Edison Little Folks Child's Dresser/ Armoir
By Thomas Edison
Located in Highland, IN
This lovely little child's armoire in maple by Edison Little Folks has handsome deco style detailing and is highly functional with a bank of four drawers over a wide drawer and a com...
Metal
$5,250
H 30.71 in W 44.89 in D 24.02 in
Anthroposophical Children's Desk by Felix Kayser for Schiller Möbel, circa 1930
By Schiller Möbel, Felix Kayser
Located in Berlin, DE
Anthroposophical children's desk designed by Felix Kayser made of handcrafted ash wood. The desk was probably made by Schiller-Möbel, Stuttgart, Germany, c. 1930. Literature: Reinhol...
Ash, Wood
$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
Rosso Glass Wall Mirror
By Specchi Veneziani
Located in Milan, IT
Crafted in the finest Murano tradition, this exquisite Venetian mirror is a true work of art. Assembled with crystal and gold elements, and adorned with red glass flowers, each piece...
Glass
$3,990 / item
H 15.75 in W 74.81 in D 29.14 in
Mustard Velvet Daybed with V-Shaped Beechwood Base, Model V
By Dusty Deco
Located in Los Angeles, CA
DD V daybed is an exclusive daybed made by hand in Bosnia and Herzegovina by skilled craftsmen with long experience in wood and upholstery. Both frame and the characteristic V-shaped...
Fabric, Beech, Velvet
$4,000
H 16 in W 81 in D 74 in
Vintage Minimalist Dutch old growth pine King floating bed Frame Rustic
Located in Brooklyn, NY
Vintage Minimalist Dutch pine Custom Made European grand king bed bed Frame or Daybed by Ate Van Apeldoorn. Very cubic and brutalist with dovetail joinery. Bed sitting on two bases w...
Pine
$27,500
H 46.46 in W 101.58 in D 20.28 in
Ernesto Valabrega for Studio Vittorio Valabrega Decorative Fireplace Mantel
By Vittorio Valabrega
Located in Waalwijk, NL
Ernesto Valabrega for Studio Vittorio Valabrega, decorative fireplace mantel, lacquered wood, plaster, glass, iron, Italy, 1930s This striking decorative fireplace mantel, presumabl...
Iron
Children Rocking Wooden Toy
Located in Antwerp, BE
Very beautiful children's rocking chair in beech plywood minimalist craftsmanship the design of the rocking chair is essentially a nod to the shape of a swinging banana!
Bentwood
$8,109
H 95.87 in W 66.54 in D 20.08 in
Large Antique German Pitch Pine Corner Apothecary Cabinet / Vitrine ca 1900s
Located in Nijmegen, NL
This stunning corner apothecary cabinet was made in Germany around the turn of the century. It features two vitrines with shelves and both small and large square drawers at both ends...
Pine
Thomas Webb & Sons Two-Color Cameo Vase
By Thomas Webb & Sons
Located in New Orleans, LA
Of all the glassworks produced in the late 19th century, cameo glass was the most challenging to perfect. Only a handful of artisans succeeded in mastering this intricate craft, with...
Glass
Harper Daybed by Croft House
Located in Los Angeles, CA
The Harper Daybed is designed with scale just like our Harper Bed. The daybed is fully upholstered in a textured, soft-green fabric, and finished with an eased edge detail along the ...
Walnut
$60,674Sale Price|20% Off
H 104.34 in W 153.55 in D 19.69 in
Antique Pharmacy Cabinet, Walnut Bookcases and Glass Doors with Sign, '800 Italy
Located in Cuneo, Italy (CN)
Complete antique pharmacy cabinet, with 3 open bookcases on the sides, 1 bookcase with drawers and 2 original doors with glass and enameled mirror sign. Built in the mid-19th century...
Glass, Walnut
Mid Century Danish Children's Rocking Elephant C.1960
Located in London, GB
Mid Century Danish Children's Rocking Elephant C.1960 Excellent design element to a children's room. Fully functioning as a rocking toy. In very good condition commensurate wit...
Plywood
$28,248 / set
H 63.78 in W 73.63 in D 32.29 in
Luigi Colani Rappelkiste Multifunctional Children's Unit
By Luigi Colani
Located in Petershagen, DE
Luigi Colani, "Rappelkiste," 1975. Manufactured by Elbro (August Ellerbrok), Germany. This is a rare and early example of Colani's design ethos translated into a multifunctional, ch...
Fabric, Beech
$408
H 3.55 in W 18.12 in D 14.38 in
Swing Tractor Seat Chair, in Red like Achille Castiglione Stool, circa 1970
By Achille Castiglioni
Located in Amsterdam IJMuiden, NL
This item is part of the private collection of Casey Godrie and is situated in his private house. Ask him for competitive shipping quotes. His incredible Dune Villa, Amsterdam Beach...
Metal
$1,229
H 19.3 in W 16.93 in D 21.66 in
ANTiQUE VICTORIAN CAST IRON HAND PAINTED SMALL CHILDRENS GARDEN ROCKING ARMCHAIR
Located in West Sussex, Pulborough
Royal House Antiques Royal House Antiques is delighted to offer for sale this lovely, very small children's rocking armchair designed to use indoors or outdoors dating to circa 1860...
Iron
$135 / item
H 20.25 in W 12.5 in D 12 in
Masayuki Matsukaze Sistema Scuola Children's Chairs for Kartell, 1970s
By Kartell
Located in Los Angeles, CA
A delightful and highly functional set of "Sistema Scuola" children's chairs, designed by Masayuki Matsukaze for the renowned Italian manufacturer Kartell in the 1970s. These chairs ...
Plastic
When you’re shopping for antique, new and vintage children’s furniture, you’ll want your choices to fit nicely within the decor scheme of the rest of your home. But you’ll also want to create an alluring and inspirational space for your children to feel relaxed and encouraged creatively. Indeed, a child’s room can be simultaneously stylish and playful — the ideal environment for children.
Understandably, beds were the first piece of furniture designed for young children. In Ancient Egypt, children’s beds were scaled-down versions of adult beds. They were intended to be a logical size for a child and low enough to the ground so that they could climb in by themselves.
Historians discovered early high chairs in Ancient Greece. In the 6th century B.C., a child’s training potty might have also been used as a high chair, while archaeologists on a dig discovered a terracotta high chair in a marketplace in Athens. By the Renaissance period, children’s bookshelves were popular with upper-class families who had disposable income and the desire to beautify all areas of the home. The original purpose was to organize school books, but shelves eventually became integral to children’s rooms of the era.
In the early 20th century, Italian physician Maria Montessori changed the way designers thought about children’s furniture. She wrote that it was important for children to have a safe environment of their own that they could easily navigate. Montessori believed that children’s furniture should be sized for them but that it should also be made of light, durable materials so that it’s easy for them to carry if needed.
Today’s widely known mid-century modern furniture designers took interest in the idea that young children should have well-crafted furniture of their own. You can find vintage mid-century modern children’s furniture created by the likes of Harry Bertoia, Charles and Ray Eames and Alvar Aalto. Contemporary industrial designer and architect Philippe Starck is also known for having introduced versions of his furniture that were geared toward children, especially his seating and storage solutions.
It’s never too early for good design. Decorating a child’s room offers the opportunity to combine elevated furnishings and a youthful spirit and can result in spaces that are at once elegant and whimsical. On 1stDibs, find design ideas for children’s rooms as well as a variety of new, antique and vintage children’s furniture today.