Bench Small Mid Century Modern
Mid-20th Century Italian Mid-Century Modern Settees
Fabric, Wood
20th Century Swedish Mid-Century Modern Side Tables
Oak
Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Patio and Garden Furniture
Metal
Vintage 1970s American Mid-Century Modern Coffee and Cocktail Tables
Wood
Vintage 1950s Italian Mid-Century Modern Armchairs
Brass
Vintage 1980s American Mid-Century Modern Coffee and Cocktail Tables
Upholstery, Rosewood
Vintage 1950s Italian Mid-Century Modern Stools
Fabric, Wood
21st Century and Contemporary Moroccan Modern Stools
Brass
Vintage 1950s American Mid-Century Modern Coffee and Cocktail Tables
Brass
20th Century Mid-Century Modern Coffee and Cocktail Tables
Wood
21st Century and Contemporary Danish Mid-Century Modern Coffee and Cockt...
Wicker, Oak, Wood, Cane
Vintage 1940s French Mid-Century Modern Coffee and Cocktail Tables
Wood, Parchment Paper
20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Dining Room Sets
Birdseye Maple, Walnut
2010s Danish Mid-Century Modern Chairs
Oak
20th Century Spanish Mid-Century Modern Stools
Wood, Beech, Fabric
Mid-20th Century Danish Scandinavian Modern Cabinets
Rosewood
Mid-20th Century Italian Mid-Century Modern Living Room Sets
Metal, Brass
Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Ottomans and Poufs
Wood
20th Century Mid-Century Modern Night Stands
Leather
Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Wall-mounted Sculptures
Metal, Brass
Vintage 1970s French Mid-Century Modern Stools
Leather, Wood
Mid-20th Century Mid-Century Modern Stools
Brass
20th Century European Mid-Century Modern Footstools
Leather
20th Century European Mid-Century Modern Footstools
Leather
Mid-20th Century Danish Scandinavian Modern Sofas
Teak, Leather
21st Century and Contemporary Danish Mid-Century Modern Chairs
Wood, Teak
Mid-20th Century European Mid-Century Modern Night Stands
Bamboo, Cane, Rattan, Wood
Vintage 1980s French Mid-Century Modern Dining Room Sets
Elm
2010s Danish Mid-Century Modern Chairs
Oak
2010s Danish Mid-Century Modern Tables
Pine
Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Side Tables
Aluminum
Mid-20th Century American Brutalist Abstract Sculptures
Composition, Brass
Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Coffee and Cocktail Tables
Steel
Early 2000s Danish Mid-Century Modern Lounge Chairs
Chrome
20th Century Spanish Mid-Century Modern Stools
Bamboo, Wicker, Cane, Rattan
Vintage 1960s French Mid-Century Modern Side Tables
Ceramic, Oak
Vintage 1950s Finnish Mid-Century Modern Dining Room Tables
Wood
Early 20th Century Unknown Mid-Century Modern Pillows and Throws
Wool
Vintage 1960s American Mid-Century Modern Sofas
Fabric, Hardwood
Antique Mid-19th Century French Prints
Paper
Vintage 1960s French Mid-Century Modern Nesting Tables and Stacking Tables
Oak, Ceramic
Vintage 1940s Italian Mid-Century Modern Footstools
Velvet, Walnut
Late 20th Century Spanish Mid-Century Modern Ceramics
Porcelain
Vintage 1970s American Mid-Century Modern Sofas
Aluminum, Steel
20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Cabinets
Wood, Birch
2010s Polish Mid-Century Modern Stools
Fabric, Bouclé
Vintage 1940s Swedish Mid-Century Modern Russian and Scandinavian Rugs
Wool
Mid-20th Century French Coffee and Cocktail Tables
Wood
Antique 19th Century French Patio and Garden Furniture
Stone, Limestone
Antique Late 18th Century French Coffee and Cocktail Tables
Stone, Limestone
Vintage 1960s Norwegian Folk Art Stools
Pine, Wool, Beech
Vintage 1970s Turkish Kilim Turkish Rugs
Wool, Cotton, Natural Fiber
Vintage 1950s Turkish Rustic Turkish Rugs
Wool
Mid-20th Century French Mid-Century Modern Sofas
Upholstery, Oak
Mid-20th Century French Mid-Century Modern Coffee and Cocktail Tables
Ceramic, Oak
Mid-20th Century French Mid-Century Modern Armchairs
Upholstery, Oak
Mid-20th Century French Mid-Century Modern Side Chairs
Upholstery, Oak
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Bench Small Mid Century Modern For Sale on 1stDibs
How Much is a Bench Small Mid Century Modern?
A Close Look at Mid-century Modern Furniture
Organically shaped, clean-lined and elegantly simple are three terms that well describe vintage mid-century modern 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.
ORIGINS OF MID-CENTURY MODERN FURNITURE DESIGN
- Emerged during the mid-20th century
- Informed by European modernism, Bauhaus, International style, Scandinavian modernism and Frank Lloyd Wright’s architecture
- A heyday of innovation in postwar America
- Experimentation with new ideas, new materials and new forms flourished in Scandinavia, Italy, the former Czechoslovakia and elsewhere in Europe
CHARACTERISTICS OF MID-CENTURY MODERN FURNITURE DESIGN
- Simplicity, organic forms, clean lines
- A blend of neutral and bold Pop art colors
- Use of natural and man-made materials — alluring woods such as teak, rosewood and oak; steel, fiberglass and molded plywood
- Light-filled spaces with colorful upholstery
- Glass walls and an emphasis on the outdoors
- Promotion of functionality
MID-CENTURY MODERN FURNITURE DESIGNERS TO KNOW
- Charles and Ray Eames
- Eero Saarinen
- Milo Baughman
- Florence Knoll
- Harry Bertoia
- Isamu Noguchi
- George Nelson
- Danish modernists Hans Wegner and Arne Jacobsen, whose emphasis on natural materials and craftsmanship influenced American designers and vice versa
ICONIC MID-CENTURY MODERN FURNITURE DESIGNS
- Eames lounge chair
- Nelson daybed
- Florence Knoll sofa
- Egg chair
- Womb chair
- Noguchi coffee table
- Barcelona chair
VINTAGE MID-CENTURY MODERN FURNITURE ON 1STDIBS
The mid-century modern era saw leagues of postwar American architects and designers animated by new ideas and new technology. The lean, functionalist International-style architecture of Le Corbusier and Bauhaus eminences Ludwig Mies van der Rohe and Walter Gropius had been promoted in the United States during the 1930s 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 pieces such as the La Chaise and the Womb chair, respectively.
Architect, writer and designer George Nelson created with his team shades for the Bubble lamp using a new translucent polymer skin and, as design director at Herman Miller, recruited the Eameses, Alexander Girard and others for projects at the legendary Michigan furniture manufacturer.
Harry Bertoia and Isamu Noguchi devised chairs and tables built of wire mesh and wire struts. Materials were repurposed too: The Danish-born designer Jens Risom created a line of chairs using surplus parachute straps for webbed seats and backrests.
The Risom lounge chair was among the first pieces of furniture commissioned and produced by celebrated manufacturer Knoll, a chief influencer in the rise of modern design in the United States, thanks to the work of Florence Knoll, the pioneering architect and designer who made the firm a leader in its field. The seating that Knoll created for office spaces — as well as pieces designed by Florence initially for commercial clients — soon became desirable for the home.
As the demand for casual, uncluttered furnishings grew, more mid-century furniture 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, blond wood furniture, and Milo Baughman, who espoused a West Coast aesthetic in minimalist teak dining tables and lushly upholstered chairs and sofas with angular steel frames.
Generations turn over, and mid-century modern remains arguably the most popular style going. As the collection of vintage mid-century modern chairs, dressers, coffee tables and other furniture for the living room, dining room, bedroom and elsewhere on 1stDibs demonstrates, this period saw one of the most delightful and dramatic flowerings of creativity in design history.
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