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Mid-Century Modern Side 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

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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Style: Mid-Century Modern
Period: 1940s
dcm chair contemporized by Markus Friedrich Staab
Located in Frankfurt am Main, DE
DCM Chair contemporized, painted, lacquered. • Info about Markus • born 1964 in Aschaffenburg, Germany • since 1986 active as a visual artist • since 1989 national and internation...
Category

1940s Vintage Mid-Century Modern Side Chairs

Materials

Plywood, Lacquer

Michael Van Beuren Lounge Chair for Domus
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Bauhaus trained, Mexico City based designer Michael Van Beuren created highly functional modern pieces inspired by Mexican vernacular styles and materials. This lounge chair features...
Category

1940s Mexican Vintage Mid-Century Modern Side Chairs

Materials

Cord, Mahogany

Set of Six Dining Chairs by Osvaldo Borsani
Located in New York, NY
Set of six dining chairs by Osvaldo Borsani for Atelier Borsani Varedo. Mahogany with patinated brass details.  
Category

1940s Italian Vintage Mid-Century Modern Side Chairs

Materials

Brass

Mart Stam Oak Side Chair
Located in Dronten, NL
Mart Stam model 'A2-1', oak, rush and rope, The Netherlands, 1948. Executed in 1948, this dining chair by Dutch modernist designer and architect Mart Stam (1899-1986) boasts a rust...
Category

1940s Dutch Vintage Mid-Century Modern Side Chairs

Materials

Rush, Rope, Oak

Three Carl-Axel Acking Bentwood Chairs for Svenska Mobelfarikerna of Bodafors
Located in Belmont, MA
Three Carl-Axel Acking (1910-2001) for Svenska Mobelfarikerna of Bodafors Bentwood Side Chairs, Sweden, c. 1950, designed c.1944, beech, oak, laminated plywood, stackable, with manuf...
Category

1940s Swedish Vintage Mid-Century Modern Side Chairs

Materials

Bentwood

Pair of low chairs – Italy 1940
Located in Girona, ES
Pair of low chairs with wooden structure, new fillings and new upholstery in lemon yellow velvet. Dark stained oak legs. Italy circa 1940.
Category

1940s Italian Vintage Mid-Century Modern Side Chairs

Materials

Velvet, Oak

Pair of Vintage Solid Durmast and Rattan Chairs, Italy
Located in Bresso, Lombardy
Made in Italy, 1940s. These high-quality chairs are made in solid durmast and rattan and feature an interesting detail: the final part of the backrest is a pyramidal section. They a...
Category

1940s Italian Vintage Mid-Century Modern Side Chairs

Materials

Rattan, Wood

Andre Dupre String Chair for Knoll Associates, 1947
By Andre Dupre
Located in Coronado, CA
A beautiful string chair by the French designer Andre Dupre for Knoll Associates circa 1947. This early and rare, museum quality example is all original wi...
Category

1940s American Vintage Mid-Century Modern Side Chairs

Materials

Metal

Eames Evans Red Aniline Dye LCW Lounge Chairs - Matched Pair
Located in Brooklyn, NY
Spectacular matched set of red aniline dye LCW lounge chairs, designed by Charles and Ray Eames and manufactured by Evans Product Company (before Herman Miller production). Aniline-...
Category

1940s American Vintage Mid-Century Modern Side Chairs

Materials

Plywood

John Widdicomb, Side Chair, Leather, Walnut, USA, 1940s
Located in High Point, NC
A walnut and leather side chair designed and produced by John Widdicomb, USA, c. 1940s. 18.25” seat height
Category

1940s American Vintage Mid-Century Modern Side Chairs

Materials

Leather, Walnut

John Widdicomb, Side Chairs, Leather, Walnut, USA, 1940s
Located in High Point, NC
A pair of walnut and leather side chairs designed and produced by John Widdicomb, USA, c. 1940s. 18.25” seat height
Category

1940s American Vintage Mid-Century Modern Side Chairs

Materials

Leather, Walnut

French Armchairs in the Manner of Jean Prouvé
Located in New York, NY
Pair of French armchairs if the manner of Jean Prouvé. Chairs are solid oak. Really nice with unique lines.
Category

1940s French Vintage Mid-Century Modern Side Chairs

Materials

Oak

Vintage 1940s George Nelson Side Chair for Herman Miller Model 4671
Located in San Francisco, CA
Offered here is a vintage George Nelson side chair For Herman Miller it's a Model 4671, first designed in 1948.
Category

1940s American Vintage Mid-Century Modern Side Chairs

Materials

Metal

Six French Art Deco Walnut Dining / Side Chairs, Brown Velvet, Ruhlman Style
Located in Stamford, CT
Six French Art Deco Walnut Dining / Side Chairs, Brown Velvet, Ruhlman Style Set of 6 polished walnut and brown velvet dining or side chairs. Emile-Jacques Ruhlman style. Polishe...
Category

1940s French Vintage Mid-Century Modern Side Chairs

Materials

Velvet, Walnut

1940s Hollywood Regency Tan Suede Desk Chair with Brass Handle & Nailhead Trim
Located in St. Louis, MO
Hollywood Regency curved back splayed leg desk chair with brass handle, in the style of Grosfeld House. Older suede leather upholstery, brass tac...
Category

1940s American Vintage Mid-Century Modern Side Chairs

Materials

Brass

Set of 4 First Edition Eames Evans DCM Chairs
Located in Seattle, WA
Four Early DCM chairs designed by Charles & Ray Eames for Evans, distributed by Herman Miller. Labels remain intact on all four chairs. Shock mounts has been...
Category

1940s North American Vintage Mid-Century Modern Side Chairs

Materials

Plywood

Set of Six Chairs by Charles Dudouyt
Located in Miami, FL
Great quality design for this six Charles Dudouyt cubist inspiration chairs. Architectural and geometrical design, carved legs which brings to the general line a rhythm and strong m...
Category

1940s French Vintage Mid-Century Modern Side Chairs

Materials

Oak

Set of 5 Early Hans Wegner Round Chairs
Located in Brooklyn, NY
Classic set of JH-501 teak arm chairs with cane seats. This is an especially beautiiful and early set. The color of the wood and cane on the backs has aged so wonderfully that we hav...
Category

1940s Danish Vintage Mid-Century Modern Side Chairs

Materials

Cane, Teak

Pair Early Hans Wegner Round Chairs
Located in Brooklyn, NY
Classic JH-501 teak arm chairs with cane seats. This is an especially beautiiful and early pair. The color of the wood and cane on the backs has aged so wonderfully that we have lef...
Category

1940s Danish Vintage Mid-Century Modern Side Chairs

Materials

Cane, Teak

Pair of Wood and Rattan Stools by Comte, Argentina, Buenos Aires, circa 1940
Located in Buenos Aires, Buenos Aires
Pair of wood and rattan stools by Comte, Argentina, Buenos Aires, circa 1940.
Category

1940s Argentine Vintage Mid-Century Modern Side Chairs

Materials

Rattan, Wood

"Masp 7th Abril" Chair, by Lina Bo Bardi, 1947, Mid-Century Brazilian
Located in New York, NY
This iconic chair was designed by the Italian-born Brazilian architect Lina Bo Bardi (1914-1992) for the MASP's auditorium when it still was placed on 7th April street...
Category

1940s Brazilian Vintage Mid-Century Modern Side Chairs

Materials

Leather, Rosewood

Grosfeld House Side or Slipper Chairs Mid-Century Modern
Located in North Miami, FL
These elegant Grosfeld House Hollywood Regency side or slipper chairs have an unusual beaded wood detail, that is pierced carvings to the apron of the front of the chairs. The saber ...
Category

1940s American Vintage Mid-Century Modern Side Chairs

Materials

Upholstery, Wood

Pair of Thonet Black Lacquered Bentwood Armchairs with Upholstered Seats, 1940s
Located in San Francisco, CA
A very dapper pair of uncommon 1940s Thonet bentwood birch armchairs with freshly redone black lacquered finish and white upholstery. Handsomely crafted frame of flat bentwood ele...
Category

1940s American Vintage Mid-Century Modern Side Chairs

Materials

Upholstery, Birch, Bentwood

Pair of Wood and Leather Slipper Chairs by Comte, Argentina, circa 1940
Located in Buenos Aires, Buenos Aires
Pair of wood and leather slipper chairs by Comte, Argentina, Buenos Aires, circa 1940.
Category

1940s Argentine Vintage Mid-Century Modern Side Chairs

Materials

Leather, Wood

Mid-Century Modern Pair of Italian Walnut Side Chairs by Colombo Sanguinetti
Located in Vigonza, Padua
1940s Mid-Century Modern pair of Italian Ebonized walnut side chairs by Colombo Sanguinetti, all original, rare and robust and very light.
Category

1940s European Vintage Mid-Century Modern Side Chairs

Materials

Walnut

1946, Ray and Charles Eames for Vitra, DCM Chair in Red Vernish
Located in Amsterdam IJMuiden, NL
This item is part of the private collection of Casey Godrie and is situated in his private house. Ask him for competitive shipping quotes. His incredible Dune Villa, Amsterdam Beach...
Category

1940s German Vintage Mid-Century Modern Side Chairs

Materials

Metal

1948, Ray & Charles Eames for Herman Miller, Fiberglas Stacking Side Chair
Located in Amsterdam IJMuiden, NL
This item is part of the private collection of Casey Godrie and is situated in his private house. Ask him for competitive shipping quotes. His incredible Dune Villa, Amsterdam Beach...
Category

1940s American Vintage Mid-Century Modern Side Chairs

Materials

Metal, Chrome

DCW Dining Chair by Charles Eames for Herman Miller
Located in Sagaponack, NY
An early, Mid-Century Modern oak 'DCW' dining chair designed by Charles Eames with a double shock-mount to the backrest. Manufactured by Herman Miller in the USA, circa 1950s.
Category

1940s American Vintage Mid-Century Modern Side Chairs

Materials

Oak

Mid-Century Modern Mahogany Arm or Desk Chair Upholstered in Black Leather
Located in Los Angeles, CA
French 1940s mahogany armchair with seat and back upholstered in black leather. The smooth elliptical shapes and mid-century modern lines make this a stylish addition to any desk or ...
Category

1940s French Vintage Mid-Century Modern Side Chairs

Materials

Leather, Wood

Set of Six Mid-Century Modern Silver Cerused Oak Dining Chairs by Eugene Schoen
Located in New York, NY
This sophisticated set of six Mid-Century Modern dining chairs were realized by the esteemed American designer Eugene Schoen circa 1940. They feature a rectangular legs; a gently con...
Category

1940s American Vintage Mid-Century Modern Side Chairs

Materials

Velvet, Oak

Pair of Jens Risom 666 Side Chairs for Knoll
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Rare Jens Risom chairs made in the 1940s, model “666” of the 600 series from 1941.
Category

1940s American Vintage Mid-Century Modern Side Chairs

Materials

Birch

1940s American Side Chairs Intricate Diamond Pattern Back Black and Gold - Pair
Located in Miami, FL
A pair of 1940s American Side Chairs Intricate diamond pattern back armchairs in black and gold. Very elegant open-vented Back armchairs with feminine curved frame in an ebonized fin...
Category

1940s American Vintage Mid-Century Modern Side Chairs

Materials

Wood, Fabric

Allan Gould Sculptural Compass Black Stained Wood Side Chair Mid-Century Modern
Located in North Miami, FL
This architectural and fully restored side chair that was called the compass chair was designed by Allan Gould in 1948 and produced by Herman Miller It is model #4171 and was conside...
Category

1940s American Vintage Mid-Century Modern Side Chairs

Materials

Upholstery, Wood

Italian Mid-Century Modern Side Chairs, Gio Ponti atributed, Pink Maple Wood
Located in Vigonza, Padua
Italian Mid-Century Modern side chairs, Gio Ponti atributed, pink maple wood, lacquered, restored, polished with oil and new upholstered with Wharol Haring fabric. Excellent conditi...
Category

1940s Italian Vintage Mid-Century Modern Side Chairs

Materials

Wood

Pair of Mid-Century Modern Chiavarine Chairs, Solid Maple, Taupe Velvet - Italy
Located in Girona, ES
Pair of "Chiavarine" chairs, varnished solid maple, new fillings and new taupe moire velvet upholstery. Italy, circa 1940.
Category

1940s Italian Vintage Mid-Century Modern Side Chairs

Materials

Velvet, Maple

Pacific Iron Side Chair
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Pacific iron 1940s side chair.
Category

1940s American Vintage Mid-Century Modern Side Chairs

Materials

Bronze

Mid-Century Modern Beechwood Chiavari Chair 1940s Italy
Located in Vienna, AT
Mid Century Modern extra high back vintage side chair Chiavari from beechwood with partly gilded rests at the surface. The beautiful chair shows a hand - caned seat. Very good vinta...
Category

1940s Vintage Mid-Century Modern Side Chairs

Materials

Beech

Red Patina Side chair in "De Stijl " Design, The Netherlands, 1940s
Located in Den Haag, NL
Red patina side chair in "De Stijl" design, the Netherlands 1940s.
Category

1940s Dutch Vintage Mid-Century Modern Side Chairs

Materials

Wood, Wool

Early Jens Risom Side Chair for Knoll
Located in Chicago, IL
Designed for Knoll by Jens Risom in 1943. Basket-woven parachute straps.
Category

1940s American Vintage Mid-Century Modern Side Chairs

Materials

Birch, Canvas

Pair of Mid-Century Modern Low Chairs in Green, Beige and White Wool - Italy
Located in Girona, ES
Pair of low chairs, wood structure reupholstered in green, beige and white wool. Beech feet, finishing and color by command. Italy, circa 1940.
Category

1940s Italian Vintage Mid-Century Modern Side Chairs

Materials

Beech, Wool

Pair of Vintage Modern Chiavari Style High Back Chairs
Located in Brooklyn, NY
This stunning pair of high back side chairs feature impressive Italian Chiavari style. With sculptural ladder back design, tapered legs, brass sabots, and padded upholstered seats th...
Category

1940s Italian Vintage Mid-Century Modern Side Chairs

Materials

Upholstery, Wood

Mid Century Modern Beech Raffia Ladder Side Chair by Chiavari, Italy, 1940s
Located in Vienna, AT
Mid Century Modern Side Chair by Chiavari Italy 1940s from beech and raffia. This lightweight chair is named after the place in Italy where it was manufactured. The design is similar...
Category

1940s Italian Vintage Mid-Century Modern Side Chairs

Materials

Beech

Greta Grossman Folding Chair
Located in New York, NY
Exceedingly rare, sculpturally resonant Greta Grossman indoor/outdoor folding chairs, of painted tubular steel and cotton cord, produced in Cali...
Category

1940s American Vintage Mid-Century Modern Side Chairs

Materials

Steel

Elegant Set of Four Grosfeld House 1940s Ivory Painted & Parcel-Gilt Game Chairs
Located in San Francisco, CA
An elegant set of four Grosfeld House 1940s ivory painted and parcel-gilt side/game chairs; each with incurved padded back above a serpentine seat over a beaded apron; raised on grac...
Category

1940s American Vintage Mid-Century Modern Side Chairs

Aluma-Stack Chairs by Jack Heaney
By Jack Heaney, Treitel Gratz
Located in Sagaponack, NY
A stacking chair designed by Jack Heaney featuring sculptural frames of tubular aluminum with black leatherette sling seats and back rests. Part of the permanent design collection of...
Category

1940s American Vintage Mid-Century Modern Side Chairs

Materials

Aluminum

Set of Four Rene Gabriel Oak Chairs
Located in Brooklyn, NY
4 chairs in oak designed by Rene Gabriel in the 1950´s Original condition.
Category

1940s French Vintage Mid-Century Modern Side Chairs

Materials

Oak

Pair of Auxiliary or Desk Armchairs, Attributed De Coene Frères - Belgium, 1940s
Located in Girona, ES
Pair of auxiliary or desk armchairs, solid cherrywood, French polish. New seat and mauve wool upholstery. Attributed to De Coene Frères. Belgium, circa 1940 Measures: Seat hei...
Category

1940s Belgian Vintage Mid-Century Modern Side Chairs

Materials

Wool, Cherry

1940s Finnish Set of Four Upholstered Dining Chairs by Alvar Aalto for Artek
Located in Sagaponack, NY
Set of four Alvar Aalto model No.62 laminated birch dining chairs produced by Artek in the late 1940s. The model of this listing, No.62, is slightly larger in scale than a very simil...
Category

1940s Finnish Vintage Mid-Century Modern Side Chairs

Materials

Plywood, Upholstery, Leather

James Mont Attributed Set of 4 Chairs White Lacquer
Located in Westport, CT
Set of 4 James Mont attributed white lacquer pierced leg dining chairs.
Category

1940s American Vintage Mid-Century Modern Side Chairs

Materials

Fabric, Foam, Wood

Two Italian Mid-Century Modern Neoclassical Desk Chairs by Paolo Buffa
Located in New York, NY
Buffa designed some of the cleanest and most elegant pieces of the post Art Deco, Mid-Century Modern, 'Novecento' period. These side or desk chairs illustrate his total mastery of hi...
Category

1940s Italian Vintage Mid-Century Modern Side Chairs

Materials

Upholstery

2 French Mid-Century Modern Neoclassical Side /Desk Chairs Attr. to André Arbus
Located in New York, NY
Two Elegant French Mid-Century Modern Neoclassical side, desk or vanity chairs attributed to André Arbus with tapered legs ending in bronze sabots. Open back frame. Comfortable. Pr...
Category

1940s French Vintage Mid-Century Modern Side Chairs

Materials

Cherry

Gilbert Rohde Side Chair
Located in New York, NY
Linen blend upholstery with wood legs.
Category

1940s Vintage Mid-Century Modern Side Chairs

Materials

Wood, Upholstery

Set of Six French Art Deco Chairs
Located in Bridgewater, CT
Set of six 1940s dining room chairs in solid mahogany, with gilded bronze accents, upholstered in light blue velour.
Category

1940s French Vintage Mid-Century Modern Side Chairs

Materials

Bronze

Pre War Gerrit Rietveld Style Modernist Painted Chair
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Rear modernist white painted side chair. Vintage, minimalist and sturdy design crafted from 4 individual planks of chipboard with rounded edge...
Category

1940s Dutch Vintage Mid-Century Modern Side Chairs

Materials

Wood, Lacquer

Modernist Low Chair in Wood and Leather, France, circa 1940
Located in VÉZELAY, FR
Elegant small low chair in carved beech with seat and back in black leather. Mid-century Modern, France, circa 1940. In the style of Charles Dudouy...
Category

1940s French Vintage Mid-Century Modern Side Chairs

Materials

Leather, Wood, Beech

Mid Century Round Pretzel Arm Rattan Chair Set
Located in Van Nuys, CA
Post War three strand, 3/4 pretzel arm rattan set of two side chairs features a rare decorative wave detail around the perimeter of the base. Custom ...
Category

1940s American Vintage Mid-Century Modern Side Chairs

Materials

Rattan

Nathan Lerner "Chair", 1947
By Nathan Lerner
Located in Buffalo, NY
Nathan Lerner, whose parents were Ukrainian emigrants, was born in Chicago in 1913. At the age of nine he attended painting courses at the Art Institute,...
Category

1940s American Vintage Mid-Century Modern Side Chairs

Materials

Plywood, Upholstery

Hans Wegner Venus Chair Model GE1936 for GETAMA
Located in Bridgeport, CT
This fantastic shell chair with backrest and seat in walnut veneer on a base of soap treated oak is a 2015 re-issue by GETAMA of the Classic chair designed by Hans Wegner in 1948. Wh...
Category

1940s Danish Vintage Mid-Century Modern Side Chairs

Materials

Oak, Walnut, Wool

Mid-century Modern side chairs for sale on 1stDibs.

Find a broad range of unique Mid-Century Modern side 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 side chairs created in this style to your space, the works available on 1stDibs include seating, building and garden elements, more furniture and collectibles and other home furnishings, frequently crafted with wood, fabric and other materials. If you’re shopping for used Mid-Century Modern side 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 side chairs, popular names associated with this style include Herman Miller, Charles and Ray Eames, Knoll, and Lawson-Fenning. 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 side chairs differ depending upon multiple factors, including designer, materials, construction methods, condition and provenance. On 1stDibs, the price for these items starts at $149 and tops out at $133,498 while the average work can sell for $2,501.

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