Vintage Space Age furniture captured post–World War II optimism with swooping shapes, bowed lines and experimentation with new materials including plastic and fiberglass.
From the launch of the Sputnik 1 satellite in 1957 to the landing of Apollo 11 astronauts on the moon in 1969, the space race between the Soviet Union and the United States propelled advancements in technology that transformed culture. Space Age design encompassed fashion, architecture, cars, furniture and objects for the home, bringing wonder and hope for the future into everyday life.
Coinciding with Pop art, Space Age style featured bold colors and forms. Eero Aarnio’s Ball chair, which debuted in 1966, used molded fiberglass for a capsule-like space while Verner Panton’s 1959 Panton chair was a single piece of molded plastic for a gravity-defying S shape. Red versions of Olivier Mourgue’s 1964 Djinn chair were futuristic enough to appear on the space station in Stanley Kubrick’s 1968 film 2001: A Space Odyssey. Today, Joe Colombo is revered as a master of modern Italian design thanks to the provocative modular furniture pieces he created, such as the Tube chair and the Elda armchair, both of which embody the future-forward spirit of the Space Age.
The Space Age spirit extended to home building too. The futuristic Case Study Houses, which were designed by the likes of Pierre Koenig, Charles and Ray Eames, Richard Neutra and Whitney R. Smith, are considered a high point of modernism and the Southern California lifestyle.
Sometimes the nods to space exploration were more literal, like moon and star motifs or the 1965 Eclisse lamp by Vico Magistretti that saw the mid-century Italian designer integrating a movable inner shade to “eclipse” the light source. Alongside the pioneering moon missions, JVC manufactured the Videosphere portable television reminiscent of the Apollo 11 space helmets.
Although the style faded in the 1970s — with the 1975 joining of the Apollo and Soyuz spacecrafts signaling a new era of cooperation and the global oil crisis impacting the availability of plastics — the era’s innovations influenced designers into the 21st century such as Zaha Hadid and Djivan Schapira.
Find a collection of vintage Space Age seating, tables, lighting and other furniture on 1stDibs.
Wood & Glass Vitrine Cabinet or Bookcase LB65 by Marco Zanuso for Poggi, 68
By Succ. Carlo Poggi, Marco Zanuso Jr.
Located in Varese, Lombardia
This bookcase or vitrine cabinet is made from a wooden structure with a grid design front side. It features a unique door with a magnetic closure and 4 thi...
Glass, Wood
$2,590
H 48.42 in W 46.45 in D 11.81 in
French Provincial Plantation Style Walnut Vitrine, Bookcase, 19th Century
Located in Miami, FL
This early (circa 1830) French Provincial plantation style walnut bookcase features an upper part topped by a cornice above two glazed doors opening u...
Walnut
$3,929Sale Price / item|30% Off
H 76.78 in W 44.89 in D 15.75 in
French Directoire Style Vitrine and Bookcase in Solid Oak
Located in Pontaubault, NORMANDIE
This Vitrine is a handmade reproduction of the French Directoire style at the end of the 18th century. This period is remarkable with its straight, classical and timeless lines. T...
Cherry, Oak
$6,920Sale Price|20% Off
H 86.42 in W 55.32 in D 20.08 in
Antique French Carved Oak Vitrine Cabinet Bookcase Barley Twist Renaissance
Located in Miami, FL
Antique French carved oak vitrine cabinet bookcase barley twist renaissance from France. A gorgeous antique French bookcase cabinet, unusually...
Bronze
Tall Chrome and Glass Vitrine
Located in Brooklyn, NY
Vintage bookcase with three glass sides and chrome paneling. Top cabinets lights and mirrored bottom. (Please confirm item location - NY or NJ - with...
Chrome
$6,000Sale Price|20% Off
H 43 in W 83 in D 14 in
19th Century French Ebony and Boulle Bookcase/Vitrine
Located in Vancouver, British Columbia
A handsome bookcase or china cabinet made in France in the last half of the 19th century. The case is in ebonized wood (including the top), and is curved at each side. There are three front doors with...
Wood
$5,038
H 77.96 in W 37.8 in D 15.75 in
Late 19th Century Display Cabinet or Vitrine, Umbertino, Neoclassic with Drawer
Located in Vigonza, Padua
1890s, display cabinet or vitrine, umbertino, neoclassic with drawer in solid walnut and veneer walnut. Restored and wax polished in good conditions. Excellent patina. With one shelf...
Walnut
19th Century Biedermeier Style Bookcase or Vitrine
Located in Berlin, DE
Biedermeier bookcase or vitrine, circa 1815. Cherry tree on solid partly ebonized. On stepped frame base, high-rectangular corpus, partly blackened. In the front two triple-sectione...
Wood, Cherry
$3,046
H 88.19 in W 30.32 in D 17.33 in
Late 19th Century Italian Antique Rustic Vitrine or Small Bookcase in Larch Wood
Located in Casale Monferrato, IT
We present this antique Italian vitrine, crafted from solid larch and dating back to the late 19th century. This vitrine features the typical characteristics of a display cabinet or ...
Wood
LB65 Vitrine by Marco Zanuso for Poggi, Italy, 1970s
By Poggi, Marco Zanuso
Located in Milan, IT
Rare vitrine - storage unit model Lb65 by Marco Zanuso for Poggi. Glass shelves three doors featuring Carabottino wood frame. An apparently simple piece, mastery assembled by Poggi.
Glass, Wood
18th Century French Louis XIV Bookcase, Vitrine
Located in Dallas, TX
18th Century French Louis XIV Bookcase ~ Bibliotheque is resplendent with artfully sculpted bas relief across its entire facade! This superlative instant family heirloom is sized to sufficiently display almost any prized heirlooms, collection, or library! Hand-crafted from solid old-growth quarter-sawn oak, it boasts a reverse contoured crown with four distinctive tiers. The top tier was carved in French egg...
Glass, Oak
$9,500
H 90 in W 59 in D 18 in
French Charles X Bookcase in Cherry Wood w/ Original Glass Door Panels, c. 1820
Located in INTERLAKEN, NY
A very beautiful French Charles X bookcase in cherry, circa 1820 with original glass panels and key. Original French polish finish. Makes a great bookcase or display cabinet! Measur...
Mercury Glass, Cherry
$7,968
H 70.6 in W 45.2 in D 16.3 in
Stunning Hand Carved Dutch Renaisssance Oak Bookcase / Cabinet w. Glass Windows
Located in Lisse, NL
Solid oak Renaissance Revival bookcase with superbly hand carved decorations. If you are familiar with style elements of the Renaissance era then you will immedidately recognize this practical size bookcase as a Renaissance Revival antique. In this particular case, you are looking at a Dutch specimen from the 1800s. If you are looking for a piece of this not-too-large and rare size then this bookcase could be perfect. It also is as strong and stable as the day it was made and its rare size and shape make this handcrafted, two-door bookcase an absolute joy to own, to use and to look at. The combination of the arched design of the upper parts of the doors with the antique glass panels...
Brass
Mod Pop Broyhill Premier Chapter One Sideboard & Hutch
Sold
H 30.32 in W 23.63 in L 30.32 in
Pierangelo Gallotti for Gallotti & Radice Space Age Italian Stereo Rack, 1980s
By Gallotti & Radice, Pierangelo Gallotti
Located in Aci Castello, IT
Stylish glass and steel stereo rack by Gallotti & Radice. Glasses are in perfect conditions, the mirror glass lower part has signs of the age.
Steel
Pair of Space Age Cylindrical Tower Bars
Located in Hanover, MA
Attributed to Pace collection these two six foot tall rolling cylindrical tower bars or liquor cabinets make me think of the cryogenic chambers space travelers use to sleep in suspended animation. Each is constructed of clear rolled plexiglas sheet capped on top and bottom by brushed steel laminate. Each is fitted with Lucite bottle racks and storage holders for glassware and other cocktail mixing accoutrement and is illuminated. In the center is a burl grain laminated surface with a demilune drop leaf...
Stainless Steel
Pair of Illuminated Lucite Etageres by Pace Collection
Located in Hanover, MA
Sleek and modern pair of 1970's illuminated etageres by the Pace Collection. Lucite shelves and supports on white acrylic illuminated base and tops. Shelves are fixed in place. On...