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.
Studio Brocky Space-Age Cast Bronze ‘Capsule’ Sculptural Pedestal
Located in London, GB
Introducing the Capsule Pedestal, a sculptural piece inviting a tactile connection. Cast in brass, its subtle contours draw inspiration from space-age design and vintage aesthetics, ...
Brass
$760Sale Price|20% Off
Large MCM Lucite Pedestal
Located in San Diego, CA
A large MCM rectangular lucite pedestal, circa 1970s. The piece is in good vintage condition and measures a substantial 26"W x 19"D x 36"H. Great to display a large MCM abstract sculpture...
Lucite
Pair of Lacquered Column Lamp by Guy Lefevre, France, 1970s
By Guy Lefevre
Located in SAINT-OUEN, FR
Pair of black lacquered lightning column or floor lamps by Guy Lefevre. Gilt interiors, sandblasted glass top. To note two different size height 112 x 30 x 30 cm and 71.5 x 30 x 30 c...
Glass, Wood, Lacquer
Studio Brocky Space-Age Cast Aluminium ‘Capsule’ Sculptural Pedestal
Located in London, GB
Introducing the Capsule Pedestal, a sculptural piece inviting a tactile connection. Cast entirely in solid aluminum, its subtle contours draw inspiration from space-age design and vi...
Aluminum
Studio Brocky Space-Age Cast ‘Capsule’ Sculptural Pedestal Basalt
Located in London, GB
Introducing the Capsule Pedestal, a sculptural piece inviting a tactile connection. Cast in brass with a dark bronze patina, its subtle contours draw inspiration from space-age desig...
Brass
$2,400
H 12.21 in W 25.6 in D 25.6 in
"Eruption solaire" Guy Lefèvre Lacquer and Brass Side Table, 1970's, France
By Guy Lefevre
Located in Geneva, CH
"Eruption Solaire" Coffee table. Amber lacquer and guilded brass by Guy Lefèvre produced by Ligne Roset France, circa 1970s. Guy Levèvre also worked as...
Lacquer
$7,445 / set
H 15.36 in W 25.6 in D 13.78 in
French Brass End Tables Guy Lefevre for Maison Jansen 1970s
Located in Paris, IDF
Simple lines point to these beautiful end tables or side tables french mid-century roots. Designed by Guy Lefevre for Maison Jansen, it features silky brass legs and black opaline gl...
Brass
Guy LeFevre for Maison Jansen Lacquered Cocktail Table, C 1970s
Located in Norwalk, CT
Designed by noted designer Guy LeFevre who worked extensively with Maison Jansen in the 1970s, this table is one of his signature works. The top is wood with and features deep drawer...
Nickel
$5,600
H 26.5 in Dm 19 in
Romeo Rega Lucite / stainless / brass Pedestal Table Base, , Italian Modernist
By Romeo Rega
Located in Buffalo, NY
Italian lucite, brass and aluminum pedestal table base, ( ONLY) circa 1970s. Created by artist Romeo Rega. Base diameter measures 19".in diameter... Can hold desired glass top.. Han...
Brass, Stainless Steel
$5,800 / set
H 14.5 in W 24.7 in D 24.7 in
Pair of Side Tables by Guy Lefevre for Maison Jansen, France, 1970s
Located in New York, NY
Stainless steel. New glass tops.
Stainless Steel
$5,496
H 29.53 in W 43.31 in D 13.78 in
Guy Lefevre for Maison Jansen Black Lacquer Chrome Console Table 1970s
Located in Paris, IDF
With a shining black lacquered top, and sharply geometric chrome legs and structure,, this console table carries a futuristic mid-century aesthetic into the contemporary home. Its bo...
Chrome
Large French Turned Oak Pedestal, France, 1940s
Located in Aartselaar, BE
Beautiful carved wooden pedestal/side table, made in France, 1940s, dark stained wood. This piece is sleek and modern. The pedestal has a lovely patina, adding to its charm, and is in very good condition. It would be perfect for creatively filling any corner. It's big enough to be noticeable but slender enough to fit in any room. It's ideal for showcasing an art sculpture or hanging plant. This piece combines brutalism with sculpturalism and would be perfect for any contemporary, minimalist, wabi-sabi, Axel Vervoordt, or Vincent Van Duysen style interior. In the manner of Charles Dudouyt, sourced in the south of France. Check out our Daddy Deco...
Wood, Oak
$11,454 / set
H 19.69 in W 20.48 in D 20.48 in
Black Lacquer Brass Two-Tier End Tables Guy Lefevre for Maison Jansen, 1970s
Located in Paris, IDF
Simple lines point to these two-tier end tables french mid-century roots. Designed by Guy Lefevre for Maison Jansen, it features silky brass legs, with black lacquered top and drawer...
Brass
$21,758
H 29.14 in W 59.06 in D 29.53 in
Large Desk Table Guy Lefevre Maison Jansen Black Lacquer Brass 1970s
Located in Paris, IDF
A unique Maison Jansen black lacquered desk table designed by Guy Lefevre for Maison Jansen in the mid-1970s. It features a black lacquer top with neoclassical inspired brass inlays,...
Brass
Large Tessellated Stone and Brass Pedestal
By Karl Springer, Casa Bique, Robert Marcius, Maitland Smith, Enrique Garcel
Located in Houston, TX
Large tessellated stone and brass pedestal. This shapely postmodern pedestal is perfect for a sculpture, bust or vase.
Stone
Guy Lefevre Gold Color and Black Lacquer French Coffee Table
By Guy Lefevre
Located in Miami, FL
Guy Lefevre gold golor and black lacquer French coffee table, circa 1970.
Wood, Lacquer
$6,043
H 33.86 in W 16.54 in D 12.6 in
Antique Italian Wrought Iron Tripod Pedestal, Circa 1300, Sculptural
Located in Brescia, IT
This piece of antique Italian wrought cast iron pedestal is made with an high level of quality in consideration of the age of the realization. From a...
Wrought Iron
Large Thick Polished Solid Lucite Pedestal Postmodern
Located in San Diego, CA
A large MCM square lucite pedestal, circa 1980s. The piece is in good vintage condition and measures a substantial . Great to display a large MCM abstract sculpture! the top lid fi...
Lucite
Pair of Ello Mirrored Octagonal Pedestals
Located in Hanover, MA
Pair of octagonal form pedestal column display stands paneled in beveled mirrored glass designed by O. B. Solie for Ello Furniture Manufacturing Co. of Rockford, IL. Each is 15 inch...
Mirror
1970s Chrome and Lucite with Mirror Top Low Pedestal
Located in San Diego, CA
An elegant four pole Lucite pedestal with chrome base and top and mirror center, circa 1970s, chrome parts have been polished and the Lucite poles polished, one of a kind piece.
Chrome
Curtis Jeré Signed Chrome Drum Pedestal
By Curtis Jeré
Located in Hanover, MA
A chromed steel drum pedestal or table base signed Curtis Jeré.
Curtis Jere Illuminated Brass Pedestals
By Curtis Jeré
Located in Hanover, MA
Two illuminated brass pedestal bases with frosted glass tops. Can be used as plant stands, column bases for displaying glass or sculpture or even as side tables. Both signed C. Jere...
Stone