Vintage Space Age furniture captured post–World War II optimism with swooping shapes, bowed lines and experimentation with new materials including plastic and fiberglass.
From the launch of the Sputnik 1 satellite in 1957 to the landing of Apollo 11 astronauts on the moon in 1969, the space race between the Soviet Union and the United States propelled advancements in technology that transformed culture. Space Age design encompassed fashion, architecture, cars, furniture and objects for the home, bringing wonder and hope for the future into everyday life.
Coinciding with Pop art, Space Age style featured bold colors and forms. Eero Aarnio’s Ball chair, which debuted in 1966, used molded fiberglass for a capsule-like space while Verner Panton’s 1959 Panton chair was a single piece of molded plastic for a gravity-defying S shape. Red versions of Olivier Mourgue’s 1964 Djinn chair were futuristic enough to appear on the space station in Stanley Kubrick’s 1968 film 2001: A Space Odyssey. Today, Joe Colombo is revered as a master of modern Italian design thanks to the provocative modular furniture pieces he created, such as the Tube chair and the Elda armchair, both of which embody the future-forward spirit of the Space Age.
The Space Age spirit extended to home building too. The futuristic Case Study Houses, which were designed by the likes of Pierre Koenig, Charles and Ray Eames, Richard Neutra and Whitney R. Smith, are considered a high point of modernism and the Southern California lifestyle.
Sometimes the nods to space exploration were more literal, like moon and star motifs or the 1965 Eclisse lamp by Vico Magistretti that saw the mid-century Italian designer integrating a movable inner shade to “eclipse” the light source. Alongside the pioneering moon missions, JVC manufactured the Videosphere portable television reminiscent of the Apollo 11 space helmets.
Although the style faded in the 1970s — with the 1975 joining of the Apollo and Soyuz spacecrafts signaling a new era of cooperation and the global oil crisis impacting the availability of plastics — the era’s innovations influenced designers into the 21st century such as Zaha Hadid and Djivan Schapira.
Find a collection of vintage Space Age seating, tables, lighting and other furniture on 1stDibs.
1970s Space Age Fiberglass Bed by Astarte, Italy - Restored Design
Located in Argelato, BO
The bed is an iconic piece of Italian design from the 1970s, produced by Astarte Milano, a brand known for its Space Age-style creations. This style, which emerged in the post-war pe...
Fiberglass
Gae Aulenti Style Tubular Metal Queen Sized Bed Frame and Headboard, Italy 1970s
Located in Las Vegas, NV
Vintage Italian bed frame and headboard in red tubular metal. Fits EU King, US Queen can be used without issue. Scuffs and scratches to me...
Steel
Pace Collection 9964-1 Chrome Four Poster King Canopy Bed
Located in Hanover, MA
Pace Collection 9964-1 chrome four-poster king size canopy bed. Dimensions shown are external, edge to edge. Internal dimensions 78.5 inches side to side by 80.5 inches head to foot....
Steel, Chrome
Pace Collection Queen Chrome Canopy Bed
Located in Hanover, MA
Chic and glamorous queen size polished chrome canopy four poster bed frame by Pace Collection, 1970's. (See our separate listing for the king size version) The bed disassembles into...
Chrome
$9,300 / set
Pierre Cardin Queen Size Bedroom Ensemble
By Dillingham Manufacturing Company, Pierre Cardin
Located in Hanover, MA
Pierre Cardin queen size platform bed with double wardrobe units, spotlight bridge and headboard cabinet. Presented in white gloss laminate embelli...
Chrome
Space age - Queen size bed - 1970
Located in Brussels, BE
This exceptional bed set evoques Guido Faleschini iconic Turcoma but in a minimalist aesthetic. We can't verify that it's a true Guido Faleschini but the dimensions, sewing stripes a...
Faux Leather
Gae Aulenti Tennis Bed for Gavina, Leather & Wood, Mid Century Modern
By Gavina, Gae Aulenti
Located in Byron Bay, NSW
Large king size bed by Gae Aulenti mod. ‘Tennis’ for Gavina, Italy 1972. Unique and iconic bed from the ‘Tennis‘ series referring to the round shapes and...
Leather
Headboard for bed with nightstands by Sandro Petti, 1970s
By Sandro Petti
Located in SAN PIETRO MOSEZZO, NO
Elegant headboard for bed with nightstands designed by Sandro Petti in the 1970s. Brass frame, chrome-plated metal and crystal. The total width is 300 cm. while the bed space is 18...
Crystal, Metal, Brass
Sculptural Single Chrome Bed, Italy, 1960s
Located in Milan, IT
Sculptural single bed with chrome steel frame and leather upholstery.
Chrome
1970s Space Age Platform Bed by Fratelli Prosperio, Integrated Lighting & Radio
By Fratelli Prosperio
Located in Buxton, GB
RARE 1970s Space Age Hollywood Regency Bed – Integrated Audio & Lighting Step into the golden era of futuristic luxury with this incredible 1970s Italian-style platform bed. A true...
Velvet, Wood
Mid-Century Modern Canopy Bed - US King
Located in Westwood, NJ
A Mid-Century Modern style canopy bed with a dramatic vertical slat back design. It has an architecturally inspired design that features Rich Walnut vertical slats, warmly contrasted by a dark chocolate canopy and posts accented with champagne gold brackets...
Wood
Classical Polished Queen Size Bed
Located in Westwood, NJ
A Classical style cross-banded Queen bed, the arched headboard of three cross-banded panels flanked by bound reeded carved columns, with a paneled low f...
Wood
French Metal Canopy Bed, King
Located in Westwood, NJ
French Metal Canopy Bed, King Size, with a bronze finish metal canopy frame with a padded upholstered headboard in a neutral linen fabric. The frame with ...
Metal
Provincial Carved Queen Size Bed
Located in Westwood, NJ
A French Provincial carved king size bed with an arched and molded upholstered headboard with scroll wings, an upholstered and hand car...
Wood
Sculptural Mid Century Modern Italian Brass Bed circa 1970s
Located in Atlanta, GA
Sculptural Mid Century Modern Brass Bed, probably Italian, circa 1970s. It can accommodate a queen size mattress. Here are the detailed measurements: 47.5" headboard height Overall w...
Metal, Brass
Carved 'Limestone' Painted Four Poster King Size Bed
Located in Westwood, NJ
A finely carved mahogany and 'limestone' painted four-poster king-size bed, the serpentine arched and molded edge headboard flanked by acanthus leaf and rice carved baluster turned p...
Wood
1970s Italian Brass Bed by Luciano Frigerio
Located in London, London
Bed frame. By Luciano Frigerio. Brass. Hammered brass details. Bed head and foot joined by steel side stretchers. Internal measurement...
Brass, Steel
Birch Bark California King-Size Bedroom Set
Located in Coeur d'Alene, ID
Cisco's Adirondack root-style, natural lodge poles, brown birchbark with twig accent, antler handles, and pine cones. Comes with bedding. Measures: Bed 76" wide, post height 60". Six-drawer chest 64" wide x 19" deep x 48" high. Two matching nightstands...
Birch
$3,995
H 85 in W 65.5 in D 90.75 in
Henredon Georgian Carved Mahogany Four-Poster Queen Size Canopy Bed
By Henredon
Located in South Bend, IN
A gorgeous Georgian or Chippendale style four poster queen size canopy bed By Henredon USA, Circa 1980s Carved mahogany, with brass accents. Measures: 65.5"W x 90.75"D x 85"H. V...
Brass
$3,995
H 84.25 in W 65.75 in D 86.75 in
Milo Baughman Style Burl Wood Queen Size Canopy Bed by Henredon
By Henredon
Located in South Bend, IN
A gorgeous Milo Baughman style Mid-Century Modern canopy bed By Henredon, "Scene Two" Collection USA, 1980s Beautiful burled olive wood, with inla...
Ebony, Walnut, Burl
$2,238Sale Price|60% Off
H 35.44 in W 70.87 in D 86.62 in
Solid Brass Curved Bed Italian Design 1970s Lipparini Made in Italy Gold
By Lipparini
Located in Palermo, Sicily
Solid brass curved bed Italian design 1970s Lipparini made in Italy gold. Mattress measures cm.170 x 200
Brass
$5,236
H 35.44 in W 73.63 in D 78.75 in
Brass and Bronze Bed Frame Model "Greta" by Frigerio, Italy 1970s
Located in London, GB
Brass and bronze bed frame, model "Greta", by Frigerio, Italy 1970s. Bed frame comprising statement headboard finished in brass, with central cast br...
Metal, Brass, Bronze
Bed - Daybed Locus Solus by Gae Aulenti, 1960
By Gae Aulenti
Located in Milano, Lombardia
Made with high-quality materials and meticulous attention to detail, this Locus Solus daybed by Gae Aulenti offers not only comfort, but also style and sophistication. Its structure ...
Steel
Sold
H 21.26 in W 72.84 in D 88.19 in
1970s Space Age Fiberglass Bed by Astarte, Italy - Restored Design
Located in Argelato, BO
The bed is an iconic piece of Italian design from the 1970s, produced by Astarte Milano, a brand known for its Space Age-style creations. This style, which emerged in the post-war pe...
Fiberglass
Sold
H 12.21 in W 85.44 in D 69.69 in
Lit double vintage Space Age en métal tubulaire chromé des années 70
Located in BESANÇON, FR
Lit double vintage des années 70, style Space Age, en métal tubulaire chromé, très bon état général avec quelques micro-rayures de surface. Le tour de lit e...
Metal
Roger Rougier Lacquered Bed - Queen
Located in Hanover, MA
***SUMMER SALE*** Roger Rougier of Canada designed queen size platform floating bed with three section angled and illuminated headboard cabinet and ...
Glass, Mirror, Wood
Bed - Daybed Locus Solus by Gae Aulenti, 1960
By Gae Aulenti
Located in Milano, Lombardia
Made with high-quality materials and meticulous attention to detail, this Locus Solus daybed by Gae Aulenti offers not only comfort, but also style and sophistication. Its structure ...
Steel
Ettore Sottsass ELLEDUE double bed for Poltronova 1970s
Located in Padova, IT
Large and rare double bed by Ettore Sottsass from the 1970 MOBILI GRIGI series with the pair of headboard lamps. White colored resin frame reinforced with fibreglass. Poltronova Edition. External bed dimensions: Depth 261 cm, width 220 cm, height headboard high 71 cm, headboard low 40 cm. Mattress width 163 cm, depth 201 cm, mattress height 46 cm. Bed base dimensions 169 cm x 196 cm Headboard lights dimensions: cm height 29 width 76depht 14 c.a. Exhibits: Exhibitions: Sottsass. Projects 1946-2005, Mart, Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art of Trento and Rovereto, Rovereto. February-May 2005 Ettore Sottsass: A Master Returns, Barry Friedman Gallery...
Aluminum
Sold
H 36 in W 34 in D 77 in
Pair of Tubular Metal and Cane Beds in the style of Gae Aulenti, Italy 1970s
By Gae Aulenti
Located in Las Vegas, NV
Playful yet elegant pair of vintage Italian beds in red tubular metal with cane headboard. One has had the springs replaced. Knicks to frame but ca...
Metal
Space Age Daybed by Marc Held for Prisunic 1970
By Marc Held
Located in LYON, FR
Space Age daybed in white fibreglass by French designer Marc Held for Prisunic France 1970 This is a first edition model with a smooth inner surface without the ribs of the same mode...
Wool, Fiberglass, Rubber
Sold
H 50.25 in W 112 in D 92.5 in
Ello Queen Size Floating Bed System in Gunmetal Stainless & Smoked Mirror
Located in Hanover, MA
SATURDAY SALE Our most liked and saved piece, 1970 designed "Moods" illuminated floating platform bed with nightstands and headboard unit designed by O. B. Solie for Ello Furniture Mfg. Co. clad in gunmetal smoke tinted brushed stainless steel and smoked mirror. The seven piece headboard unit consists of a pair of double door nightstand cabinets (27.75" High x 24.75" Wide x 17" deep) flanking a queen headboard section (27.75" high by 62.5" wide by 8" deep). Standing atop the nightstands and headboard are four illuminated shelf...
Stainless Steel
Roger Rougier King Headboard Illuminated Pearlescent Lacquer & Lucite
Located in Hanover, MA
King size illuminated headboard with floating nightstands with single drawers and lucite slab shelves designed by Roger Rougier and...
Lucite, Wood, Lacquer
Sold
H 13.59 in W 35.24 in D 79.93 in
Italian Space Age Single Rectangular Bed in White Fiberglass, 1970s
Located in MIlano, IT
Italian space age Single rectangular bed in white fiberglass, 1970s Single rectangular bed with external structure entirely in white fiberglass and ro...
Metal
Sold
H 44.89 in W 88.59 in D 98.43 in
Italian Mid-Century Modern Space Age Bad Mod.Torso by P. Deganello, Cassina, 1982
Located in MIlano, IT
Italian Mid-Century Modern space age bad mod.Torso by P. Deganello, Cassina, 1982 Space Age bed mod. Torso with light blue metal tubular structure with ...
Metal