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.
Michel Dumas Coffee Table in Smoked Plexiglass, Metal, and Glass, 1970
By Atelier Michel Dumas, Michel Dumas
Located in Paris, FR
This coffee table designed by Michel Dumas in 1970 exemplifies French modernist design at the intersection of industrial materials and refined proportions. The composition combines a...
Metal
$1,489Sale Price|25% Off
Chrome Plated Metal and Smoked Glass Trifoglio Table by S. Asti for Poltronova
Located in Varese, Lombardia
This table was produced in Italy by Poltronova in 1969. It is made from a chrome plated base with a shaped thick feet and a black skai top cover, it features a round smoke glass top....
Metal, Chrome
$2,355Sale Price|28% Off
Dining table by Warren Platner
Located in SAINT-OUEN-SUR-SEINE, FR
Dining table by Warren Platner for Knoll International, USA circa 1968. Round top in massive oak recovered with black leather. Basement in chrome plated steel. The leather is in its ...
Steel
$3,015Sale Price|20% Off
Coffee table bar illuminated vintage space age 70s
Located in Milano, MI
1970s Living Room bar table made of steel sheet and glass. Rare space age piece consists of glass top and bottle holder accommodations with pull-out elements. The coffee table ligh...
Steel
Space age white coffee table, Italy 1970s
Located in Firenze, IT
Space age coffee table Italy 1970s Lacquered wood 50 × 50 × 50 cm Conditions: good consistent with age and use. Small defects
Wood
André coffee table by Afra & Tobia Scarpa for Gavina, 1970s
By Afra & Tobia Scarpa, Gavina
Located in SAN PIETRO MOSEZZO, NO
Rare living room table model "Andrè" by Afra & Tobia Scarpa and production Gavina, Italy ca. 1970. Small measurements for this iconic 1970s design table. Chrome-plated steel frame,...
Steel
Cesare Leonardi and Franca Stagi Yellow Coffee table Kappa
By Cesare Leonardi and Franca Stagi
Located in Milano, IT
"Kappa" coffee table by Cesare Leonardi and Franca Stagi for Fiam - Italy, 1970s An iconic example of Italian design from the 1970s, this elegant coffee table model "Kappa," designe...
Plastic
$2,826Sale Price|20% Off
Smoked Glass and Steel Square Coffee Table, Francois Monnet for Kappa, France
Located in Ceglie Messapica, IT
Smoked Glass and Steel Square Coffee Table, Francois Monnet for Kappa, France 1970s A beautiful 1970s French square coffee table, designed by François Monnet, showcasing the bold, f...
Stainless Steel
TV Holder / Low Center Table by Marco Zanuso for Bilumen, 1970s – Italy
By Marco Zanuso, Bilumen
Located in BARCELONA, ES
Designed in the 1970s by Marco Zanuso for Bilumen, this sculptural TV holder or low center table is a striking example of Italian modernist thinking applied to emerging domestic tech...
Plastic
Cesare Leonardi and Franca Stagi Coffee table Kappa
By Cesare Leonardi and Franca Stagi, Cesare Leonardi
Located in Milano, IT
"Kappa" coffee table by Cesare Leonardi and Franca Stagi for Fiam - Italy, 1970s An iconic example of Italian design from the 1970s, this elegant coffee table model "Kappa," designe...
Plastic
Low glass and steel coffee table, Manifattura Italiana, circa 1970
Located in Milano, Lombardia
Low glass and steel coffee table, Manifattura Italiana, circa 1970 Conditions: Good Materials: Glass, Steel Era: 1970 Measurements: 60x40x36 cm
Steel
Warren Platner for Knoll Furniture Side Table
Located in Pasadena, TX
This is the iconic design by Warren Platner for Knoll Furniture. This side table has a glass top that sits atop the iconic base that's made of nickel plated steel. The steel wire for...
Steel, Nickel
Willy Rizzo central bar coffee table - 70s - 1970
By Willy Rizzo
Located in Paris, FR
Willy Rizzo (1928-2013). . Square coffee table in white melamine and brushed metal contours with its plant tray serving as a bar (stainless steel) in the central part. . Dimensions :...
Metal, Stainless Steel
Space Age Cooffe Table 1970s
Located in Čelinac, BA
Space Age Cooffe Table 1970s
Chrome
$1,206Sale Price|20% Off
H 13.78 in W 47.25 in D 22.45 in
Vintage 1970s wood and glass coffee table design Afra and Tobia Scarpa
Located in None, IT
Tavolino rettangolare in legno con piano in vetro fumé, disegnato da Afra & Tobia Scarpa, anni '70. CONDITION: In good condition, with signs of wear due to time. SIZING: Altezza 3...
Glass, Wood
1970s Space Age Modular Acrylic Coffee Table, Amber, Europe
Located in San Benedetto Del Tronto, IT
This modular plexiglass coffee table was produced in Europe during the 1970s, a period defined by experimentation with industrial plastics and flexible domestic design. The piece con...
Plastic
$1,496Sale Price|20% Off
H 18 in W 38 in D 28 in
Space Age Tubular Chrome Base Coffe Table Italy 1970s
Located in Čelinac, BA
Space Age tubular chromr coffe table made in Italy 1970s.
Metal, Chrome
$20,000 / set
H 30.32 in W 35.44 in D 23.63 in
Vintage Warren Platner Lounge Chairs and Table for Knoll
Located in Mexico City, CDMX
Pair of lounge chairs and table designed by Warren Platner, circa 1970s. A Stunning set in original upholstery.
Wire
Original Knoll Warren Platner Collection 36" Round Glass Coffee Table
By Knoll, Warren Platner
Located in Miami, FL
Original Knoll Warren Platner Collection 36" Round Glass Coffee Table This Knoll Warren Platner Collection 36" Round Glass Coffee Table is a...
Nickel
Tobia Scarpa "Andre" Square Dining Table for Gavina, 1968
By Tobia Scarpa, Gavina
Located in Sacile, PN
Andre square dining table designed by Tobia Scarpa for Gavina, dated 1968. Smoked glass top on chrome structure.
Chrome
$4,489
H 27.56 in Dm 57.09 in
Round Africa Table by Afra & Tobia Scarpa, Maxalto Artona Series, Italy, 1970s
By Maxalto, Afra & Tobia Scarpa
Located in Lewes, East Sussex
A stunning Africa table designed by Afra & Tobia Scarpa in the 1970s, and produced by Maxalto, Italy. Good original condition with normal minor age related signs of use and wear....
Walnut, Burl
$22,000
H 29.53 in W 55.12 in D 55.12 in
Gianfranco Fini for Poltronova 'Regolo' Square Dining Table in Pine and Glass
By Poltronova
Located in Waalwijk, NL
Gianfranco Fini for Poltronova, 'Regolo' dining table, pine, glass, Italy, 1975 This dining table by Gianfranco Fini for Poltronova, introduced in in 1975, is a truly special piece ...
Glass, Pine
$1,321Sale Price|41% Off
H 13 in W 29.53 in D 29.93 in
Early Mid-Century Modern Coffee Table Bastiano by Tobia & Afra Scarpa for Gavina
By Gavina, Afra & Tobia Scarpa
Located in Warszawa, Mazowieckie
This low coffee table was designed by the architectural duo Tobia and Afra Scarpa in 1962 and manufactured by the Italian manufacture Gavina. It is an early production table from the Bastiano series. It is made of teak wood and finished in a dark shade of brown. The top is placed loosely on a wooden frame. It is a real example of functional, yet stylish, modern Italian design. Afra and Tobia Scarpa are an award-winning duo of postmodern Italian architects. Their works can be found in museums in the United States and Europe, including collections at MoMA and the Louvre. They have cooperated with companies such as B&B Italia, San Lorenzo Silver...
Teak
Vintage Space Age plastic coffee table from Dal Vera 1970s
By Dal Vera
Located in Premariacco, IT
Vintage orange plastic coffee table by Dal Vera, branded under the top and equipped with removable legs. Total diameter 57cm, top diameter 52.5cm. Worn on the top as pictured.
Plastic
Sold
H 15.75 in Dm 33.86 in
Italian space age Anaconda coffee table Paul Tuttle Strassle International 1970s
By Paul Tuttle
Located in MIlano, IT
Italian space age smoked glass and chromed steel Anaconda coffee table by Paul Tuttle for Strassle International, 1970s. Anaconda model coffee table with curved tubular steel base wi...
Metal
Sculptural coffee table, 1960s/'70s
Located in Manzano, IT
Sculptural coffee table, 1960s/'70s Flat, space-age coffee table with high quality brutalist design produced in Germany. It presents a large sculptural stucture, consisting of 4 be...
Aluminum
Steel coffee table by François Monnet for Kappa - Italy - 1970s
Located in Milano, IT
Coffee table in the Space Age style, made from two bent and curved stainless steel plates, crossed together to form a solid and indestructible structure, made to last. For the tablet...
Stainless Steel
1960s Petite Cream Coffee Table by Alberto Rosselli for Kartell
Located in San Gabriel, CA
1960s cream coffee table by Alberto Rosselli Saporiti for Kartell. Cream ABS rectangular-shaped structure with bias corners. This is a small coffee table/end table suitable with love...
Plastic
Space Age Fiberglass Low-Table
Located in Las Vegas, NV
Space Age fiberglass low-table. Can be used indoors or outdoors. Very good condition.
Fiberglass
Sold
H 17.33 in W 19.3 in D 16.15 in
Italian Space Age Black Metal and Glass Three Floors Coffee Table, 1970s
Located in MIlano, IT
Italian Space Age black metal and glass three floors coffee table, 1970s Coffee table with black metal structure and three glass shelves, the two at the top swivel. 1970s Very goo...
Metal
Original Eero Saarinen Tulip Dining Table by Knoll International, 1970s
By Eero Saarinen, Knoll
Located in Echt, NL
Original Tulip dining table in very good condition. Designed by Eero Saarinen Manufactured by Knoll International This particular table is manufactured in the 1970s This table has a white coated metal base and a white laminated top The underside of the base is embossed with the Knoll I International logo. The Saarinen Tulip Table by Knoll was a revolutionary modern dining table because it stood in stark contrast to the pedestal tables that came before this groundbreaking design. Determined to “clear up the slum of legs,” that defined most dining table designs, Eero Saarinen was said to have taken his idea for a different kind of pedestal base from the shape formed by a drop of viscous liquid. Today the Knoll Saarinen round dining table...
Metal
1972, Unibloc by Roger Landault, Steiner
Located in Perpignan, FR
Rare unibloc table, design by Roger Landault in 1972. Original good conditions.
Fiberglass
Large Square Coffee Table with Bar by Willy Rizzo, 1970s
Located in Echt, NL
Impressive coffee table with bar in good condition. Designed by Willy Rizzo for Mario Sabot in the seventies. Very large size: 51.18 x 51.18 In...
Stainless Steel