20th Century. Created from metal and resin, the sconces are perfect in many interiors, including arts & crafts...
Metal
Brutalist Table Lamp by Harry Balmer for the Laurel Lamp Company, ca. 1970's
By Harry Balmer, Laurel Lamp Company
Located in New York, NY
Iconic Brutalist table lamp, by Harry Blamer, for the Laurel Lamp Company circa 1970's. The lamp features a torch cut body of welded iron segme...
Iron
Pair of Hammered Glass Wrought Iron Sconces by Longobard, Italy, 1970s
By Longobard
Located in SAINT-OUEN, FR
Pair of Mid-Century Modern wall lamps light sconces amber and clear hammered glass and wrought iron, gilding gold copper patina, by the manufacture Longobard in Verona in a Brutalist...
Wrought Iron
A BRUTALIST Lamp Lightning SCULPTURE, Unique Piece by CONTINI, France 1980
By Sylvain Contini
Located in PARIS, FR
An exceptional table lamp or lightning sculpture, unique piece by artist Samuel Schlosser also called Contini, signed Contini on the base. This organic metal...
Cast Stone, Iron
$2,597Sale Price|20% Off
Spanish Revival Sunburst Ceiling Light Fixture in Wrought Iron and Glass, 1940s
Located in Barcelona, ES
Spanish Sunburst Ceiling Fixture in Wrought Iron and Pressed Glass Spain, 1940-1950 Beautiful wrought iron sunburst flush mount with hand forged frame and pressed glass shade This st...
Iron, Wrought Iron
French Sunburst Light Fixture in Gilt Iron and Milk Glass, Nail Design, 1940s
Located in Barcelona, ES
Double Layered Nail Design sunburst light fixture, milk glass, gilt iron, France, 1940s-1950s. This sunburst light fixture features a gilt iron ring with two layers of iron nails su...
Metal, Iron, Gold Leaf
Georges Pelletier Brown Ceramic Lamp, Custom Double Silk Rattan Lampshade
Located in Rijssen, NL
Beautiful ceramic table/ floor lamp by Georges Pelletier, 2022. Custom made double rattan lampshade by René Houben. The brown ceramics and the warm colored details fit perfectly wit...
Ceramic
Set of 3 Georges Pelletier Ceramic Lamps, Custom Made Silk Shades by R. Houben
Located in Rijssen, NL
Set of beautiful ceramic table/ floor lamps by Georges Pelletier, 2022. Custom made silk lampshades by René Houben. The brown and honey colored ceramics and the geometric details fi...
Ceramic
"Giaco" Contemporary Golden Sconce in Cast Brass by Estudio Orth
By Estúdio Orth
Located in Sao Paulo, BR
The "Giaco" sconce is meticulously handmade by master artisans one piece at a time. It is therefore quite difficult, if not impossible to make identical items. The brass casting is p...
Brass
Tenfold Chandelier 32inch Brushed Bronze Perforated Metal Pendant Light
By Luft Tanaka
Located in Brooklyn, NY
TENFOLD CHANDELIER 5 TIER 24inch in Brushed Bronze by Luft Tanaka Studio Brutalism meets glam. Inspired by Brutalist architecture and Op Art, the Tenfold Series features interlockin...
Aluminum, Brass, Steel
$4,465 / set
Pair Of Italian Brutalist Bronze Sconces
Located in Houston, TX
Pair of Italian Brutalist Bronze Sconces. Our featured pair of Italian modern sconces were designed in Italy in the 1980's of perforated bronze in the Brutalist style to give off a ...
Bronze
$4,387Sale Price|25% Off
Felipe Delfinger for Feders Brutalist Metal & Stained Glass Pendant 1970s Mexico
Located in Brooklyn, NY
Midcentury Brutalist or forged metal and stained glass pendant light fixture by Felipe Delfinger for Feders, 1970s Latin American Modern. ...
Iron