Mid century Florence Knoll Black & White Cabinet Credenza leather pulls
By Florence Knoll, Knoll
Located in Brooklyn, NY
Mid Century Florence knoll Black & White Credenza. Beautiful practical credenza for living or office space.
Chrome
2019 Florence Knoll Four Position Credenza in Ebonized Oak and Marble Top
By Florence Knoll, Knoll
Located in Philadelphia, PA
This is a Credenza, Model 2544M, initially designed by Florence Knoll for Knoll Inc. in 1956.
Marble, Steel
C. 2006 Florence Knoll Credenza with White Marble Top and Ebonized Wood
By Florence Knoll, Knoll
Located in Philadelphia, PA
This is a Four Position Florence Knoll Credenza, Model 2544M, initially designed by Florence Knoll for Knoll in 1956.
Marble, Steel
Restored Vintage Carrara Marble and Rosewood Florence Knoll Credenza
By Knoll, Florence Knoll
Located in Philadelphia, PA
Vintage, circa 1970s, restored rosewood credenza with original white carrara marble top on chrome legs with chromed pulls. Restoration includes light sanding, staining, satin laquer ...
Steel, Chrome
Florence Knoll for Knoll International Sideboard with Marble Top
By Knoll, Florence Knoll
Located in Waalwijk, NL
Credenza with chromed base designed by Florence Knoll for Knoll International.
Marble, Metal
Oak Credenza with Marble Top by Florence Knoll for Knoll
By Florence Knoll, Knoll
Located in Dorchester, MA
Designed by Florence Knoll in 1961, this handsome credenza comprises a light oak case on a chrome base with a marble top in "white extra."
Marble, Chrome
Florence Knoll Walnut Credenza
By Florence Knoll, Knoll
Located in Cedar Falls, IA
Walnut and white oak credenza with leather pulls, designed by Florence Knoll for Knoll International, circa 1970.
Chrome
Sold
H 24.5 in W 74.5 in D 18 in
Florence Knoll Credenza, Blonde Oak Case, White Marble Top, Original, Signed
By Florence Knoll, Knoll
Located in Kansas City, MO
Florence Knoll credenza in oak with Carrara marble top and chromed steel frame.
Carrara Marble, Chrome
Sold
H 25.6 in W 74.81 in D 17.72 in
Natural Oak Florence Knoll Credenza Sideboard with Marble Top by Knoll
By Florence Knoll
Located in Aachen, NW
This sideboard in natural oak with marble top by Florence Knoll was produced by Knoll International in the 90s. It features the original signature at the feet. The impressive pi...
Stainless Steel
Early Florence Knoll Model 122 Credenza
By Florence Knoll
Located in Kalamazoo, MI
Early and rare credenza designed by Florence Knoll and produced by H.G.
Leather, Glass, Birch, Oak
Florence Knoll Mid-Century Modern Credenza
By Knoll, Florence Knoll
Located in Kalamazoo, MI
Mid-Century Modern credenza designed by Florence Knoll for Knoll circa 1957.
Leather, Walnut
Sold
H 27.5 in W 71.25 in D 17.75 in
Early and Rare Florence Knoll Credenza in Walnut and White Formica
By Florence Knoll
Located in Los Angeles, CA
This is a fully restored early Florence Knoll credenza featuring new white Formica sliding doors, new professional lacquer finish, leather pulls, chrome legs and solid oak drawers.
Formica, Walnut
Early Florence Knoll Walnut Steel and Lacquered Credenza
By Florence Knoll
Located in Phoenix, AZ
Florence Knoll for Knoll sideboard or credenza circa early 1950s.
Steel
Sold
H 25.5 in W 74 in D 17.75 in
74" Long Calacatta Marble Rosewood Florence Knoll Executive Credenza Cabinet
By Florence Knoll, Knoll
Located in Philadelphia, PA
Vintage, made in 1972, rosewood credenza with original white Calacatta gold marble top on chromed steel legs with chromed pulls. Recently wax-burnished by hand, the rosewood color an...
Marble, Steel, Chrome
Sold
H 25.5 in W 74.63 in D 17.88 in
74" Long Calacatta Marble Rosewood Florence Knoll Executive Credenza Cabinet
By Florence Knoll, Knoll
Located in Philadelphia, PA
Vintage, made in 1972, rosewood credenza with original white Calcutta gold marble top on chromed steel legs with chromed pulls. Recently wax-burnished by hand, the rosewood color and...
Marble, Steel, Chrome
Wall-Mounted Cabinet by Florence Knoll
By Knoll, Florence Knoll
Located in Pawtucket, RI
Wall-mounted cabinet by Florence Knoll for Knoll Associates. Walnut case with original white lacquered doors and interior. Interior has shelves of both oak and glass. This is cabinet...
Metal
Wall Hanging Knoll Credenza in Walnut
By Knoll, Florence Knoll
Located in Oakland, CA
Wall hanging credenza designed by Florence Knoll and produced from 1947 to 1973, this is a 1960s piece.
Leather, Walnut, Paint
Knoll Mahogany Credenza with White Calacatta Marble Top
By Knoll
Located in Phoenix, AZ
Stunning Florence Knoll designed credenza with original Italian white Calacatta marble top, including rare top locking mechanism.
Marble
Sold
H 25.4 in W 56.3 in D 18.12 in
Florence Knoll Steel and Oak Credenza for Knoll International, USA c1980
By Florence Knoll
Located in Renens, CH
Florence Knoll, born Florence Schust in 1917, was an influential American architect and furniture designer who left an indelible mark on the world of design and interior architecture...
Marble, Steel
Mid-Century Modern Credenza by Florence Knoll, 1960s
Located in Courbevoie, FR
Mid-Century Modern credenza by Florence Knoll 1960s. Black lacquered oak veneer newly restored.
Marble
Sold
H 17.5 in W 72 in D 15 in
Early Florence Knoll for Knoll NY Wall Hung Credenza or Bar, Leather Pulls
By Knoll, Florence Knoll
Located in Buffalo, NY
Early Florence Knoll for Knoll NY wall hung credenza or bar, walnut finish, white lacquer drop down doors, original leather pulls, featuring two oak shelves and two glass shelves.
Leather, Walnut, Wood
Large Florence Knoll Style Credenza in White Oak
By Florence Knoll
Located in Dallas, TX
A beautiful custom piece that is extremely well crafted from the 1960's. We have restored. Fully finished on back do you can float. Credenza has ample room for storage with 6 bays. O...
Metal
Florence Knoll White Oak Credenza with Carrara Marble Top
By Florence Knoll
Located in Chicago, IL
Florence Knoll white oak credenza with Carrara marble top.
Carrara Marble
Small Florence Knoll White Oak and Carrara Marble Credenza
By Florence Knoll
Located in Chicago, IL
Florence Knoll white oak and Carrara marble top.
Carrara Marble
Florence Knoll Credenza in White Oak and Calacutta Marble
By Knoll, Florence Knoll
Located in Dallas, TX
Florence Knoll credenza 4 position. Finished back.
Marble, Chrome
Florence Knoll Credenza with White Carrera Marble in Black Oak
By Florence Knoll, Knoll
Located in Chula Vista, CA
For your consideration, a Florence Knoll credenza with white Carrera marble in black oak.
Wood
Sold
H 26 in W 76 in D 20.5 in
Fabulous Florence Knoll Black Oak Credenza Cabinet in White Carrera Marble 1960s
By Florence Knoll, Knoll
Located in Chula Vista, CA
Modern elegance Florence Knoll credenza cabinet sideboard with white Carrara marble in black oak circa 1960s by Knoll.
Wood
Florence Knoll Rosewood and Marble Credenza for Knoll
By Florence Knoll
Located in Cincinnati, OH
A nicely grained dark Brazilian rosewood credenza with white Carrara marble top having chrome legs , stretcher and pulls this four door credenza has contrasting clear oak interior an...
Marble, Chrome
Sold
H 25.2 in W 82.68 in D 20.48 in
Florence Knoll Credenza New Edition Grey Oak and Arabescato Marble-Top
By Florence Knoll
Located in Utrecht, NL
Fully equipped four drawer credenza by Florence Knoll with marble top executed in grey stained oak on chrome base with Arabescato (white with grey veining) marble-top.
Chrome
Florence Knoll Marble and Rosewood Credenza
By Florence Knoll, Knoll
Located in Kalamazoo, MI
Stunning minimalist credenza in Brazilian Rosewood with Carrara marble top designed by Florence Knoll for Knoll in the 1960s.
Carrara Marble
Sold
H 27.13 in W 71.25 in D 17.75 in
Florence Knoll Walnut and White Laminate Credenza Sideboard Cabinet, circa 1955
By Florence Knoll, Knoll
Located in Shippensburg, PA
Florence knoll walnut and white formica sideboard credenza Knoll Associates, circa 1955. Designed by Florence Knoll and produced by Knoll Associates in the 1960s, this fine crede...
Leather, Formica, Oak, Walnut
Vintage Calacatta Marble and Rosewood Florence Knoll Credenza
By Florence Knoll, Knoll
Located in Miami, FL
A vintage and timeless rosewood credenza with original white Calacatta marble top on chrome legs with chromed pulls and finished back. A very versatile piece, perfect for any home or...
Steel, Chrome
Sold
H 27.5 in W 72 in D 17.75 in
Florence Knoll Walnut and White Lacquer Four-Door Credenza, circa 1960s
By Florence Knoll
Located in Shippensburg, PA
This credenza is notable for its remarkably well designed sliding door system. The “train-track” allows all doors to close in a flush position, but the end doors to slide in behind t...
Aluminum, Chrome
Sold
H 27.75 in W 71.25 in D 17.75 in
Early and Rare Florence Knoll Credenza in Ebonized Teak and White Formica
By Florence Knoll, Knoll
Located in Los Angeles, CA
This is a fully restored early Florence Knoll credenza featuring white formica sliding doors, new professional ebonized finish, brown leather pulls, chrome legs and solid oak drawers.
Walnut
Sold
H 25.5 in W 112 in D 18 in
Florence Knoll Credenza / Sideboard Original Calacatta Marble Top 1961
By Florence Knoll, Knoll
Located in Camden, ME
Florence Knoll credenza / sideboard with its original Calacatta gold veined white marble top from her Executive Collection premiered in 1961 The finish is ebonized oak.
Marble, Chrome
Sold
H 28.5 in W 96 in D 18 in
Florence Knoll Credenza, Rare Six Door, Walnut and White / Ivory, Rare, Signed
By Florence Knoll
Located in Kansas City, MO
Very rare, likely customer ordered, Florence Knoll walnut and white six door credenza / storage cabinet / sideboard. Expertly restored and refinished, paying attention to every detai...
Chrome
Early and Rare Florence Knoll Credenza in Teak and White Formica
By Florence Knoll, Knoll
Located in Los Angeles, CA
This is a fully restored early Florence Knoll credenza featuring new white Formica sliding doors, new professional lacquer finish, leather pulls, chrome legs and solid oak drawers.
Leather, Formica, Teak
Sold
H 25.5 in W 74.63 in D 17.88 in
74" Long Calacatta Marble Rosewood Florence Knoll Executive Credenza Cabinet
By Florence Knoll, Knoll
Located in Philadelphia, PA
Vintage, made in 1972, rosewood credenza with original white Calacatta gold marble top on chromed steel legs with chromed pulls. Recently wax-burnished by hand, the rosewood color an...
Marble, Steel, Chrome
Sold
H 26.19 in W 72.25 in D 17.92 in
Florence Knoll Sideboard with Marble Top for Knoll International
By Florence Knoll, Knoll
Located in Waalwijk, NL
Sideboards, in oak, metal and marble, by Florence Knoll for Knoll International, United States, 1960s.
Marble, Metal
Florence Knoll Extreme Long Sideboard with Marble Top
By Florence Knoll, Knoll
Located in Waalwijk, NL
Sideboard, in oak, marble and steel, by Florence Knoll for Knoll International, United States 1960s.
Marble, Steel
Florence Knoll Wall Mount Cabinet in Walnut 1950s
By Knoll, Florence Knoll
Located in Miami, FL
Early floating wall mounted cabinet model 123 W-1 by Florence Knoll for Knoll Inc. in walnut with lacquered wood interior. The hanging credenza features: two sliding doors; four comp...
Leather, Oak, Walnut, Glass
Florence Knoll Sideboard
By Florence Knoll
Located in St. Louis, MO
Early Florence Knoll walnut sideboard or credenza with black ebony stain, two sliding doors with leather tabs, model number 116, Interior lacquered off-white with seven adjustable oa...
Walnut, Cane, Leather
Florence Knoll Sideboard with Marble Top for Knoll International
By Florence Knoll
Located in Waalwijk, NL
Sideboards in oak metal and marble by Florence Knoll for Knoll International, United States, 1960s.
Marble, Metal
Florence Knoll Credenza/Sideboard
By Florence Knoll
Located in Hudson, NY
This is an early Florence Knoll Sideboard designed for the home. The case is made of birch and has been refinished. The doors were left original, painted white. The case has been r...
Metal
Florence Knoll Credenza 2544M
By Florence Knoll, Knoll
Located in Hudson, NY
Four storage cabinets with two adjustable shelves and two with build in files drawer's dark stain oak, white Carrara marble chrome steel base made by Knoll.
Credenza by Florence Knoll # 119
By Knoll, Florence Knoll
Located in Hudson, NY
Teak cabinet with white lacquer doors interior with oak lacquer finish, two silver drawers four adjustable shelves. This credenza won the MOMA Good Design Award in 1950. Made by Knol...
Credenza with Marble Top by Florence Knoll for Knoll
By Florence Knoll, Knoll
Located in Dorchester, MA
Designed in by Florence Knoll in 1961, this credenza features four cabinet doors with inset handles that house adjustable shelving.
Chrome
Credenza in Walnut and White Lacquer by Florence Knoll
By Florence Knoll
Located in Hadley, MA
Credenza in walnut and white lacquer by Florence Knoll.
Walnut
Early Florence Knoll Model 116 Walnut Credenza
By Florence Knoll
Located in Chicago, IL
Early Florence Knoll model 116 walnut sideboard / credenza with two sliding doors having leather pulls.
Steel
Sold
H 25.5 in W 37.5 in L 25.5 in
Florence Knoll Marble Credenza by Knoll Oak Two-Door, USA, circa 1970
By Florence Knoll, Knoll
Located in Longdon, Tewkesbury
Florence Knoll Marble Credenza by Knoll oak two-door USA circa 1970 Florence Knoll marble topped oak two-door credenza by Knoll studio circa 1970.
Marble
Sold
H 25.5 in W 37.5 in D 18.5 in
Florence Knoll Marble Credenza by Knoll Pair of Oak Two-Door, USA, circa 1970
By Florence Knoll, Knoll
Located in Longdon, Tewkesbury
Florence Knoll marble credenza by Knoll oak two-door, USA, circa 1970 Florence Knoll marble topped oak two-door credenzas by Knoll studio circa 1970.
Marble
Cerused Oak and Chrome Credenza by Davis Allen
By Florence Knoll, General Fireproofing Company, Davis Allen
Located in Long Beach, CA
A large oak and chrome office credenza designed by Davis Allen for GF furniture. The oak paneling that wraps the entire piece has been redone in a black and white cerused finish. Thi...
Credenza in Walnut and White Lacquer by Florence Knoll
By Florence Knoll
Located in Hadley, MA
Credenza in walnut and white lacquer by Florence Knoll.
Credenza in Walnut and White Lacquer by Florence Knoll
By Florence Knoll
Located in Hadley, MA
Credenza in walnut and white lacquer by Florence Knoll.
Walnut
Sold
H 27.5 in W 71.25 in D 17.75 in
Florence Knoll for Knoll Associates Four-Door Walnut and Laminate Credenza
By Florence Knoll, Knoll
Located in San Francisco, CA
An expansive and quintessential American Mid-Century Modern credenza by Florence Knoll for Knoll Associates.
Steel
Credenza in Walnut and White Lacquer by Florence Knoll
By Knoll
Located in Hadley, MA
Credenza in walnut and white lacquer by Florence Knoll.
Wall-Mounted Cabinet by Florence Knoll
By Florence Knoll, Knoll
Located in Waltham, MA
Wall-mounted cabinet by Florence Knoll for Knoll Associates. Walnut case with original white lacquered doors and interior. Interior has shelves of both oak and glass. This is cabinet...
Metal
Marble Top Credenza Designed by Florence Knoll
By Florence Knoll
Located in Providence, RI
Small ebonized credenza with Calcutta Golden Vein marble top, designed by Florence Knoll, circa 1958. Credenza measures 37 1/4" long x 18" deep x 25 1/2" tall. Case has been professi...
Marble, Steel
Marble Top Credenza Designed by Florence Knoll
By Florence Knoll
Located in Providence, RI
Small ebonized credenza with Calcutta Golden Vein marble top, designed by Florence Knoll, circa 1958. Credenza measures 37 1/4" long x 18" deep x 25 1/2" tall. Case has been professi...
Marble, Steel
Geometric Mid Century Open Bookcase
Located in Westwood, NJ
Finished in Batavia Black with a Sandbar finish interior, this bookcase showcases rhythmic, crescent-shaped oval cut-outs that form an architectural silhouette—an homage to the sculp...
Wood
A Stunning Mid Century Design Walnut and Chrome Desk
Located in Dublin, IE
A stunning Mid Century design richly patinated walnut and chrome desk of exceptional quality, finely carved and with a fabulous curvilear clean design. The well figured moulded and ...
Chrome
$4,945 / item
H 56.11 in W 25.6 in D 19.1 in
Arcate sideboard, in Canaletto walnut by Accardibuccheri Medulum for Medulum
By Mauro Accardi & Silvia Buccheri
Located in Meolo, Venezia
Il settimanale Arcate fa parte di una collezione esclusiva che include comodini e comò, ideata dal rinomato studio milanese Accardi Buccheri per il brand MEDULUM. La scocca, realizza...
Walnut
$1,650 / item
H 16.1 in Dm 11.5 in
'Plissé White Edition' Pleated Textile Table Lamp by Folkform for Örsjö
By Örsjö Industri AB
Located in Los Angeles, CA
'Plissé White Edition' pleated textile table lamp by Folkform for Örsjö. This unique table lamp was awarded “Lighting of the Year 2022” by Residence Magazine Sweden, who called it “...
Textile
$1,705 / item
H 15.75 in Dm 43.31 in
Contemporary Art Deco Mint green and Red powder coated Carousel 5 arms pendant
By Mambo Unlimited Ideas
Located in Lisbon, PT
Carousel suspension lamp has a delicate balance of form and function that produces a quiet, modern light ambiance for all to savour, with its Contemporary Art Deco lines. The struct...
Metal
Murano Sputnik Spherical Green Glass and Brass Chandelier
Located in Roma, Lazio
A fantastic emerald green sputnik, with a surprising design and for its very low height, which allows it to fit in both high and low ceilings. Very elegant, it will furnish and decor...
Brass
$12,300 / item
H 24 in W 120 in D 16 in
Contemporary Solid White Oak Wood Credenza by Last Workshop, 2023
By Last Workshop
Located in Chicago, IL
Contemporary solid white oak credenza in a natural finish. Complete with (6) soft-close doors, adjustable shelves inside, and a steel base. Credenza pictured has dimensions of: ...
Steel
74" Vintage Stow Davis Credenza with Leather Top
By Stow Davis
Located in Pasadena, TX
Stow Davis A vintage Stow Davis credenza with a leather top and chrome legs. This large storage unit has six small pencil drawers and three filing drawers. Measures: Width 74" x ...
Steel
Petite Classic Knoll Credenza in Walnut and Cream Ca' 1950's
By Florence Knoll
Located in St.Petersburg, FL
A Classic Florence Knoll for Knoll petite scale (36"W) credenza. Walnut with nice rich patina, cream colored, original fronts and leather tabs. Vintage circa 1950s with original Knol...
Wood
1950s Mid Century Walnut Credenza by Florence Knoll
By Knoll, Florence Knoll
Located in North Hollywood, CA
Mid-century walnut credenza designed by Florence Knoll and manufactured by Knoll Associates Inc. circa 1950s. This exceptional piece showcases a gorgeous walnut frame supported by fo...
Chrome
Florence Knoll Wall-Mounted Cabinet
By Florence Knoll, Knoll
Located in Chicago, IL
Rare Knoll leather tab storage case, can hang on wall or sit on bench. Walnut, with original faux laminate top.
Leather, Walnut
$3,000 / item
H 91.5 in W 26.5 in D 13 in
1970s B&B Italia Olinto Lacquered Cabinet w/ Glass Shelving by Kazuhide Takahama
By Kazuhide Takahama, B&B Italia
Located in Philadelphia, PA
This is a tall, lacquered wood Olinto cabinet with glass doors, designed in the 1970s by Japanese architect Kazuhide Takahama for B&B Italia. Takahama’s collection featured a serie...
Steel, Aluminum
$5,495
H 27.5 in W 71.25 in D 17.75 in
Mid-Century Modern Walnut and Chrome Credenza by Florence Knoll, 1960s
By Florence Knoll, Knoll
Located in North Hollywood, CA
Designed by architect and furniture designer Florence Knoll, one of the most influential figures of mid-century design, this exceptional walnut credenza embodies the clean lines, arc...
Steel, Chrome
$13,500
H 29 in W 75 in D 18 in
Restored Florence Knoll Walnut & Maple Cabinet Model No.541 New York, 1960s
By Florence Knoll, Knoll
Located in Philadelphia, PA
This iconic cabinet was designed in the 1960s by Florence Knoll and manufactured by Knoll International for sale in the heart of New York City on Park Avenue. Built of a finely grain...
Metal
$5,500
H 36.75 in W 36 in D 19.5 in
1960s Florence Knoll Walnut 5-Drawer Dresser with Marble Top, Model 326 2
By Knoll, Florence Knoll
Located in Philadelphia, PA
This is a Florence Knoll Walnut 5-drawer dresser, model 326-2, designed by Florence Knoll in 1960 for Knoll International. This example dates to the 1960s. The chest features a highl...
Marble, Aluminum, Steel
Mid-Century Rosewood and Metal Wall Mounted Coat Rack
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Beautiful Mid-Century Rosewood and metal wall mounted coat rack. Rosewood veneer frame with aluminum hangers and black plastic cap accents. In original condition with moderate wear a...
Metal, Aluminum
Architect, furniture designer, interior designer, entrepreneur — Florence Knoll had a subtle but profound influence on the course of mid-century American modernism. Dedicated to functionality and organization, and never flamboyant, Knoll shaped the ethos of the postwar business world with her skillfully realized office plans and polished, efficient designs for sofas, credenzas, desks and other furnishings.
Knoll had perhaps the most thorough design education of any of her peers. Florence Schust was orphaned at age 12, and her guardian sent her to Kingswood, a girl’s boarding school that is part of the Cranbrook Educational Community in suburban Detroit. Her interest in design brought her to the attention of Eliel Saarinen, the Finnish architect and head of the Cranbrook Academy of Art.
Saarinen and his wife took the talented child under their wing, and she became close to their son, the future architect Eero Saarinen. While a student at the academy, Florence befriended artist-designer Harry Bertoia and Charles and Ray Eames. Later, she studied under three of the Bauhaus masters who emigrated to the United States. She worked as an apprentice in the Boston architectural offices of Walter Gropius and Marcel Breuer; Ludwig Mies van der Rohe taught her at the Illinois Institute of Technology.
In 1941, she met Hans Knoll, whose eponymous furniture company was just getting off the ground. They married in 1946, and her design sense and his business skills soon made Knoll Inc. a leading firm in its field. Florence signed up the younger Saarinen as a designer, and would develop pieces by Bertoia, Mies and the artist Isamu Noguchi.
Florence Knoll's main work came as head of the Knoll Planning Group, designing custom office interiors for clients such as IBM and CBS. The furniture she created for these spaces reflects her Bauhaus training: the pieces are pure functional design, exactingly built; their only ornament from the materials, such as wood and marble. Her innovations — the oval conference table, for example, conceived as a way to ensure clear sightlines among all seated at a meeting — were always in the service of practicality.
Since her retirement in 1965, Knoll received the National Medal of Arts, among other awards; in 2004 the Philadelphia Museum of Art mounted the exhibition “Florence Knoll: Defining Modern” — well deserved accolades for a strong, successful design and business pioneer. As demonstrated on these pages, the simplicity of Knoll’s furniture is her work’s great virtue: they fit into any interior design scheme.
Find vintage Florence Knoll sofas, benches, armchairs and other furniture on 1stDibs.
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
CHARACTERISTICS OF MID-CENTURY MODERN FURNITURE DESIGN
MID-CENTURY MODERN FURNITURE DESIGNERS TO KNOW
ICONIC MID-CENTURY MODERN FURNITURE DESIGNS
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.
Antique and vintage credenzas can add an understated touch of grace to your home. These long and sophisticated cabinet-style pieces of furniture can serve a variety of purposes, and they look great too.
In Italy, the credenza was originally a small side table used in religious services. Appropriately, credere in Italian means “to believe.” Credenzas were a place to not only set the food ready for meals, they were also a place to test and taste prepared food for poison before a dish was served to a member of the ruling class. Later, credenza was used to describe a type of versatile narrow side table, typically used for serving food in the home. In form, a credenza has much in common with a sideboard — in fact, the terms credenza and sideboard are used almost interchangeably today.
Credenzas usually have short legs or no legs at all, and can feature drawers and cabinets. And all kinds of iterations of the credenza have seen the light of day over the years, from ornately carved walnut credenzas originating in 16th-century Tuscany to the wealth of Art Deco credenzas — with their polished surfaces and geometric patterns — to the array of innovative modernist interpretations that American furniture maker Milo Baughman created for Directional and Thayer Coggin.
The credenza’s blend of style and functionality led to its widespread use in the 20th century. Mid-century modern credenzas are particularly popular — take a look at Danish furniture designer Arne Vodder’s classic Model 29, for instance, with its reversible sliding doors and elegant drawer pulls. Hans Wegner, another Danish modernist, produced strikingly minimalist credenzas in the 1950s and ’60s, as did influential American designer Florence Knoll. Designers continue to explore new and exciting ways to update this long-loved furnishing.
Owing to its versatility and familiar low-profile form, the credenza remains popular in contemporary homes. Unlike many larger case pieces, credenzas can be placed under windows and in irregularly shaped rooms, such as foyers and entryways. This renders it a useful storage solution. In living rooms, for example, a credenza can be a sleek media console topped with plants and the rare art monographs you’ve been planning to show off. In homes with open floor plans, a credenza can help define multiple living spaces, making it ideal for loft apartments.
Browse a variety of antique and vintage credenzas for sale on 1stDibs to find the perfect fit for your home today.