Umbrella Stands
1920s Japanese Vintage Umbrella Stands
Porcelain
1660s Italian Space Age Antique Umbrella Stands
Copper, Enamel
Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Umbrella Stands
Ceramic
1930s Belgian Art Deco Vintage Umbrella Stands
Chrome
1950s French Mid-Century Modern Vintage Umbrella Stands
Metal, Brass
1910s American Arts and Crafts Vintage Umbrella Stands
Oak
1960s Italian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Umbrella Stands
Bamboo, Rattan
21st Century and Contemporary Umbrella Stands
Ceramic
1930s Italian Art Deco Vintage Umbrella Stands
Fruitwood
Mid-20th Century Chinese Umbrella Stands
Porcelain
1960s Italian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Umbrella Stands
Aluminum
1980s Portuguese Chinoiserie Vintage Umbrella Stands
Porcelain
1890s English Antique Umbrella Stands
Brass
Mid-20th Century Italian Hollywood Regency Umbrella Stands
Metal
Mid-20th Century Italian French Provincial Umbrella Stands
Bamboo, Wicker, Rattan
1960s Italian Modern Vintage Umbrella Stands
Chrome, Iron
19th Century French Other Antique Umbrella Stands
Wrought Iron
20th Century Chinese Chinoiserie Umbrella Stands
Porcelain
Late 19th Century Chinese Antique Umbrella Stands
Porcelain
1950s Italian Vintage Umbrella Stands
Metal, Brass
Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Umbrella Stands
Brass
Mid-20th Century German Mid-Century Modern Umbrella Stands
Ceramic
1970s Italian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Umbrella Stands
Plastic
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.