Mid-Century Modern Lounge Chairs
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
- Eames lounge chair
- Nelson daybed
- Florence Knoll sofa
- Egg chair
- Womb chair
- Noguchi coffee table
- Barcelona chair
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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Style: Mid-Century Modern
Creator: Charles Eames
Herman Miller Rosewood Eames Lounge Chair 1960s
Located in Saint Paul, MN
About as iconic as they come. The Eames 670, more commonly known as the Eames Lounge Chair was the brain child of the modernist masters Ray and Charles Eames. Conceived in 1956, it's...
Category
Mid-20th Century North American Mid-Century Modern Lounge Chairs
Materials
Rosewood
Early LCW Lounge Chair stained red by Charles & Ray Eames, Evans Plywood, 1950s
Located in Buffalo, NY
LCW (Lounge Chair Wood) chair created by Charles and Ray Eames around 1945.
Chair sold by Herman Miller, but produced by Evans Plywood in 1948-1949. The 5-2-5 screw arrangement bene...
Category
1940s American Vintage Mid-Century Modern Lounge Chairs
Materials
Plywood
Early Rosewood Eames 670 Lounge Chair 671/Ottoman, 1960
Located in Chicago, IL
Early Rosewood Eames 670 Lounge Chair 671/Ottoman, early 1960 with down stuffed cushions. Rosewood has been oiled, aluminum polished, leather conditioned, and side shock mounts remou...
Category
1960s American Vintage Mid-Century Modern Lounge Chairs
Materials
Leather, Rosewood
Classic early production Eames / Herman Miller Aluminum Group Lounge Chairs
Located in Buffalo, NY
Classic early production Eames / Herman Miller Aluminum Group Lounge Chairs ,, Wonderful original condition,, early four star base,...
Category
1950s American Vintage Mid-Century Modern Lounge Chairs
Materials
Aluminum
Vintage 1st Generation Black LCW Lounge Chair by Charles Eames for Evans 1940s
Located in Troy, MI
1st generation LCW lounge chair designed by Charles and Ray Eames
Produced by Evans Plywood Products circa 1948-49
Molded Ash plywood in black finish
Remarkable condition with 5-2-5...
Category
1940s American Vintage Mid-Century Modern Lounge Chairs
Materials
Ash, Plywood
Early Vintage Charles Eames for Herman Miller LCW Birch Plywood Lounge Chair
Located in Troy, MI
2nd generation LCW lounge chair designed by Charles and Ray Eames
Produced by Herman Miller circa 1952-53
Molded birch plywood example in original patina
22 inch width
24 inch dept...
Category
1950s Vintage Mid-Century Modern Lounge Chairs
Materials
Birch, Plywood
Vintage Eames Rosewood Lounge Chair, c. 1965
Located in Charlottesville, VA
Vintage Eames Rosewood Lounge Chair, c. 1965. Black leather with wear and some slight damage but having a fine patina. 30.75” h. x 32” d. x 32” w. (the chair).
Category
1960s American Vintage Mid-Century Modern Lounge Chairs
Materials
Leather
All Black Herman Miller Eames 670 Lounge Chair, 1979
Located in Dronten, NL
Lounge Chair designed by Charles and Ray Eames for Herman Miller, with black lacquered plywood shells and black leather upholstery. This example with chrome plated aluminum base and ...
Category
1970s American Vintage Mid-Century Modern Lounge Chairs
Materials
Aluminum, Chrome
Charles & Ray Eames EA222 Lounge Chair and EA223 Ottoman in Plume Leather, Vitra
Located in Amsterdam, NL
Beautiful lounge chair EA222 and matching ottoman EA223 belong to the famous Aluminum Series designed by Charles & Ray Eames for Herman Miller (US) / Vitra (EU)...
Category
1960s German Vintage Mid-Century Modern Lounge Chairs
Materials
Aluminum, Chrome
Early LCW Lounge Chair in Birch by Charles & Ray Eames, Herman Miller, 1950s
Located in Vorst, BE
An early LCW (Lounge Chair Wood) in Birch.
Produced by Herman Miller between 1952 and 1958 (the production of the LCW has been stopped in 1958 until its re-introduction in 1994). ...
Category
Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Lounge Chairs
Materials
Plywood, Birch
1960s Mid Century Walnut & Leather Lounge Chair by Eames for Vitra - Set of 2
By Charles Eames, Vitra
Located in North Hollywood, CA
Mid-century lounge chair and ottoman set designed by Charles Eames and manufactured by Vitra circa 1980s. This set is truly one-of-a-kind with its black leather upholstery and unique...
Category
1960s American Vintage Mid-Century Modern Lounge Chairs
Materials
Leather, Walnut
Eames Aluminium Group Lounge Chair for Herman Miller
Located in Dronten, NL
Eames aluminum group lounge chair EA 124 two-tone dark brown Hopsak fabric, manufactured by Herman Miller. The chair is executed in c...
Category
1960s American Vintage Mid-Century Modern Lounge Chairs
Materials
Aluminum, Chrome
Black vintage Herman Miller Lounge Chair with Ottoman, designed by Eames
Located in Alsdorf, NW
iconic lounge chair by Charles and Ray Eames. This icon does not need many words. It is probably the most famous and cozy Mid Century armchair. The ch...
Category
Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Lounge Chairs
Materials
Chrome
Charles & Ray Eames LCW Walnut Lounge Chair for Herman Miller
Located in Amsterdam, NL
Iconic LCW lounge chair designed by Charles & Ray Eames in Walnut Plywood and manufactured by Herman Miller USA. The veneer and chair is in very good / excellent as new condition wit...
Category
1940s American Vintage Mid-Century Modern Lounge Chairs
Materials
Rubber, Plywood
LAR Armchair by Charles & Ray Eames for Herman Miller 1960s
Located in WIJCKEL, NL
Charles and Ray Eames Low Armchair Rod (LAR) for Herman Miller.
Molded off-white fiberglass, chrome-plated steel, rubber.
Signed with manufacturer’s mark und...
Category
1960s American Vintage Mid-Century Modern Lounge Chairs
Materials
Metal
Pair of Herman Miller Aluminium Group Lounge Chair
Located in London, Lambeth
Original designed in 1958 with much R&D development this is a design to work with the shape of the seater’s
body super comfortable.The chair featured elegant sculptural one piece ...
Category
Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Lounge Chairs
Materials
Aluminum
Rare 2nd Generation Rosewood, Leather Lounge Chair and Ottoman by Charles Eames
Located in Buffalo, NY
Rare 2nd Generation Brazilian Rosewood and black leather lounge chair and ottoman by Charles Eames,, Stunning richly grained rosewood,Retains original early white medallion label.. c...
Category
1960s American Vintage Mid-Century Modern Lounge Chairs
Materials
Aluminum
Pair of Early 2nd Generation Eames Fiberglass LAX Lounge Chairs in Elephant Gray
Located in Philadelphia, PA
A classic pair Herman Miller fiberglass lounge chairs designed by Charles Eames from the early 1950's. These feature very desirable elephant hide grey fiberglass on lower sitting ste...
Category
1950s American Vintage Mid-Century Modern Lounge Chairs
Materials
Steel
Pair of Charles and Ray Eames Padded Arm Shell Chairs, Two-Tone /Herman Miller
Located in Buffalo, NY
Classic pair of Mid-Century Modern padded arm shell chairs,Designed by Charles and Ray Eames, for Herman Miller. Beautiful two-tone, chairs are in really ni...
Category
1960s American Vintage Mid-Century Modern Lounge Chairs
Materials
Aluminum
Eames LAX Armshell Lounge Chair
Located in Dallas, TX
Charles and Ray Eames designed low lounge armshell with X-base. Original zinc base, original screws, Original boot glides. Early transitional parchment fiberglass shell with large sh...
Category
1950s American Vintage Mid-Century Modern Lounge Chairs
Materials
Steel
Early Herman Miller LCM Lounge Chair, Labeled
Located in Antwerp, BE
Iconic LCM lounge chair designed by Charles and Ray Eames for Herman Miller. Beautifully bent seat and backrest. Chrome base with shock-mounts in exce...
Category
1940s American Vintage Mid-Century Modern Lounge Chairs
Materials
Metal, Chrome
1st Generation Charles Eames Zenith/Herman Miller Plastic Rope Edge Chair
Located in Buffalo, NY
Rare, early set of 4 Charles and Ray Eames Fiberglass arm shell chairs, extremely rare "Raw Umber" color, all 4 chairs retain original...
Category
1950s American Vintage Mid-Century Modern Lounge Chairs
Materials
Metal
Restored Pair of 1960 Herman Miller No1 Hardwood Eames Lounge Armchairs Ottomans
Located in GB
We are delighted to offer extremely rare and important pair of fully restored, original, Herman Miller No1 & Herman Miller Hillie circa 1958-1960 black leather and Rosewood lounge armchairs and ottomans
These are pretty much the most iconic and well known armchair and ottoman ever made, exhibited countless times, displayed in the V&A, Metropolitan Museum of Art, winners of countless awards these are the simply put the finest suite around
They have been on a journey, I’ve had all pieces stripped to the bare shells, the frames have been washed back and traditionally French polished, the leather all restored and hand dyed the original nero black, they are the finest example pair anywhere in the world today
One suite has the black Herman Miller No1 label, the other, the earlier redish Herman Miller Hillie label
Condition wise, the restoration has been done in such a way to keep all the original charm and patina but make them gallery ready, they will have age and use related patina marks here and there but mostly they are in very fine order
Dimensions armchairs
Height:- 80.5cm
Width:- 85cm
Depth:- 86.5cm
Seat height:- 41cm
Dimensions ottomans
Height:- 42cm
Width:- 65.5cm
Depth:- 53.5cm
Please note all measurements are taken at the widest point,
MUST READ!
The Eames Lounge Chair and ottoman are furnishings made of molded plywood and leather, designed by Charles and Ray Eames for the Herman Miller furniture company. They are officially titled Eames Lounge ( 670 ) and Ottoman ( 671 ) and were released in 1956 after years of development by designers. It was the first chair that the Eameses designed for a high-end market. Examples of these furnishings are part of the permanent collection of New York's Museum of Modern Art.
Design
Charles and Ray Eames sought to develop furniture that could be mass-produced and affordable, with the exception of the Eames Lounge Chair. This luxury item was inspired by the traditional English club chair. The Eames Lounge Chair is an icon of Modern style design, although when it was first made, Ray Eames remarked in a letter to Charles that the chair looked "comfortable and un-designy". Charles's vision was for a chair with "the warm, receptive look of a well-used first baseman's mitt." The chair is composed of three curved plywood shells covered with veneer: the headrest, the backrest and the seat. The layers are glued together and shaped under heat and pressure. The shells and the seat cushions are essentially of the same shape, and composed of two curved forms interlocking to form a solid mass. The chair back and headrest are identical in proportion, as are the seat and the ottoman.
The products have changed in various ways over time. Beginning in 1956 and running through the very early 1990s, the shells were made up of five thin layers of plywood which were covered by a veneer of Brazilian rosewood. The use of Brazilian rosewood was discontinued in the early 1990s, and current production since then consists of seven layers of plywood covered by finishing veneers of cherry, walnut, palisander rosewood (a sustainably grown wood with similar grain patterns to the original Brazilian versions), and other finishes. Small changes include the sets of spacers between the aluminum spines and the wood panels, originally of rubber, later hard plastic washers, and the number of screws securing the armrests, originally three, changed to two in second-series models, while the "domes of silence" (glides/feet) on the chair base originally had thinner screws attaching them to the aluminum base than those on later chairs, and the zipper around the cushions, either brown or black on early models, was later black only. Further, early ottomans had removable rubber slide-on feet with metal glides, and early labels are of oblong foil.
History
The Eames Lounge Chair first...
Category
1960s Danish Vintage Mid-Century Modern Lounge Chairs
Materials
Leather, Hardwood
Early 2nd Generation X Base Arm Shell Lounge Chair by Charles Eames
Located in Buffalo, NY
Early 2nd generation X base elephant gray arm shell lounge chair by Charles Eames for Herman Miller. Amazing condition, featuring early solid iron X base, .Amazing color. Elephant gr...
Category
1950s American Vintage Mid-Century Modern Lounge Chairs
Materials
Iron
Early Charles Eames for Herman Miller DCM Chairs, Newly Restored
Located in South Bend, IN
A rare and outstanding iconic set of six early "DCM" chairs
By Charles Eames for Herman Miller
USA, 1950s
Bent walnut plywood seats and backs, with metal frame.
Measures:...
Category
1950s American Vintage Mid-Century Modern Lounge Chairs
Materials
Metal
Early Eames LCM Lounge Chair, Herman Miller, USA, 1950s, Ash/ Black Frame
Located in Buffalo, NY
Early Eames LCM lounge chair, Herman Miller, USA, 1950s, ash with black base, wonderful example, great original finish, patina, retains impressed LCM u...
Category
1950s American Vintage Mid-Century Modern Lounge Chairs
Materials
Metal
Eames LAR Cats Cradle Base Fiberglass Armshell Lounge Chair
Located in Ferndale, MI
From the fiberglass chair series developed by Charles and Ray Eames immediately after WW2. Widely distributed by Herman Miller. This low arm rod (LAR) chair has zinc finished base wi...
Category
Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Lounge Chairs
Materials
Steel, Zinc
Classic First Year Production Eames LCW, Evans Label 5 2 5 Screw Configuration
Located in Buffalo, NY
One of the nicest examples I ve owned in quite a while, stunning figured birch plywood, circa early 1946-1947, L C W (Lounge chair wood) designed by Charles and Ray Eames, Manufactur...
Category
1940s American Vintage Mid-Century Modern Lounge Chairs
Materials
Birch, Plywood
Early Eames Rope Edge Fiberglass Bucket Chair
Located in New York, NY
Eames rope edge fiberglass bucket chair. This example is in very good condition, no chips, cracks or discoloration save some minor bleed at ...
Category
1950s American Vintage Mid-Century Modern Lounge Chairs
Materials
Metal
Early LCM Red Aniline Dyed by Charles Eames for Herman Miller
Located in Middlesex, NJ
Early LCM red aniline dyed by Charles Eames for Herman Miller.
Category
20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Lounge Chairs
Herman Miller Eames Rosewood 670/671 Lounge Chair and Ottoman, 1975
Located in Dronten, NL
Early Lounge Chair and Ottoman designed by Charles and Ray Eames for Herman Miller, marked with date of delivery 11/7 1975 on the label at the bottom of the ottoman.
Since the produc...
Category
1970s American Vintage Mid-Century Modern Lounge Chairs
Materials
Aluminum
Herman Miller Eames Rosewood & Leather Lounge Chair
Located in San Diego, CA
Authentic and iconic Herman Miller / Eames rosewood and black leather lounge chair) model 670 circa 1990's. The chair is lightly worn and in great original vintage condition. This ch...
Category
20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Lounge Chairs
Materials
Leather, Rosewood
Charles & Ray Eames vintage LCW Lounge Chair in Ash Plywood for Herman Miller
Located in Amsterdam, NL
Iconic LCW lounge chair in ash plywood. The veneer and chair is in good condition with nice patina and wood grain. Light signs of wear and slight discoloration backrest. The chair is...
Category
1950s American Vintage Mid-Century Modern Lounge Chairs
Materials
Ash, Plywood
CLassic Brazilian Rosewood and Leather Eames Lounge Chair & Ott Herman Miller
Located in Buffalo, NY
Iconic 670 lounge chair and 671 ottoman, designed by Charles and Ray Eames for Herman Miller. A luxuriously soft and comfortable design. Frame showcases the gorgeous Brazilian rosewo...
Category
1970s American Vintage Mid-Century Modern Lounge Chairs
Materials
Aluminum
Rare 1st Generation Eames Lounge Chair and Ottoman, Brazilian Rosewood, Leather
Located in Buffalo, NY
Rare 1st generation Charles Eames lounge chair and ottoman, Brazilian rosewood, leather. Manufactured by Herman Miller. Highly -coveted, part livable investment, part functional furn...
Category
1950s American Vintage Mid-Century Modern Lounge Chairs
Materials
Aluminum
Eames 50th Anniversary Lounge Chair and Ottoman, Cherry and Black Leather 2006
Located in Buffalo, NY
Rare and collectable Charles and Ray Eames 670 and 671 lounge chair and ottoman. To commemorate the 50th anniversary (1956-2006) of the design of the...
Category
Early 2000s American Mid-Century Modern Lounge Chairs
Materials
Aluminum
Mid-century Modern lounge chairs for sale on 1stDibs.
Find a broad range of unique Mid-Century Modern lounge chairs 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 lounge chairs created in this style to your space, the works available on 1stDibs include seating, building and garden elements, decorative objects and other home furnishings, frequently crafted with fabric, wood and other materials. If you’re shopping for used Mid-Century Modern lounge chairs made in a specific country, there are Europe, North America, and United States pieces for sale on 1stDibs. While there are many designers and brands associated with original lounge chairs, popular names associated with this style include Knoll, Milo Baughman, Lawson-Fenning, and Artifort. 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 lounge chairs differ depending upon multiple factors, including designer, materials, construction methods, condition and provenance. On 1stDibs, the price for these items starts at $11 and tops out at $97,000 while the average work can sell for $4,382.
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