Mid-Century Modern Wardrobes and Armoires
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.
Mid-20th Century Italian Mid-Century Modern Wardrobes and Armoires
Brass
1960s American Vintage Mid-Century Modern Wardrobes and Armoires
Aluminum
Mid-20th Century Italian Mid-Century Modern Wardrobes and Armoires
Brass
1950s Austrian Vintage Mid-Century Modern Wardrobes and Armoires
Brass
1950s Italian Vintage Mid-Century Modern Wardrobes and Armoires
Ceramic
1950s Italian Vintage Mid-Century Modern Wardrobes and Armoires
Brass
1950s Austrian Vintage Mid-Century Modern Wardrobes and Armoires
Aluminum
1950s Austrian Vintage Mid-Century Modern Wardrobes and Armoires
Brass
Mid-20th Century Czech Mid-Century Modern Wardrobes and Armoires
Beech, Wood
1950s Austrian Vintage Mid-Century Modern Wardrobes and Armoires
Brass
1940s French Vintage Mid-Century Modern Wardrobes and Armoires
Brass
1950s Austrian Vintage Mid-Century Modern Wardrobes and Armoires
Brass
1950s Austrian Vintage Mid-Century Modern Wardrobes and Armoires
Brass
1960s Danish Vintage Mid-Century Modern Wardrobes and Armoires
Brass
1970s American Vintage Mid-Century Modern Wardrobes and Armoires
Wood, Teak
1970s American Vintage Mid-Century Modern Wardrobes and Armoires
Walnut
Mid-20th Century Czech Mid-Century Modern Wardrobes and Armoires
Wood, Oak
Mid-20th Century Italian Mid-Century Modern Wardrobes and Armoires
Brass
1960s French Vintage Mid-Century Modern Wardrobes and Armoires
Oak
1950s Italian Vintage Mid-Century Modern Wardrobes and Armoires
Wood, Walnut
1970s American Vintage Mid-Century Modern Wardrobes and Armoires
Lucite
1960s Belgian Vintage Mid-Century Modern Wardrobes and Armoires
Cane, Teak
1940s Italian Vintage Mid-Century Modern Wardrobes and Armoires
Fruitwood
1970s American Vintage Mid-Century Modern Wardrobes and Armoires
Walnut
1970s Danish Vintage Mid-Century Modern Wardrobes and Armoires
Teak
1970s American Vintage Mid-Century Modern Wardrobes and Armoires
Wood
1960s Italian Vintage Mid-Century Modern Wardrobes and Armoires
Beech, Walnut
1960s French Vintage Mid-Century Modern Wardrobes and Armoires
Oak
1970s American Vintage Mid-Century Modern Wardrobes and Armoires
Brass
1970s American Vintage Mid-Century Modern Wardrobes and Armoires
Brass
1960s French Vintage Mid-Century Modern Wardrobes and Armoires
Metal
Mid-20th Century Danish Mid-Century Modern Wardrobes and Armoires
Teak
1950s German Vintage Mid-Century Modern Wardrobes and Armoires
Seagrass, Teak
1950s Italian Vintage Mid-Century Modern Wardrobes and Armoires
Brass, Steel
1970s American Vintage Mid-Century Modern Wardrobes and Armoires
Chrome
Mid-20th Century Czech Mid-Century Modern Wardrobes and Armoires
Wood, Ash
1970s Austrian Vintage Mid-Century Modern Wardrobes and Armoires
Stainless Steel
1960s French Vintage Mid-Century Modern Wardrobes and Armoires
Oak
1980s European Vintage Mid-Century Modern Wardrobes and Armoires
Glass, Wood
2010s Danish Mid-Century Modern Wardrobes and Armoires
Brass
1960s Danish Vintage Mid-Century Modern Wardrobes and Armoires
Rosewood
Mid-20th Century Austrian Mid-Century Modern Wardrobes and Armoires
Brass
1950s French Vintage Mid-Century Modern Wardrobes and Armoires
Beech
1970s Italian Vintage Mid-Century Modern Wardrobes and Armoires
Metal
1950s French Vintage Mid-Century Modern Wardrobes and Armoires
Mahogany, Ash
1960s French Vintage Mid-Century Modern Wardrobes and Armoires
Oak
1970s American Vintage Mid-Century Modern Wardrobes and Armoires
Brass
1960s Spanish Vintage Mid-Century Modern Wardrobes and Armoires
Bamboo, Rattan
1950s Austrian Vintage Mid-Century Modern Wardrobes and Armoires
Brass
1960s Austrian Vintage Mid-Century Modern Wardrobes and Armoires
Brass
1950s Italian Vintage Mid-Century Modern Wardrobes and Armoires
Brass
1970s Austrian Vintage Mid-Century Modern Wardrobes and Armoires
Brass
1970s Spanish Vintage Mid-Century Modern Wardrobes and Armoires
Pine
1950s Italian Vintage Mid-Century Modern Wardrobes and Armoires
Brass, Iron
1960s French Vintage Mid-Century Modern Wardrobes and Armoires
Ceramic, Oak
1960s Italian Vintage Mid-Century Modern Wardrobes and Armoires
Alabaster, Brass
1930s French Vintage Mid-Century Modern Wardrobes and Armoires
Wood
1970s French Vintage Mid-Century Modern Wardrobes and Armoires
Plastic