Mid-Century Modern Sofas
Organically shaped, clean-lined and elegantly simple are three terms that well describe mid-century modern American 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.
Postwar American architects and designers were animated by new ideas and new technology. The lean, functionalist “International Style” architecture of Le Corbusier and Bauhaus eminences such as Ludwig Mies van der Rohe and Walter Gropius had been promoted in the United States during the ’30s 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, respectively, pieces such as the La Chaise and the Womb chair. George Nelson and his design team created Bubble lamp shades using a new translucent polymer skin. Harry Bertoia and Isamu Noguchi devised chairs and tables built of wire mesh and wire struts. Materials were re-purposed: the Danish-born designer Jens Risom created a line of chairs that used surplus parachute straps for webbed seats and backrests.
As the demand for casual, uncluttered furnishings grew, more mid-century 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, blonde-wood furniture — and Milo Baughman, who espoused a West Coast aesthetic in lushly upholstered chairs and sofas with angular steel frames.
As the collection of vintage mid-century modern American furniture on 1stDibs demonstrates, this period saw one of the most delightful and dramatic flowerings of creativity in design history.
2010s Italian Mid-Century Modern Sofas
Wood, Fabric
2010s Spanish Mid-Century Modern Sofas
Brass
Late 20th Century British Mid-Century Modern Sofas
Fabric
1950s American Vintage Mid-Century Modern Sofas
Steel
Mid-20th Century Italian Mid-Century Modern Sofas
Steel
1980s Dutch Vintage Mid-Century Modern Sofas
Leather
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Mid-Century Modern Sofas
Bouclé, Velvet
1960s Dutch Vintage Mid-Century Modern Sofas
Steel
20th Century French Mid-Century Modern Sofas
Fabric
1970s English Vintage Mid-Century Modern Sofas
Velvet, Rosewood
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Mid-Century Modern Sofas
Brass, Metal
1970s Italian Vintage Mid-Century Modern Sofas
Bamboo, Rattan
Late 20th Century Italian Mid-Century Modern Sofas
Leather
1970s Italian Vintage Mid-Century Modern Sofas
Fabric
1960s American Vintage Mid-Century Modern Sofas
Metal
1980s Dutch Vintage Mid-Century Modern Sofas
Bouclé
1960s American Vintage Mid-Century Modern Sofas
Mohair, Walnut
Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Sofas
Fabric
1970s Spanish Vintage Mid-Century Modern Sofas
Foam
2010s Thai Mid-Century Modern Sofas
Brass
1950s Italian Vintage Mid-Century Modern Sofas
Wool, Bouclé, Walnut
1960s Italian Vintage Mid-Century Modern Sofas
Steel, Nickel
1970s French Vintage Mid-Century Modern Sofas
Stainless Steel
1950s American Vintage Mid-Century Modern Sofas
Metal
Mid-20th Century Czech Mid-Century Modern Sofas
Fabric, Jute, Bentwood
1970s American Vintage Mid-Century Modern Sofas
Upholstery, Wood
1960s American Vintage Mid-Century Modern Sofas
Aluminum
1970s Italian Vintage Mid-Century Modern Sofas
Leather, Wood
1950s Italian Vintage Mid-Century Modern Sofas
Aluminum, Brass
Mid-20th Century Danish Mid-Century Modern Sofas
Oak, Fabric, Teak
1970s European Vintage Mid-Century Modern Sofas
Leather
Early 20th Century Unknown Mid-Century Modern Sofas
Cowhide, Velvet
Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Sofas
Mohair, Mahogany
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Mid-Century Modern Sofas
Upholstery, Wood
21st Century and Contemporary British Mid-Century Modern Sofas
Bouclé
Mid-20th Century Danish Mid-Century Modern Sofas
Fabric, Oak
1960s American Vintage Mid-Century Modern Sofas
Faux Fur, Cedar
Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Sofas
Bouclé, Walnut
20th Century European Mid-Century Modern Sofas
Lambskin, Leather, Beech
Early 2000s American Mid-Century Modern Sofas
Leather
Late 20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Sofas
Upholstery, Wood
Mid-20th Century Danish Mid-Century Modern Sofas
Velvet
1950s French Vintage Mid-Century Modern Sofas
Leather
1960s Italian Vintage Mid-Century Modern Sofas
Leather, Wood
1960s Italian Vintage Mid-Century Modern Sofas
Chrome
1960s American Vintage Mid-Century Modern Sofas
Upholstery, Walnut
Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Sofas
Faux Leather, Walnut
1950s American Vintage Mid-Century Modern Sofas
Fabric, Foam, Walnut
Mid-20th Century Italian Mid-Century Modern Sofas
Leather
Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Sofas
Upholstery, Walnut
1970s Unknown Vintage Mid-Century Modern Sofas
Wood
1970s French Vintage Mid-Century Modern Sofas
Upholstery, Oak
Mid-20th Century Italian Mid-Century Modern Sofas
Steel
1970s Finnish Vintage Mid-Century Modern Sofas
Leather, Oak
1960s Austrian Vintage Mid-Century Modern Sofas
1960s American Vintage Mid-Century Modern Sofas
Upholstery, Walnut
1970s American Vintage Mid-Century Modern Sofas
Metal
2010s American Mid-Century Modern Sofas
Upholstery, Walnut