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Mid-Century Modern Bookends

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.

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Item Ships From: Europe
Style: Mid-Century Modern
2 bookends vienna around 1950s
Located in Wien, AT
2 bookends vienna around 1950s Brass Original patina The books are not for sale they are only for the photoshooting
Category

1950s Austrian Vintage Mid-Century Modern Bookends

Materials

Brass

Pietro Fornasetti, Rare metal Bookend Janus Two-Faced 1950s (First edition)
Located in Argelato, BO
Pietro Fornasetti, Rare metal bookend from the 1950s (First edition) In the extraordinary creative imagination of Pietro Fornasetti every household object is transformed and embelli...
Category

1950s Italian Vintage Mid-Century Modern Bookends

Materials

Metal

Brass Bookends Ben Seibel for Jenfred Ware Orb, 1950s
Located in London, GB
Pair of rounded sculptural brass bookends in organic form by Ben Seibel for Jenfred Ware, distributed by Raymor, USA, 1950's. Cast metal with shiny brass finish and partly a dark pat...
Category

1960s American Vintage Mid-Century Modern Bookends

Materials

Brass

Post Modern White Metal Bookends
Located in Vienna, AT
White metal bookends made in Sweden in the 1990s.
Category

1990s Austrian Mid-Century Modern Bookends

Materials

Metal

Mid-Century Bookends by Kai Kristiansen for FM 1960s, Set of 8
Located in Asaa, DK
Mid-century bookends by Kai Kristiansen for FM 1960s, set of 8. Very decorative Danish modern bookends in rosewood and metal designed by Danish designer Kai Kristiansen for Feldball...
Category

1960s Danish Vintage Mid-Century Modern Bookends

Materials

Hardwood

Mid-20th Century Brass Bookends Inspired by 'the Thinker' from Auguste Rodin
Located in Casteren, Noord-Brabant
A pair of brass bookends, depicting The Thinker by Auguste Rodin. Presumably made in Italy, around 1960-1970. Good condition, beautiful colour and patina. Dimensions: 18 (h) x 8,5 ...
Category

1960s Italian Vintage Mid-Century Modern Bookends

Materials

Brass

Mid Century Bookends Revolving World & Moon Globe
Located in Bad Säckingen, DE
A pair of vintage German decorative bookends with spinning globes of the moon and earth
Category

1960s German Vintage Mid-Century Modern Bookends

Materials

Metal

Mid-Century Hand Carved Alabaster Owl Sculptures with Glass Eyes Bookends 1950s
Located in Lisse, NL
Beautiful, meaningful, practical and decorative mid-century bookends. Given the fact that owls are the international symbol for wisdom and learning, these are the perfect sculptures...
Category

Mid-20th Century European Mid-Century Modern Bookends

Materials

Alabaster

Pair of Mid Century Italian Alabaster Bookends
Located in London, London
Pair of bookends Alabaster Handcarved  Bookshaped Italy Mid 20th Century
Category

Mid-20th Century Italian Mid-Century Modern Bookends

Materials

Alabaster

Modernist Acrylic Lucite Brass Bookends Art Deco Style Crespi Maison Jansen 1970
Located in Nierstein am Rhein, DE
Sculptural pair of French or Italian acrylic lucite clear plastic bookends in Art Deco Style with patinated gilt brass globe balls, Italy or France around 1970s. The chic, elegant an...
Category

1970s French Vintage Mid-Century Modern Bookends

Materials

Brass

Pair of Sculptural German Art Nouveau Brass Bronze Bookends 1900
Located in Berlin, DE
Decorative pair of Art Nouveau brass/bronze bookends. Germany, 1900s.   
Category

Early 20th Century German Mid-Century Modern Bookends

Materials

Brass, Bronze

F.lli Mannelli Pair of Bookends in Rapolano Travertine Marble, Italy 1970s
Located in Naples, IT
Pair of stone bookends by Fratelli Manelli. Made from exquisite Rapolano Travertine, a type of Italian travertine known for its distinctive cream color and delicate veining.
Category

1970s Italian Vintage Mid-Century Modern Bookends

Materials

Marble

Vintage Brass and Wooden Apples Bookends
Located in Barntrup, DE
Vintage brass and wooden apple bookends. Beautiful bookends, each with a wooden apple sculpture with a brass apple stem and leaf, mounted on brass bases....
Category

1970s French Vintage Mid-Century Modern Bookends

Materials

Brass

Pair of Alpha and Omega Brass Bookends, Germany, 1960s
Located in Malmö, SE
A pair of beautiful brass book ends with great patina. The Greek letters Alpha and Omega (beginning and end). Produced in Germany, 1960s. Great condition.
Category

Mid-20th Century German Mid-Century Modern Bookends

Materials

Brass

Pair of Midcentury Marble and Wooden Horse Head Bookends
Located in Antwerp, BE
Stylish pair of midcentury wooden horse head bookends, circa 1970s. The bookends are heavy and well crafted, they are honey cream in color on a black marble base. Great addition to a...
Category

Mid-20th Century French Mid-Century Modern Bookends

Materials

Marble

Mid-Century Bookends by Kai Kristiansen for FM 1960s, Set of 9
Located in Asaa, DK
Mid-century bookends by Kai Kristiansen for FM 1960s, set of 9. Very decorative Danish modern bookends in rosewood and metal designed by Danish designer Kai Kristiansen for Feldballe...
Category

1960s Danish Vintage Mid-Century Modern Bookends

Materials

Hardwood

Set of Four Sculptural German Art Nouveau Brass Bronze Bookends 1900
Located in Berlin, DE
Set of four decorative Art Nouveau brass/bronze bookends. Germany, 1900s.   
Category

Early 20th Century German Mid-Century Modern Bookends

Materials

Brass, Bronze

Arrow Brass and Wood Bookends with Hand Stiched Leather, France 1960's
Located in Den Haag, NL
Arrow Brass and Wood Bookends with Hand Stiched Leather, France 1960's
Category

Mid-20th Century French Mid-Century Modern Bookends

Materials

Leather, Wood

Mid Century Brass Bookends Dolphins with ball, France 1950s
Located in Appeltern, Gelderland
Unique pair of bookends, each of three dolphins holding a big globe They are made of brass. It is a beautiful set for any home or office decor and would look great on table top or bo...
Category

Mid-20th Century French Mid-Century Modern Bookends

Materials

Brass

Vintage Extending Book Slide, Venetian, Gilt, Tulipwood, Bookrest, Mid Century
Located in Hele, Devon, GB
This is a vintage extending book slide. A Venetian, gilt finished tulipwood bookrest, dating to the mid 20th century, circa 1950. Delightfully presented book slide, with appealing f...
Category

Mid-20th Century Italian Mid-Century Modern Bookends

Materials

Giltwood

Carl Aubock Iron & Brass Coin Medal Midcentury Bookend, Austria, 1970s
Located in Vienna, AT
This is a rare modernist book end, designed and manufactured by Carl Auböck III in the 1970s. The bookend consists of a large brass medal, which displays the coat of arms of the hous...
Category

Mid-20th Century Austrian Mid-Century Modern Bookends

Materials

Brass, Iron

Pair of Rare Carl Aubock Brass and Tin Book Ends, First Generation, 1935-1945
Located in Vienna, AT
Vintage, made in the very first pre-War period of the existence of the Werkstätte Auböck in Vienna. Model number: 3531 - Illustrated in the exhibition catalogue of the Vienna Histori...
Category

Mid-20th Century Austrian Mid-Century Modern Bookends

Materials

Metal

Sculptural Austrian Midcentury Brass Key Book Ends from the, 1950s
Located in Vienna, AT
A pair of large completely handcrafted sculptural modernist book ends in the shape of old keys. One-of-a-kind pieces, handmade of solid brass in the 1950s in Austria.
Category

Mid-20th Century Austrian Mid-Century Modern Bookends

Materials

Brass

Pair of Rare Carl Aubock Brass and Tin Book Ends, First Generation, 1935-1945
Located in Vienna, AT
Vintage, made in the very first pre-war period of the existance of the werkstatte Aubock in Vienna. Model number: 3531 - Illustrated in the exhibition catalogue of the Vienna Historical Museum. For sale are a pair of super rare bookends...
Category

Mid-20th Century Austrian Mid-Century Modern Bookends

Materials

Brass, Pewter

Set of Desk Accessories by Rexite, Kartell, Neolt, 9 Pieces, Italy, 1980s
Located in Praha, CZ
- Four bookends, two desk organizers, two pen or pencil holders, one diary - Marked. - Rare models a and color. - Very practical. - Raul Barbieri and Gio...
Category

1980s Italian Vintage Mid-Century Modern Bookends

Materials

Metal

Carl Auböck Bookends #3653
Located in Berlin, DE
Classic pair of Carl Auböck bookends in a patina and polish brass mix.  
Category

1960s Austrian Vintage Mid-Century Modern Bookends

Materials

Brass

Midcentury Hand Carved Alabaster Bookends w. Science like Geometrical Element
Located in Lisse, NL
Stylish and undoubtedly meaningful midcentury bookends of practical size and design. We are not educated in the fields of physics, chemistry or biology, but somehow we have a feel...
Category

Mid-20th Century European Mid-Century Modern Bookends

Materials

Alabaster

Midcentury Bookends with Music Sheet Pattern by Grafiche Tassotti & Figli, Italy
Located in Vienna, AT
A pair of lovely and large triangular Midcentury book ends from the 1950s, executed by Tassotti & Figli, Bassano, Italy. Made of wood, covered wi...
Category

Mid-20th Century Italian Mid-Century Modern Bookends

Materials

Wood, Paper

Mid-Century Made Heavy Bronze Classic Novel Book Shaped Bookends Treasure Island
Located in Lisse, NL
Rare and heavy bronze bookends with Thomas Paine and Robert Louis Stevenson 'books'. With the holiday season on our doorstep we will be offering a numb...
Category

Mid-20th Century European Mid-Century Modern Bookends

Materials

Bronze

Bookends World Globe Mid-Century
Located in Mombuey, Zamora
Pair of mid-century world globe bookends. They globes are two pieces of timeless design and high quality, ideal for a very masculine and sophisticated environment These pieces ar...
Category

Mid-20th Century French Mid-Century Modern Bookends

Materials

Wood

Rare Bookends by Pierro Fornasetti, circa's 1958
Located in Brussels, BE
Rare and original bookends by Pierro Fornasetti circa 1958. original condition.
Category

1950s Italian Vintage Mid-Century Modern Bookends

Materials

Metal

Pair of Beech and Copper Barrel Bookends, France, circa 1940
Located in Labrit, Landes
Pair of French bookends Beech and copper, made in France Shipping: L 20 P D 15 H 12 1 kg.
Category

1940s French Vintage Mid-Century Modern Bookends

Materials

Copper

Italian Travertine Sculpture Elephant by Fratelli Mannelli, Italy, 1970s
Located in Hagenbach, DE
Wonderful sculpture by Fratelli Mannelli for Travertino di Rapolano. Elephant shape travertine sculpture from the 1970s.
Category

1970s Italian Vintage Mid-Century Modern Bookends

Materials

Travertine

Richard Rohac, a Pair of Bookends, Austria, Mid-1900s
Located in Stockholm, SE
A pair of rare abstract bookends in solid bronze, designed by Richard Rohac, Austria, mid 1900s. Marked RR Made in Austria 7 In good condition, few small signs of wear / age rela...
Category

Mid-20th Century Austrian Mid-Century Modern Bookends

Materials

Bronze

Pair of Hand Carved Wooden Bookends Sturgeons, Germany, 1970s
Located in Barntrup, DE
A charming pair of ash wood bookends with carved figurines of sturgeons with beautiful yellow and black eyes. Germany, circa the 1970s. These adorable bookends will make a wonderful...
Category

1970s German Vintage Mid-Century Modern Bookends

Materials

Wood

Charles Dudouyt's Style Bookends, 1950, France
Located in NANTES, FR
Pair of Wooden Bookends sometimes attributed to Charles Dudouyt. Do not hesitate to contact me for a shipping quote.    
Category

Mid-20th Century French Mid-Century Modern Bookends

Materials

Wood

Austrian Midcentury Brass and Wicker Bookends by Carl Auböck
Located in Vienna, AT
This rare brass and wicker book ends have been designed and manufactured by Carl Auböck in the 1950s in Vienna Austria, Mod. no. 3530. the polished brass remains in beautiful condit...
Category

1950s Austrian Vintage Mid-Century Modern Bookends

Materials

Brass

Carl Auböck Bookends #3848
Located in Berlin, DE
Classis pair of Carl Auböck bookend in a patina and polish brass mix.  
Category

Mid-20th Century Mid-Century Modern Bookends

Materials

Brass

Vintage Danish Teak Bookends 1960s, Set of 2
Located in Asaa, DK
Vintage Danish teak bookends 1960s, Set of 2 Pair of Danish Mid-Century Modern bookends in solid teak with metal base. Very good original condition. Ready to support.
Category

1960s Danish Vintage Mid-Century Modern Bookends

Materials

Teak

Carl Auböck Pair of Bookends, Austria 1960s
Located in Berlin, DE
Carl Auböck pair of bookends, Austria 1960s.
Category

1960s Austrian Vintage Mid-Century Modern Bookends

Materials

Brass

Carl Auböck Bookends # 3652
Located in Berlin, DE
Classic pair of Carl Auböck bookends in polished brass.
Category

Mid-20th Century Austrian Mid-Century Modern Bookends

Materials

Brass

Kai Kristiansen Set Teak Bookends, Denmark
Located in Oostrum-Venray, NL
Kai Kristiansen set teak bookends Denmark Mid-century small teak bookends attributed to Kai Kristiansen, manufactured in the 1960's by Feldballe Møbelfabrik in Denmark, made of so...
Category

1960s Danish Vintage Mid-Century Modern Bookends

Materials

Metal

Pair of Golf Ball Bookends Lucite and Chrome Vintage German
Located in Nuernberg, DE
Super cool and nice design sculptural golf ball bookends. Nice golfball atop a nickel base. Nice addition to every room. Chrome with patina and one of the lucite stands with scratche...
Category

1970s German Vintage Mid-Century Modern Bookends

Materials

Metal, Chrome

Mid-Century Modern Danish Bookends 1960s Set of 2
Located in Asaa, DK
Mid-Century Modern Danish book ends 1960s set of 2. Pair of solid hardwood book holders with metal feet. Stamped with golden Wejra logo. Cleaned and po...
Category

1960s Danish Vintage Mid-Century Modern Bookends

Materials

Hardwood

Ermanno Nason for Cenedese Italian Murano Alexandrite Glass Horse Head Sculpture
Located in Landau an der Isar, Bayern
Stunning, rare and vintage midcentury centrepiece glass sculpture by Ermanno Nason (1928-2014) for Cenedese of Murano, Venice, Italy. An absolutely stunning piece of Mid-Century Mura...
Category

Late 20th Century Italian Mid-Century Modern Bookends

Materials

Blown Glass, Murano Glass

Italian Onyx Horse Art Deco Head Bookends
Located in Antwerp, BE
A beautiful and elegant pair of Art Deco hand-carved onyx horse head sculptural bookends with bowed head. Italy, circa 1940s.
Category

Mid-20th Century Italian Mid-Century Modern Bookends

Materials

Onyx

Midcentury Scandinavian Teak Bookends from ESA, 1970s, Set of 9
Located in Esbjerg, DK
A set of 9 bookends in untreated teak with steel rest's manufactured by ESA in Denmark during the 1960s or 70s. The design is similar to bookends attributed to Kai Kristiansen. Measu...
Category

1970s Danish Vintage Mid-Century Modern Bookends

Materials

Teak

Bronze Dancers Couple 1970s Belgium Artist V D Brande
By V. D. Brande
Located in Antwerp, BE
Beautiful set of two expressive dancers from the seventies, handcrafted in bronze, inspired by sculpted clay sculptures a technique that is characteristic of the seventies and gives ...
Category

1970s Belgian Vintage Mid-Century Modern Bookends

Materials

Bronze

Tan Leather Bookends Mounted with Gilt Bronzed Dolphins, Italian circa 1940
Located in Lincoln, Lincolnshire
These are a beautiful, pair of Tan Leather book ends, mounted with gilt bronzed metal dolphins, which we date to the mid 20th century. The bookends have been beautifully modelled ...
Category

Mid-20th Century Italian Mid-Century Modern Bookends

Materials

Metal

Midcentury Danish Teak Bookends
Located in Vienna, AT
Made of teak in Denmakr in the early 1950s.
Category

1950s Danish Vintage Mid-Century Modern Bookends

Materials

Teak

Pair of Bookends Glass and Wood in the Style of Fontana Arte Italy 1950s
Located in Rome, IT
Pair of bookends in acquamarine glass structure and wood in the style of Fontana Arte. Made in Italy in the 1950s.
Category

1950s Italian Vintage Mid-Century Modern Bookends

Materials

Glass, Wood

Bookends Horse Faux Ivory and Portoro Marble Italian Design, 1950s
Located in Palermo, Sicily
Bookends horse faux ivory and portoro marble Italian design, 1950s.
Category

1950s European Vintage Mid-Century Modern Bookends

Materials

Marble

Book Holder, 1950s Attr. Richard Rohac
Located in Wien, AT
Book holder, 1950s Attr. Richard Rohac Brass blackened Original marble Original condition.
Category

1950s Austrian Vintage Mid-Century Modern Bookends

Materials

Marble, Brass

Lladro Porcelain Mandarin Duck Book Ends, Spain, 1970s
Located in Barcelona, ES
Eye-catching pair of Mandarin Duck porcelain bookends / book holders. Designed by Vicente Martinez and manufactured by Lladro, Spain, 1970s. As all the Lladro pieces this pair of sculptural book ends...
Category

20th Century Spanish Mid-Century Modern Bookends

Materials

Porcelain

Copper Sculptural Art Deco Bookends Midcentury, France, 1930s
Located in Den Haag, NL
Copper sculptural Art Deco bookends midcentury, France, 1930s. The pair has different sizes: 16 cm x 13cm and 17.5 cm x 14 cm.
Category

Mid-20th Century French Mid-Century Modern Bookends

Materials

Copper

Mid-Century Modern Era Chrome Bookends w. Book Reading Mystical Monk Sculptures
Located in Lisse, NL
Wonderfully unusual and artistic bookends by an unknown designer. This pair of mystical bookends from the Mid-Century Modern era shows two stylized monks in their habits. Sitting on...
Category

Mid-20th Century European Mid-Century Modern Bookends

Materials

Metal

Pair of Travertine Letter and Pen Holder by Fratelli Mannelli, Italy, 1970s
Located in Rome, IT
Pair of bookends/pen and letter holders in travertine marble by Fratelli Mannelli, Italy, 1970s.
Category

1970s Italian Vintage Mid-Century Modern Bookends

Materials

Marble, Travertine

Pair Kai Kristiansen Danish Modern Metal & Wood Bookends, Denmark, 1960s
Located in Vienna, AT
A beautiful pair of mid-century bookends, crafted in Denmark during the 1960s. These were designed by Kai Kristiansen and produced by Fm Moebler. Made from finely grained rosewood wi...
Category

Mid-20th Century Danish Mid-Century Modern Bookends

Materials

Metal

Mid-century Modern bookends for sale on 1stDibs.

Find a broad range of unique Mid-Century Modern bookends 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 bookends created in this style to your space, the works available on 1stDibs include more furniture and collectibles, decorative objects, serveware, ceramics, silver and glass and other home furnishings, frequently crafted with metal, brass and other materials. If you’re shopping for used Mid-Century Modern bookends made in a specific country, there are North America, Europe, and United States pieces for sale on 1stDibs. While there are many designers and brands associated with original bookends, popular names associated with this style include Werkstätte Carl Auböck, Blenko, Ben Seibel, and Curtis Jeré. 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 bookends differ depending upon multiple factors, including designer, materials, construction methods, condition and provenance. On 1stDibs, the price for these items starts at $50 and tops out at $7,500 while the average work can sell for $525.

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