Mid-Century Modern Lighting

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 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.

Style: Mid-Century Modern

Number in Set: Set of 11

Gold Leaf Sconce by Barovier e Toso, 30 Available

By Barovier&Toso

Located in Los Angeles, CA

Original vintage Italian leaf shaped wall light with hand blown Murano glass infused with 24-karat gold flecks mounted on brass bracket / Designed by Barovier e Toso, circa 1960s wit...

Category

Mid-20th Century Italian Mid-Century Modern Lighting

Materials

Brass, Gold Leaf

Gold Leaf Sconce by Barovier e Toso, 30 Available

LUMfk Sconce

By Lumfardo Luminaires

Located in Los Angeles, CA

The fantastic LUMfk Sconce is a patinated brass and champagne toned fringe wall sconce inspired by mid century Italian design. This sconce is create...

Category

21st Century and Contemporary American Mid-Century Modern Lighting

Materials

Brass

LUMfk Sconce

Gino Sarfatti Wall Lamp Model 2065 White Diffuser, Black Hardware

By Astep, Gino Sarfatti

Located in Barcelona, Barcelona

Gino Sarfatti wall lamp Model 2065 wall. White diffuser, black structure. Manufactured by Astep Model 2065 Design by Gino Sarfatti The 2065 is made of two joined opaline methacrylat...

Category

2010s Italian Mid-Century Modern Lighting

Materials

Steel

Gino Sarfatti Wall Lamp Model 2065 White Diffuser, Black Hardware

Gino Sarfatti Lamp Model 2042/3 Champagne Mount for Astep

By Gino Sarfatti, Astep

Located in Barcelona, Barcelona

Model 2042/3 Design by Gino Sarfatti The two blown opaline glass spheres are gently held in place by two Black, or Champagne, painted aluminum rings. Each ring has a small cut, enabl...

Category

2010s Italian Mid-Century Modern Lighting

Materials

Aluminum

Gino Sarfatti Lamp Model 2042/3 Champagne Mount for Astep

Gino Sarfatti Lamp Model 2042/6 Champagne Mount

By Astep, Gino Sarfatti

Located in Barcelona, Barcelona

Gino Sarfatti lamp model 2042/6. Champagne Mount. Manufactured by Astep. Model 2042/6 Design by Gino Sarfatti With Le Sfere Plafone, Model 2042/6 from 1963, another of Gino Sa...

Category

2010s Italian Mid-Century Modern Lighting

Materials

Steel

Gino Sarfatti Lamp Model 2042/6 Champagne Mount

Serge Mouille Modern Black Two Rotating Straight-Curved Arms Wall Lamp

By Editions Serge Mouille, Serge Mouille

Located in Barcelona, Barcelona

Wall lamp model 'Two Rotating Straight-Curved Arms Wall Lamp' designed by Serge Mouille in 1954. Manufactured by Editions Serge Mouille in France. The production of lamps, wall ligh...

Category

2010s French Mid-Century Modern Lighting

Materials

Aluminum, Brass, Steel

Serge Mouille Modern Black Two Rotating Straight-Curved Arms Wall Lamp

Vico Magistretti Suspension Lamps 'Sonora' Large White Opaline Glass by Oluce

By Oluce, Vico Magistretti

Located in Barcelona, Barcelona

Suspension lamp 'Sonora' designed by Vico Magistretti in 1976. Suspension lamp giving direct and diffused light, opaline blown Murano glass diffuser. Manufactured by Oluce, Italy. T...

Category

2010s Italian Mid-Century Modern Lighting

Materials

Metal

Vico Magistretti Suspension Lamps 'Sonora' Large White Opaline Glass by Oluce

Gino Sarfatti Lamp Model 2065 Black White Diffuser, Black Hardware, by Astep

By Astep, Gino Sarfatti

Located in Barcelona, Barcelona

Gino Sarfatti lamp model 2065. Black white diffuser, black hardware, black cable. Manufactured by Astep Model 2065 Design by Gino Sarfatti The 2065 is made of two joined opaline met...

Category

2010s Italian Mid-Century Modern Lighting

Materials

Plastic

Gino Sarfatti Lamp Model 2065 Black White Diffuser, Black Hardware, by Astep

Gino Sarfatti Lamp Model 237/1 Black Mount by Astep

By Gino Sarfatti, Astep

Located in Barcelona, Barcelona

Model 237/1 Design by Gino Sarfatti The single blown opaline glass sphere is gently held by a Black or Champagne painted aluminium ring. The aluminum ring has a small cut, enabling t...

Category

2010s Italian Mid-Century Modern Lighting

Materials

Aluminum

Gino Sarfatti Lamp Model 237/1 Black Mount by Astep

Gino Sarfatti Lamp Model 2042/3 Champagne Mount for Astep

By Astep, Gino Sarfatti

Located in Barcelona, Barcelona

Model 2042/3 Design by Gino Sarfatti The two blown opaline glass spheres are gently held in place by two Black, or Champagne, painted aluminum rings. Each ring has a small cut, enabl...

Category

2010s Italian Mid-Century Modern Lighting

Materials

Aluminum

Gino Sarfatti Lamp Model 2042/3 Champagne Mount for Astep

Serge Mouille Mid-Century Modern Black One Rotating Stright Arm Wall Lamp

By Serge Mouille

Located in Barcelona, Barcelona

Wall lamp model "One Rotating Stright Arm Wall Lamp" designed by Serge Mouille in 1954. Manufactured by Editions Serge Mouille in France. The production of lamps, wall lights and fl...

Category

2010s French Mid-Century Modern Lighting

Materials

Aluminum, Bronze, Steel

Serge Mouille Mid-Century Modern Black One Rotating Stright Arm Wall Lamp

Olvidada Contemporary Double Lamp by Pepe Cortes for BD, Barcelona

By Pepe Cortés, BD Barcelona Design

Located in Barcelona, Barcelona

Olvidada double lamp designed by Pepe Cortes. Manufactured by BD Barcelona Steel structure and lamp holder nucleas with a brass scotch polished finish. Linestras 9W LED. Measures:...

Category

2010s Spanish Mid-Century Modern Lighting

Materials

Brass

Olvidada Contemporary Double Lamp by Pepe Cortes for BD, Barcelona

Giuseppe Ostuni Model 352 'G.O.' Floor Lamp in Black for Oluce

By Oluce, Giuseppe Ostuni

Located in Glendale, CA

Giuseppe Ostuni Model 352 'G.O.' floor lamp in black for Oluce. Originally designed by Giuseppe Ostuni in the 1960s, this iconic re-edition is still crafted by Oluce in Italy using...

Category

21st Century and Contemporary Italian Mid-Century Modern Lighting

Materials

Metal

Giuseppe Ostuni Model 352 'G.O.' Floor Lamp in Black for Oluce

Huge White Tulip Petals Murano Chandelier or Ceiling Light

By Galleria Veneziani

Located in Rome, IT

Amazing Italian murano glass chandelier made by clear / white "lattimo" murano glass petals. By Veneziani Arte. Frame available chrome or gold 24-karat Dimensions: H- 21.2 inches (5...

Category

2010s Italian Mid-Century Modern Lighting

Materials

Blown Glass

Huge White Tulip Petals Murano Chandelier or Ceiling Light

White Porcelain Mid-Century Frosted Glass Scones Flush Mount Wall Lamps

Located in Amsterdam, NL

Industrial ceiling lamp. White porcelain, frosted glass. 2 conductors, no ground. Measures: Diameter foot 10 cm Suitable for 110 volt USA new wiring is CE certified (220 volt) or U...

Category

Mid-20th Century German Mid-Century Modern Lighting

Materials

Porcelain, Glass

White Porcelain Mid-Century Frosted Glass Scones Flush Mount Wall Lamps

Italian Modern Chandelier in Brass and Enamel by Fabio Ltd

Mid-Century Modern Lighting

Mid-20th Century Italian Mid-Century Modern Lighting

Gold Leaf Sconce by Barovier e Toso, 30 Available

21st Century and Contemporary American Mid-Century Modern Lighting

LUMfk Sconce

2010s Italian Mid-Century Modern Lighting

Gino Sarfatti Wall Lamp Model 2065 White Diffuser, Black Hardware

2010s Italian Mid-Century Modern Lighting

Gino Sarfatti Lamp Model 2042/3 Champagne Mount for Astep

2010s Italian Mid-Century Modern Lighting

Gino Sarfatti Lamp Model 2042/6 Champagne Mount

2010s French Mid-Century Modern Lighting

Serge Mouille Modern Black Two Rotating Straight-Curved Arms Wall Lamp

2010s Italian Mid-Century Modern Lighting

Vico Magistretti Suspension Lamps 'Sonora' Large White Opaline Glass by Oluce

2010s Italian Mid-Century Modern Lighting

Gino Sarfatti Lamp Model 2065 Black White Diffuser, Black Hardware, by Astep

2010s Italian Mid-Century Modern Lighting

Gino Sarfatti Lamp Model 237/1 Black Mount by Astep

2010s Italian Mid-Century Modern Lighting

Gino Sarfatti Lamp Model 2042/3 Champagne Mount for Astep

2010s French Mid-Century Modern Lighting

Serge Mouille Mid-Century Modern Black One Rotating Stright Arm Wall Lamp

2010s Spanish Mid-Century Modern Lighting

Olvidada Contemporary Double Lamp by Pepe Cortes for BD, Barcelona

21st Century and Contemporary Italian Mid-Century Modern Lighting

Giuseppe Ostuni Model 352 'G.O.' Floor Lamp in Black for Oluce

2010s Italian Mid-Century Modern Lighting

Huge White Tulip Petals Murano Chandelier or Ceiling Light

Mid-20th Century German Mid-Century Modern Lighting

White Porcelain Mid-Century Frosted Glass Scones Flush Mount Wall Lamps

21st Century and Contemporary Italian Mid-Century Modern Lighting

Italian Modern Chandelier in Brass and Enamel by Fabio Ltd

21st Century and Contemporary Italian Mid-Century Modern Lighting

Italian Modern Chandelier in Brass and Enamel by Fabio Ltd

21st Century and Contemporary Italian Mid-Century Modern Lighting

Italian Modern Chandelier in Brass and Opaline Glass by Fabio Ltd

21st Century and Contemporary Italian Mid-Century Modern Lighting

Italian Modern Chandelier in Brass and Opaline Glass by Fabio Ltd

21st Century and Contemporary Italian Mid-Century Modern Lighting

Italian Modern Brass and Opaline Glass Sconce by Fabio Ltd

21st Century and Contemporary Italian Mid-Century Modern Lighting

Italian Modern Brass and Opaline Glass Sconce by Fabio Ltd

21st Century and Contemporary Italian Mid-Century Modern Lighting

Italian Modern Brass and Opaline Glass Sconce by Fabio Ltd

21st Century and Contemporary Italian Mid-Century Modern Lighting

Italian Modern Brass and Opaline Glass Sconce by Fabio Ltd

21st Century and Contemporary Italian Mid-Century Modern Lighting

Italian Modern Brass and Opaline Glass Sconce by Fabio Ltd

21st Century and Contemporary Italian Mid-Century Modern Lighting

Italian Modern Brass and Opaline Glass Sconce / Flush Mount by Fabio Ltd

21st Century and Contemporary Italian Mid-Century Modern Lighting

Italian Modern Brass and Opaline Glass Sconce / Flush Mount by Fabio Ltd

21st Century and Contemporary Italian Mid-Century Modern Lighting

Italian Modern Brass and Opaline Glass Sconce / Flush Mount by Fabio Ltd

21st Century and Contemporary Italian Mid-Century Modern Lighting

Italian Modern Brass and Opaline Glass Sconce by Fabio Ltd

21st Century and Contemporary Italian Mid-Century Modern Lighting

Italian Modern Brass and Opaline Glass Sconce / Flush Mount by Fabio Ltd

21st Century and Contemporary Italian Mid-Century Modern Lighting

Italian Modern Brass and Opaline Glass Sconce by Fabio Ltd

21st Century and Contemporary Italian Mid-Century Modern Lighting

Italian Modern Brass and Opaline Glass Sconce / Flush Mount by Fabio Ltd

2010s Italian Mid-Century Modern Lighting

Luna Sospensione, Ceiling Lamp by Gio Ponti for TATO

21st Century and Contemporary Italian Mid-Century Modern Lighting

Brass Rhubarb Leaf Sconce

21st Century and Contemporary Italian Mid-Century Modern Lighting

Italian Modern Brass and Opaline Glass Sconce / Flush Mount by Fabio Ltd

21st Century and Contemporary Italian Mid-Century Modern Lighting

Italian Modern Brass and Opaline Glass Sconce / Flush Mount by Fabio Ltd

21st Century and Contemporary Italian Mid-Century Modern Lighting

Brass Rhubarb Leaf Sconce

21st Century and Contemporary Italian Mid-Century Modern Lighting

Italian Modern Brass and Opaline Glass Sconce by Fabio Ltd

21st Century and Contemporary Italian Mid-Century Modern Lighting

Italian Modern Brass and Opaline Glass Sconce / Flush Mount by Fabio Ltd

2010s Austrian Mid-Century Modern Lighting

Mantodeus Table Lamp Mid-Century Modern Style Re-Edition

Mid-20th Century Danish Mid-Century Modern Lighting