Midcentury Mobile
1990s North American Mid-Century Modern Mobiles and Kinetic Sculptures
Marble, Brass
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Chandeliers and Pendants
Brass
Vintage 1950s Italian Kinetic Mobiles and Kinetic Sculptures
Granite, Metal
20th Century Italian Mid-Century Modern Sofas
Leather, Foam, Wood
20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Sculptures
Metal
Vintage 1970s French Mid-Century Modern Coffee and Cocktail Tables
Acrylic
Vintage 1960s Italian Mid-Century Modern Corner Cupboards
Steel
Mid-20th Century Italian Mid-Century Modern Wardrobes and Armoires
Wood
20th Century European Mid-Century Modern Vitrines
Chrome
Vintage 1970s Italian Mid-Century Modern Dry Bars
Metal, Stainless Steel
Vintage 1950s Italian Mid-Century Modern Cabinets
Brass
2010s American Mid-Century Modern Chandeliers and Pendants
Chrome, Aluminum
Antique Mid-19th Century English Gothic Revival Desks
Brass
20th Century Italian Beds and Bed Frames
Wood
20th Century Italian Wardrobes and Armoires
Wood
20th Century Italian Desks and Writing Tables
Wood
Antique 18th Century and Earlier Italian Stools
20th Century Italian Cabinets
Wood
20th Century American Folk Art Paintings
Canvas
20th Century American Folk Art Paintings
Canvas
20th Century American Folk Art Paintings
Canvas
20th Century American Folk Art Paintings
Canvas
20th Century American Folk Art Paintings
Canvas
20th Century American Folk Art Paintings
Canvas
Antique 1660s Italian Louis XIV Cabinets
Walnut
20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Mobiles and Kinetic Sculptures
Metal
Vintage 1950s American Mid-Century Modern Mobiles and Kinetic Sculptures
Bronze
Mid-20th Century French Mobiles and Kinetic Sculptures
Mid-20th Century Mobiles and Kinetic Sculptures
Wood
20th Century North American Mid-Century Modern Mobiles and Kinetic Sculp...
Metal
Vintage 1960s American Mid-Century Modern Mobiles and Kinetic Sculptures
Natural Fiber, Wood
Late 20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Mobiles and Kinetic Sculpt...
Metal
Vintage 1960s Danish Mid-Century Modern Mobiles and Kinetic Sculptures
Wood
Vintage 1980s American Mid-Century Modern Mobiles and Kinetic Sculptures
Chrome
Vintage 1970s American Mid-Century Modern Carts and Bar Carts
Chrome
Vintage 1960s Mid-Century Modern Mobiles and Kinetic Sculptures
Bronze
Vintage 1950s American Mid-Century Modern Carts and Bar Carts
Chrome
Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Barware
Glass
Mid-20th Century American Renaissance Revival Mobiles and Kinetic Sculpt...
Iron
Mid-20th Century Polish Mid-Century Modern Mobiles and Kinetic Sculptures
Metal
2010s British Mid-Century Modern Mobiles and Kinetic Sculptures
Brass
2010s British Mid-Century Modern Mobiles and Kinetic Sculptures
Brass
Vintage 1970s American Mid-Century Modern Carts and Bar Carts
Brass
20th Century American Sculptures
Metal
Vintage 1950s Italian Mid-Century Modern Commodes and Chests of Drawers
Brass
Vintage 1950s Italian Mid-Century Modern Buffets
Wood
Vintage 1960s Dutch Mid-Century Modern Lounge Chairs
Chrome
Vintage 1950s Italian Mid-Century Modern Credenzas
Brass
Mid-20th Century Italian Mid-Century Modern Mobiles and Kinetic Sculptures
Travertine, Brass
Vintage 1950s Italian Mid-Century Modern Sideboards
Marble, Brass
1990s American Mid-Century Modern Mobiles and Kinetic Sculptures
Marble, Stainless Steel
Vintage 1960s Danish Mid-Century Modern Credenzas
Teak
Vintage 1940s Italian Other Coffee and Cocktail Tables
Glass, Wood
Mid-20th Century Danish Mid-Century Modern Globes
Wood, Acrylic
Vintage 1960s Belgian Mid-Century Modern Carts and Bar Carts
Metal, Chrome
20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Mobiles and Kinetic Sculptures
Brass
Vintage 1980s American Modern Mobiles and Kinetic Sculptures
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Midcentury Mobile For Sale on 1stDibs
How Much is a Midcentury Mobile?
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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This Paavo Tynell Chandelier Is a Radiant Bouquet
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End Your Quest for Fire with This Handmade Majolica Chimney
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The 21 Most Popular Mid-Century Modern Chairs
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Iconic Furniture Makes This 1958 Midwestern Home a True Mid-Century Gem
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The Ultimate Guide to Types of Tables for the Home
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