Mid Century Modern Wood Tray
Mid-20th Century Italian Mid-Century Modern Jewelry Boxes
Leather, Suede
Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Wardrobes and Armoires
Metal, Brass
Mid-20th Century Italian Mid-Century Modern Coat Racks and Stands
Beech
Late 20th Century American Bohemian Platters and Serveware
Leather, Bamboo, Wood
Mid-20th Century Danish Mid-Century Modern Carts and Bar Carts
Wood
Vintage 1960s Danish Mid-Century Modern Tableware
Teak
Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Coffee and Cocktail Tables
Bronze, Enamel, Pewter
Vintage 1950s Danish Mid-Century Modern Serving Tables
Brass
Vintage 1960s Danish Mid-Century Modern More Dining and Entertaining
Wood, Lacquer
Vintage 1960s Swedish Mid-Century Modern Decorative Bowls
Teak
Vintage 1960s Mexican Mid-Century Modern Tableware
Wood
Vintage 1950s French Mid-Century Modern Carts and Bar Carts
Brass
Vintage 1960s Mid-Century Modern Platters and Serveware
Wood
Vintage 1970s Italian Mid-Century Modern Wall Mirrors
Brass
Vintage 1960s Danish Mid-Century Modern Carts and Bar Carts
Walnut, Wood
Late 20th Century Danish Scandinavian Modern Barware
Formica, Wenge
Vintage 1970s French Mid-Century Modern Platters and Serveware
Art Glass
2010s Brazilian Minimalist Tableware
Brass
Vintage 1960s Mid-Century Modern Coffee and Cocktail Tables
Brass
Mid-20th Century Mid-Century Modern Table Lamps
Brass
Mid-20th Century French Mid-Century Modern Platters and Serveware
Wood
Mid-20th Century Mid-Century Modern Stools
Wool, Wood
Vintage 1960s Danish Mid-Century Modern Platters and Serveware
Teak
Vintage 1920s French Art Deco Serving Tables
Bronze
Late 20th Century Thai Post-Modern More Desk Accessories
Teak
Vintage 1950s Italian Mid-Century Modern Carts and Bar Carts
Brass
Vintage 1970s Mexican Mid-Century Modern Desk Sets
Wood
20th Century German Mid-Century Modern Tables
Metal
Vintage 1960s Haitian Mid-Century Modern Serving Pieces
Rattan, Wood
Mid-20th Century Mid-Century Modern Serving Tables
Metal
20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Carts and Bar Carts
Wood, Paint
Vintage 1970s Mid-Century Modern End Tables
Burl
Mid-20th Century Italian Modern Carts and Bar Carts
Brass
Vintage 1960s Mid-Century Modern Platters and Serveware
Cane, Wood
Vintage 1940s Belgian Mid-Century Modern Dry Bars
Bronze, Zinc
Late 20th Century Philippine Mid-Century Modern Decorative Dishes and Vi...
Shell, Wood, Lacquer
20th Century American Hollywood Regency Coffee and Cocktail Tables
Brass
Vintage 1960s European Mid-Century Modern Vases
Wood
Vintage 1920s French Art Deco Carts and Bar Carts
Chrome
20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Side Tables
Wood, Walnut
20th Century Danish Mid-Century Modern Carts and Bar Carts
Laminate, Wood, Walnut
Vintage 1960s Austrian Mid-Century Modern Tableware
Wood
Vintage 1950s Czech Mid-Century Modern Porcelain
Ceramic
Vintage 1950s Czech Mid-Century Modern Porcelain
Ceramic
Vintage 1950s Czech Mid-Century Modern Porcelain
Ceramic
Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Barware
Rosewood
Vintage 1950s Czech Mid-Century Modern Porcelain
Chrome
Vintage 1950s Czech Mid-Century Modern Porcelain
Chrome
Vintage 1950s Czech Mid-Century Modern Porcelain
Chrome
2010s Mid-Century Modern Side Tables
Wood, Teak, Reclaimed Wood
Vintage 1920s Austrian Art Deco Tea Sets
Metal
Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Platters and Serveware
Brass
Vintage 1970s Mid-Century Modern Platters and Serveware
Wood
Vintage 1960s French Mid-Century Modern Serving Pieces
Ceramic, Wood
Vintage 1970s Italian Mid-Century Modern Serving Tables
Metal, Chrome
Vintage 1960s Danish Mid-Century Modern Sofa Tables
Wood
Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Carts and Bar Carts
Metal
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Mid Century Modern Wood Tray For Sale on 1stDibs
How Much is a Mid Century Modern Wood Tray?
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, 2024There is no single color wood that is mid-century modern. Designers working in the style employed a variety of finishes, though purplish reds, mid-yellows, light browns and medium dark browns were among the most commonly used. Teak wood was an especially popular material, not only due to its warm medium hue but also due to its strength and the beauty of its natural grain. Shop a wide range of mid-century modern furniture on 1stDibs.
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