Umbrella Stands
Early 20th Century French Art Nouveau Umbrella Stands
Bronze
Early 20th Century Spanish Modern Umbrella Stands
Steel
1960s French Mid-Century Modern Vintage Umbrella Stands
Iron, Wrought Iron, Brass
Early 20th Century British Edwardian Umbrella Stands
Wood
1930s Italian Art Deco Vintage Umbrella Stands
Brass
1950s Italian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Umbrella Stands
Metal
Early 20th Century French Umbrella Stands
Porcelain
1990s American Modern Umbrella Stands
Metal
1960s Italian Vintage Umbrella Stands
Raffia, Lucite
Early 20th Century Art Deco Umbrella Stands
Iron
1970s French Mid-Century Modern Vintage Umbrella Stands
Metal, Bronze
1970s European Vintage Umbrella Stands
Metal, Brass
1950s German Mid-Century Modern Vintage Umbrella Stands
Metal, Brass
1960s Dutch Mid-Century Modern Vintage Umbrella Stands
Metal, Brass
Late 20th Century Spanish Hollywood Regency Umbrella Stands
Porcelain
1950s German Bauhaus Vintage Umbrella Stands
Metal, Aluminum, Iron
Early 20th Century Umbrella Stands
Brass
1950s Italian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Umbrella Stands
Brass
1970s Swedish Scandinavian Modern Vintage Umbrella Stands
Brass
Late 20th Century Spanish Umbrella Stands
Bamboo
Mid-20th Century French Louis Philippe Umbrella Stands
Enamel, Iron
1950s Italian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Umbrella Stands
Aluminum
1930s Italian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Umbrella Stands
Glass
Mid-20th Century Italian Modern Umbrella Stands
Stainless Steel
1970s Italian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Umbrella Stands
Lucite, Mirror
1960s French Vintage Umbrella Stands
Vintage, New and Antique Umbrella Stands
When it’s raining, you’re going to need an umbrella, and that wet umbrella is going to need a home. In the range of vintage, new and antique umbrella stands on 1stDibs, find patio umbrella stands made for the outdoors and luxury iterations intended to pair with your coat rack and add a dose of character to your entryway.
Modern umbrellas originated as parasols or sunshades for the upper classes in Ancient Egypt, Ancient India and elsewhere, with the accessory undergoing significant improvements, which included waterproofing, in China thereafter. The Chinese created collapsible accessories and applied wax and lacquer to paper parasols, which repelled rain during thunderstorms. As umbrellas saw widespread adoption over the years, we suddenly needed a place to put them.
African-American inventor William C. Carter of Cincinnati, Ohio, patented the first umbrella stand in 1885. His receptacle featured horizontal crossbars with hinged ends that allowed for umbrellas to be spring-locked into place. Carter hoped his idea would prevent theft of umbrellas and canes as well as present an orderly solution for storing them. It could hold more than one umbrella and contained a drip pan to catch rainwater. Today, antique umbrella stands are rich components of home decor — they’re among the first furnishings you see when you enter someone’s house or apartment — and those stemming from Carter’s day are precious collector’s items.
While preliminary umbrella stands were simple (no more than two posts and a rack to hold several umbrellas), furniture makers embellished their interpretations, adding decorative flourishes and improving upon its features over time.
On 1stDibs, a collection of antique 19th-century umbrella stands includes structures made of oak, walnut and more. There are understated Victorian-era umbrella stands made of brass that comprise little more than four tubular metal supports and cast-iron drip pans, while iterations dating from the same era made from mahogany feature distinctive hand-carvings on their side panels or ornate finials. If they’re not cast-iron umbrella stands, a (sometimes removable) cast-iron drip pan at the very least is a fairly consistent characteristic of the stands of the era.
Mid-century modern furniture designers explored venturesome forms and worked with a variety of materials to craft their umbrella stands, integrating metals such as aluminum and introducing glass and even marble to these pieces. Umbrella stands crafted by contemporary furniture makers often depart from their historical counterparts. While a sampling of today’s iterations demonstrate that creators are making umbrella stands in a variety of shapes and sizes, they’re frequently embodying clean lines and minimalist flourishes, which are perhaps a good fit if you don’t intend for your rack to stand out in your foyer or entryway.
If you’re looking to make a statement with your patio umbrella stand or the piece you’re intending to keep indoors, a vintage ceramic umbrella stand will introduce a pop of color or a dazzling texture to your doorstep or to the neutral color palette that characterizes your entryway.
While umbrella stands have seen an evolution of design over the years, their usefulness hasn’t changed a bit. Browse a collection of antique, new and vintage umbrella stands today on 1stDibs.