Space Age Wall Decorations
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.
1970s Italian Vintage Space Age Wall Decorations
Mirror, Plastic
1970s British Vintage Space Age Wall Decorations
Paper
1970s German Vintage Space Age Wall Decorations
Plastic
1970s German Vintage Space Age Wall Decorations
Plastic
1970s Czech Vintage Space Age Wall Decorations
Paper
1980s American Vintage Space Age Wall Decorations
Stainless Steel, Aluminum, Chrome
1970s British Vintage Space Age Wall Decorations
Paper
1970s German Vintage Space Age Wall Decorations
Plastic
1970s Italian Vintage Space Age Wall Decorations
Plastic
1960s Dutch Vintage Space Age Wall Decorations
Paper
1980s Brazilian Vintage Space Age Wall Decorations
Tapestry
20th Century Italian Space Age Wall Decorations
Paper
1970s British Vintage Space Age Wall Decorations
Paper, Linen
1970s Belgian Vintage Space Age Wall Decorations
Canvas, Paint
1970s Italian Vintage Space Age Wall Decorations
Mirror, Plastic
1970s British Vintage Space Age Wall Decorations
Paper, Linen
20th Century Italian Space Age Wall Decorations
Paper
1960s Japanese Vintage Space Age Wall Decorations
Paper
1960s Italian Vintage Space Age Wall Decorations
Aluminum, Sheet Metal
1970s Vintage Space Age Wall Decorations
Metal
20th Century American Space Age Wall Decorations
Aluminum
1960s British Vintage Space Age Wall Decorations
Paper, Linen
1970s German Vintage Space Age Wall Decorations
Plastic
1970s American Vintage Space Age Wall Decorations
Acrylic, Wood, Paper
1970s German Vintage Space Age Wall Decorations
Metal
1960s Brazilian Vintage Space Age Wall Decorations
Tapestry
1960s Swiss Vintage Space Age Wall Decorations
Cotton
1960s European Vintage Space Age Wall Decorations
Resin
1970s Italian Vintage Space Age Wall Decorations
Steel
1970s Italian Vintage Space Age Wall Decorations
Plastic
1970s Italian Vintage Space Age Wall Decorations
Plastic
1970s Danish Vintage Space Age Wall Decorations
Fabric, Wood
1960s American Vintage Space Age Wall Decorations
Paper
1970s French Vintage Space Age Wall Decorations
Fabric
1970s Italian Vintage Space Age Wall Decorations
Paper
1960s Japanese Vintage Space Age Wall Decorations
Paper
1970s Italian Vintage Space Age Wall Decorations
Plastic
1970s Italian Vintage Space Age Wall Decorations
Paper
1970s Italian Vintage Space Age Wall Decorations
Paper
Late 20th Century American Space Age Wall Decorations
Paper
20th Century American Space Age Wall Decorations
Paper
1970s French Vintage Space Age Wall Decorations
Canvas, Acrylic
Mid-20th Century Space Age Wall Decorations
Felt
1990s French Space Age Wall Decorations
Paper
1970s Vintage Space Age Wall Decorations
Paper
2010s American Space Age Wall Decorations
Epoxy Resin, Fiberglass
1970s Italian Vintage Space Age Wall Decorations
Aluminum
1970s Italian Vintage Space Age Wall Decorations
Metal
1970s German Vintage Space Age Wall Decorations
Metal, Aluminum, Enamel
1960s Swedish Vintage Space Age Wall Decorations
Paper
Mid-20th Century French Space Age Wall Decorations
Glass, Wood
1970s German Vintage Space Age Wall Decorations
Paper
1970s Italian Vintage Space Age Wall Decorations
Resin
1970s Australian Vintage Space Age Wall Decorations
Paper
1960s American Vintage Space Age Wall Decorations
Paper
1970s Italian Vintage Space Age Wall Decorations
Aluminum
Mid-20th Century Belgian Space Age Wall Decorations
Paper
1960s Danish Vintage Space Age Wall Decorations
Fabric
20th Century European Space Age Wall Decorations
Textile
Mid-20th Century British Space Age Wall Decorations
Fiberglass, Oak
1970s Italian Vintage Space Age Wall Decorations
Aluminum
1970s Italian Vintage Space Age Wall Decorations
Metal, Sheet Metal
1950s Belgian Vintage Space Age Wall Decorations
Aluminum
1970s American Vintage Space Age Wall Decorations
Fabric