Mid Century Modern Corner Chair
Vintage 1960s Swedish Mid-Century Modern Lounge Chairs
Fabric, Foam, Wood, Walnut
Vintage 1950s French Mid-Century Modern Swivel Chairs
Wood
21st Century and Contemporary Danish Mid-Century Modern Lounge Chairs
Foam
Vintage 1960s Czech Mid-Century Modern Lounge Chairs
Velvet, Beech
21st Century and Contemporary Danish Mid-Century Modern Lounge Chairs
Foam, Wool
Vintage 1960s Danish Scandinavian Modern Lounge Chairs
Leather, Beech
20th Century Mid-Century Modern Side Chairs
Wood, Leather, Upholstery, Teak
Vintage 1950s Mid-Century Modern Office Chairs and Desk Chairs
Metal
21st Century and Contemporary American Mid-Century Modern Dining Room Ch...
Steel, Chrome
Vintage 1970s Italian Mid-Century Modern Lounge Chairs
Leather, Velvet
Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Lounge Chairs
Plywood, Oak
Vintage 1960s Austrian Mid-Century Modern Chairs
Fabric, Velvet, Bentwood
Vintage 1980s American Mid-Century Modern Swivel Chairs
Bouclé, Upholstery
Vintage 1960s Czech Mid-Century Modern Lounge Chairs
Velvet, Beech
Vintage 1950s Brazilian Mid-Century Modern Chairs
Brass
Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Club Chairs
Fabric, Foam, Wood
Late 20th Century Unknown Mid-Century Modern Dining Room Chairs
Metal
Vintage 1950s Danish Scandinavian Modern Lounge Chairs
Cane, Beech
Mid-20th Century Danish Scandinavian Modern Lounge Chairs
Metal, Chrome
Mid-20th Century Italian Scandinavian Modern Lounge Chairs
Leather
Mid-20th Century Italian Mid-Century Modern Lounge Chairs
Brass
Mid-20th Century Indian Mid-Century Modern Office Chairs and Desk Chairs
Cowhide, Fur, Teak
Late 20th Century American Modern Club Chairs
Fabric, Wood, Paint, Feathers
20th Century Czech Lounge Chairs
Upholstery, Wood
20th Century French Lounge Chairs
Upholstery, Wood
Mid-20th Century Mid-Century Modern Chairs
Iron
2010s Argentine Modern Lounge Chairs
Leather, Wood
2010s Argentine Modern Lounge Chairs
Leather, Wood
Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Club Chairs
Upholstery
Mid-20th Century Italian Mid-Century Modern Chairs
Rush, Beech
Vintage 1980s European Mid-Century Modern Chairs
Steel
Mid-20th Century French Mid-Century Modern Chairs
Metal, Steel
Vintage 1980s European Mid-Century Modern Chairs
Pine
Vintage 1970s American Modern Club Chairs
Chrome
Vintage 1980s European Mid-Century Modern Chairs
Pine
2010s Argentine Modern Lounge Chairs
Wood, Leather
Vintage 1940s Italian Mid-Century Modern Chairs
Iron
Mid-20th Century Italian Rustic Chairs
Seagrass, Wood, Paint
Vintage 1960s French Mid-Century Modern Chairs
Aluminum
Vintage 1960s Unknown Mid-Century Modern Chairs
Fabric, Beech
20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Chairs
Ash
Mid-20th Century French Art Deco Chairs
Metal
Vintage 1960s Italian Mid-Century Modern Chairs
Rattan
Vintage 1950s French Mid-Century Modern Chairs
Steel
Mid-20th Century Brazilian Mid-Century Modern Chairs
Rosewood, Cane
20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Chairs
Metal, Chrome
Vintage 1960s European Mid-Century Modern Chairs
Steel
Mid-20th Century Unknown Scandinavian Modern Lounge Chairs
Fabric, Wood
Mid-20th Century Swedish Mid-Century Modern Chairs
Wood
Mid-20th Century Swedish Scandinavian Modern Lounge Chairs
Oak
Mid-20th Century Unknown Mid-Century Modern Lounge Chairs
Fabric, Walnut
Vintage 1970s French Mid-Century Modern Chairs
Oak, Leather
Vintage 1950s Danish Scandinavian Modern Wingback Chairs
Mohair, Beech
Vintage 1970s Danish Mid-Century Modern Chairs
Metal
20th Century Mid-Century Modern Lounge Chairs
Steel
Vintage 1960s American Mid-Century Modern Chairs
Fiberglass
Vintage 1970s Mid-Century Modern Chairs
Chrome
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Mid Century Modern Corner Chair For Sale on 1stDibs
How Much is a Mid Century Modern Corner Chair?
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.
- 1stDibs ExpertApril 5, 2022Yes, Wassily chairs are indeed considered mid-century modern. Although the chair was initially designed by Marcel Breuer in 1925, it was re-released in the 1960s. Shop a collection of mid-century modern goods from some of the world’s top sellers on 1stDibs.
- 1stDibs ExpertMarch 3, 2023Some iconic chairs from the mid-century modern era include the Egg chair by Arne Jacobson, the La Chaise by Charles and Ray Eames and the Womb chair by Eero Saarinen. With their clean lines, organic shapes and simple details, these chairs reflect some of the key features of the style. Shop a variety of mid-century modern chairs on 1stDibs.
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