Large Stilnovo Flush Mount Light, Brass Spider Sputnik, Italy, 1960s
By J.T. Kalmar, Stilnovo
Located in Hausmannstätten, AT
An Italian 16-arm flush mount ceiling fixture by Stilnovo, manufactured in Midcentury. A solid polished brass frame in warm aged tone with white lacquered fittings with nice patina o...
Metal, Brass
Large 37cm Modernist Patinated Copper Stilnovo Style Hanging Light, Italy, 1970
By Stilnovo, Gio Ponti
Located in Kirchlengern, DE
Article: Hanging light Origin: Italy Age: 1960s This fantastic copper hanging light was designed and produced in 1970s in Italy. The shade is made of high quali...
Copper
$1,488Sale Price|20% Off
Large 92cm Midcentury Stilnovo Style Brass and Metal Hanging Light, Italy 1950
By Stilnovo, Gio Ponti
Located in Kirchlengern, DE
Article: Hanging light Origin: Italy Age: 1950s This fantastic hanging light was designed and produced in 1950s in Italy. The shades are made of metal with a nice formed li...
Metal, Brass
$2,326Sale Price|20% Off
Large 64cm Brass 12 Bulb Stilnovo Style Flush Mount Ceiling Light, Italy 1960s
By Gino Sarfatti, Stilnovo
Located in Kirchlengern, DE
Article: large brass ceiling light, flush mount Origin: Italy Age: 1960s This vintage modernist ceiling light was produced in the 1960s in Italy. The lights is made of s...
Metal, Brass
Large 1950s Italian Chandelier In Brass Attributed To Angelo Lelli
By Stilnovo, Arredoluce
Located in Shepperton, Surrey
A large, original 1950s Italian chandelier attributed to Angelo Lelli for Arredoluce. It also has similarities to Oscar Torlasco designs. This elegant chandelier has ten finely-wrou...
Brass
Large CUBIC Brass 9 Bulb Stilnovo Style Flush Mount Ceiling Light, Italy 1960s
By Gino Sarfatti, Stilnovo
Located in Kirchlengern, DE
Article: brass ceiling light, flush mount Origin: Italy Age: 1960s This vintage modernist ceiling light was produced in the 1960s in Italy. The lights is made of solid b...
Metal, Brass
Large CUBIC Brass 7 Bulb Stilnovo Style Flush Mount Ceiling Light, Italy 1970s
By Gino Sarfatti, Stilnovo
Located in Kirchlengern, DE
Article: brass ceiling light, flush mount Origin: Italy Age: 1970s This vintage modernist ceiling light was produced in the 1970s in Italy. The lights is made of solid b...
Metal, Brass
$1,876Sale Price|42% Off
Large Tube Brass 8 Bulb Stilnovo Style Flush Mount Ceiling Light, Italy 1960s
By Stilnovo, Gino Sarfatti
Located in Kirchlengern, DE
Article: brass ceiling light, flush mount Origin: Italy Age: 1960s This vintage modernist ceiling light was produced in the 1960s in Italy. The lights is made of solid b...
Metal, Brass
Large French Maison Lunel Arlus Mid-Century Modernist Art Deco Chandelier, 1960s
By Stilnovo, Arlus
Located in Coimbra, PT
Rare and gorgeous large sculptural Mid-Century Modernist French Art Deco attributed to Maison Arlus, gilt brass and ruby red Lucite Sputnik chandelier with eight light/ circa 1960, S...
Brass
Brass and Grey Opaline Murano Glass Large Modern Chandelier Stilnovo Style
Located in Rome, IT
Extraordinary Italian brass and light grey opaline sphere Murano glass chandelier. Inspired by Stilnovo, the iconic midcentury manufacturer. Available also a pair. The brass height...
Brass
Brass and Grey Opaline Murano Glass Large Modern Chandelier Stilnovo Style
Located in Rome, IT
Extraordinary Italian brass and light grey opaline sphere Murano glass chandelier. Inspired by Stilnovo, the iconic midcentury manufacturer. Available also a pair. The brass height...
Brass
Large Contemporary Italian Chandelier Brass and Glass, 12 Arms
By Angelo Lelii, Stilnovo
Located in Bochum, NRW
Trendy Mid Century Italian Style, this beautiful ceiling fixture impresses by its lines simplicity and clean design. 170x170x35 cm (WxDxH) Made of brass and with mate glass globe sh...
Brass
Large Three-Cone 'Lola II' Chandelier in White and Brass
By Stilnovo, Alvaro Benitez
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Large Three-Cone 'Lola II' chandelier in white and brass.
Metal, Brass
Large Modernist Maison Arlus Art Deco Sputnik Chandelier Stilnovo Gio Ponti Era
By Maison Lunel
Located in Coimbra, PT
Rare gorgeous large sculptural French Mid-Century Modernist French Art Deco attributed to Maison Lunel, gilt brass and ruby red Lucite Sputnik chandelier with eight lights/ circa 196...
Brass
Large 20-light Italian brass chandelier from the 1940s
By Arteluce, Oscar Torlasco, Stilnovo
Located in Varese, Lombardia
Vintage 20-lights chandelier made of brass in the 1940s. The chandelier is equipped with 10 E27 lamp holders for the outer ring of lights and with 10 E14 lamp holders for the inner r...
Brass
Midcentury Vintage Large Original Extreme Sputnik Chandelier
By Stilnovo, Gino Sarfatti, Arredoluce, Lightolier
Located in Chicago, IL
A great period example of a Midcentury Large Sputnik Chandelier. Not a reproduction. Uncertain to maker and origin. Possibly Italian. All original wiring. Will need to have inspect...
Brass
Large Italian 1950s Ceiling Lamp
By Stilnovo
Located in Milan, IT
Large Italian 1950s Ceiling Lamp
Metal, Aluminum
Large Three-Cone 'Lola II' Chandelier in White and Chrome
By Arteluce, Stilnovo, Alvaro Benitez
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Large three-cone 'Lola II' chandelier in white and chrome.
Chrome, Metal
Large Three-Cone 'Lola II' Chandelier in Black and Brass
By Arteluce, Alvaro Benitez, Stilnovo
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Large three-cone 'Lola II' chandelier in black and brass.
Metal, Brass
Large Three-Cone 'Lola II' Chandelier in White and Chrome
By Arteluce, Stilnovo, Alvaro Benitez
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Large three-cone 'Lola II' chandelier in white and chrome.
Chrome, Metal
Large Brass Pendant, circa 1950
By Stilnovo
Located in Vienna, AT
Large brass pendant from the 1940-1950s.The oversized cone-shaped body is made from a single polished sheet of brass, cut into strips that are attached to a brass ring on the bottom....
Brass, Steel
Large Italian Brass Cubist Chandelier by Gaetano Sciolari
By Stilnovo, Sciolari Lighting, Gaetano Sciolari
Located in Houston, TX
Large Italian brass cubist chandelier by Gaetano Sciolari. Stunning large Italian brass chandelier was designed by Gaetano Sciolari for Sciolari lighting in the mid to late 1960's. ...
Brass
Large Three-Cone 'Lola II' Chandelier in Black, White and Brass
By Alvaro Benitez, Arteluce, Stilnovo
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Large three-cone 'Lola II' chandelier in black, white and brass.
Metal, Brass
Large Three-Cone White and Brass Chandelier in the Style of Giuseppe Ostuni
By Stilnovo, Giuseppe Ostuni
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Large Three-Cone White and Brass Chandelier in the Style of Giuseppe Ostuni.
Metal, Brass
Large Italian Modern Chandelier with 10 Arms in Gino Sarfatti Style "Gaia"
By Stilnovo, Gino Sarfatti
Located in Ternay, Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes
Beautiful modern chandelier "Gaia" in Gino Sarfatti style, structure in brass with metal lampshades and opaline glasses. Ten lights. Finnish brass and color shades on request.
Metal, Brass
Large Ceiling Lamp in Opaline Glass and Brass, 1950's
By Stilnovo
Located in Limhamn, Skåne län
Large Ceiling Lamp in Opaline Glass and Brass, 1950's Additional Information: Material: Opaline glass, brass Style: Mid century, Italian Produced by Stilnovo in Italy Dimensions (W ...
Brass
One of Six Large Patinated Brass Pendant Lights, 1960s
By Stilnovo
Located in Hausmannstätten, AT
One of six large diabolo pendants with wonderful warm natural aged patina made of massive brass. In the style of Stilnovo, Italy, in 1960s. The price is per light. They are sold indi...
Brass
Set of Three Large Patinated Brass Pendant Lights, 1960s
By Stilnovo
Located in Hausmannstätten, AT
A set of three large diabolo pendants with wonderful warm natural aged patina made of massive brass, manufactured in Mid-Century, circa 1960. Each lamp has one socket for a medium or...
Brass
Large Teak and Opal Glass Pendant Lamp by Bent Karlby for Lyfa, Denmark, 1960s
By Stilnovo
Located in Hagenbach, DE
A striking large-scale pendant lamp designed by Bent Karlby for Lyfa, Denmark, in the 1960s. This elegant Scandinavian modern fixture features a generously proportioned opal glass sh...
Opaline Glass, Wood, Teak
Large Chandelier, Opaline Frosted White Milk Plexiglass Acrylic Brass, 1960s
By Stilnovo, Stilux, J.T. Kalmar, Rupert Nikoll
Located in Hausmannstätten, AT
An extra large 8-arm chandelier by Austrian light maker J.T. Kalmar manufactured in midcentury, crica 1960. The light is made of a solid and polished brass frame with curved arms. Ea...
Brass
Large Ten-Arm Chandelier Rupert Nikoll Brass Wood Opaline Glass, Austria, 1950s
By J.T. Kalmar, Stilnovo, Rupert Nikoll
Located in Hausmannstätten, AT
A beautiful and large ten-arm chandelier by Rupert Nikoll, Vienna, fmanufactured in Mid-Century, circa 1960 (late 1950s or early 1960s). A nice mixture of materials: large opaline /...
Brass
Large Gerald Thurston for Lightolier Brass, Iron and Glass Chandelier
By Gaetano Sciolari, Stilnovo, Gerald Thurston, Lightolier, Sciolari Lighting
Located in Houston, TX
Large Gerald Thurston for Lightolier brass, Iron and glass chandelier. Rare large Mid-Century Modern chandelier by Gerald Thurston for Lightolier. This stunning modernist chandelier...
Brass, Iron
Pair of Large Italian Acrylic and Teak Pendants, 1960s
By Stilnovo, Arredoluce
Located in Vienna, AT
Rare pair of large Italian pendants from the 1960s. The body is composed of three triangular-shaped acrylic sheets joined together by teak blocks and suspended by the wires which lea...
Aluminum
Large Hans-Agne Jakobsson 'Patricia T372/24' Chandelier, Markaryd, Sweden 1960s
By Hans-Agne Jakobsson, Stilnovo, J.T. Kalmar, AB Markaryd, Kalmar Lighting
Located in Hausmannstätten, AT
A fantatsic and extra large 24-arm chandelier model 'Patricia T372/24' designed by Hans-Agne Jakobsson for Swedish light maker AB Markaryd manufactured in midcentury, crica 1960. The...
Brass
$5,880Sale Price|20% Off
Large Italian Mid-Century Modern Brass Sunburst Flush Mount Pendant by Stilnovo
Located in New York, NY
Sober, Italian Mid-Century Modern Neoclassical antique solid brass chandelier / pendant in the form a star burst or sunburst with ten arms by Stilnovo. Can be suspended to desired ...
Brass
$2,695Sale Price|32% Off
1950s Large 26 Arms Brass Sputnik, USA
By Stilnovo, Gino Sarfatti
Located in St- Leonard, Quebec
Genuine 1950s Sputnik with a bold personality and a lot of presence. 26 arms of different lenght create this chandelier burst in all direction. Solid, well made structure and...
Brass
Large Mid-Century Modern Italian Glass Pendant or Flush Mount Light, Stilnovo St
Located in Antwerp, BE
Elegant and playful Italian mid-century modern pendant light or semi flush mount ceiling fixture from the 1950s or 1960s. The large circular opaline glass shade is decorated with an ...
Brass
Large Modern Suspension, Hans Agne Jakobsson Style, 19 Lights
By Stilnovo, Hans-Agne Jakobsson
Located in Ternay, Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes
Splendid contemporary chandelier in the style of Hans-Agne Jakobsson. Made by our craftsman with brass and 19 opalines glasses. Adjustable height E14 bulb (15w) Can be customized....
Brass
Large Brass Stilnovo Style Hanging Chandelier Light Sconces, Italy 1950s
By Gio Ponti, Stilnovo
Located in Kirchlengern, DE
Article: hanging light Producer: Origin Italy in the manner of STILNOVO Age: 1950s This modernist light was produced in Italy in the 1950s. It is made fro...
Metal, Brass
Rare Large Multicolored Pendant lamp by Gilardi & Barzaghi, Italy 1950's
By Gino Sarfatti, Stilnovo, Arteluce, Gilardi & Barzaghi, Giuseppe Ostuni
Located in Den Haag, NL
Rare Lare Multicolored Gilardi & Barzaghi Pendant lamp, Italy 1960's All Shades swivels at two points and can be rotated from side to side and be moved up or down. A real eye-ca...
Aluminum, Brass
$6,320Sale Price|20% Off
Large Mid-Century Modern Brass Sputnik Spider Chandelier Pendant Light, 1960s
By J.T. Kalmar, Arteluce, Stilnovo
Located in Hausmannstätten, AT
An impressive and extra large Mid-Century Modern brass spider light fixture or chandelier with 24 curved arms attributed to Stilnovo, Italy, manufactured circa 1960 (late 1950s or ea...
Brass
large 12-armed solid Brass ceiling light Chandelier by WKR Lights, Germany 1970s
By Gino Sarfatti, Stilnovo, WKR Leuchten, Gio Ponti
Located in Kirchlengern, DE
Article: brass ceiling light Origin: Germany Age: 1970s This vintage modernist light was produced in the 1970s in Germany by WKR Leuchten. The lights is made of metal and...
Metal, Brass
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.
Chandeliers — simple in form, inspired by candelabras and originally made of wood or iron — first made an appearance in early churches. For those wealthy enough to afford them for their homes in the medieval period, a chandelier's suspended lights likely exuded imminent danger, as lit candles served as the light source for fixtures of the era. Things have thankfully changed since then, and antique chandeliers and pendant lights are popular in many interiors today.
While gas lighting during the late 18th century represented an upgrade for chandeliers — and gas lamps would long inspire Danish architect and pioneering modernist lighting designer Poul Henningsen — it would eventually be replaced with the familiar electric lighting of today.
The key difference between a pendant light and a chandelier is that a pendant incorporates only a single bulb into its design. Don’t mistake this for simplicity, however. An Art Deco–styled homage to Sputnik from Murano glass artisans Giovanni Dalla Fina, with handcrafted decorative elements supported by a chrome frame, is just one stunning example of the elaborate engineering that can be incorporated into every component of a chandelier. (Note: there is more than one lighting fixture that shares its name with the iconic mid-century-era satellite — see Gino Sarfatti’s design too.)
Chandeliers have evolved over time, but their classic elegance has remained unchanged.
Not only will the right chandelier prove impressive in a given room, but it can also offer a certain sense of practicality. These fixtures can easily illuminate an entire space, while their elevated position prevents them from creating glare or straining one’s eyes.
Certain materials, like glass, can complement naturally lit settings without stealing the show. Brass, on the other hand, can introduce an alluring, warm glow. While LEDs have earned a bad reputation for their perceived harsh bluish lights and a loss of brightness over their life span, the right design choices can help harness their lighting potential and create the perfect mood. A careful approach to lighting can transform your room into a peaceful and cozy nook, ideal for napping, reading or working.
For midsize spaces, a wall light or sconce can pull the room together and get the lighting job done. Perforated steel rings underneath five bands of handspun aluminum support a rich diffusion of light within Alvar Aalto's Beehive pendant light, but if you’re looking to brighten a more modest room, perhaps a minimalist solution is what you’re after. The mid-century modern furniture designer Charlotte Perriand devised her CP-1 wall lamps in the 1960s, in which a repositioning of sheet-metal plates can redirect light as needed.
The versatility and variability of these lighting staples mean that, when it comes to finding something like the perfect chandelier, you’ll never be left hanging. From the natural world-inspired designs of the Art Nouveau era to the classic beauty of Paul Ferrante's fixtures, there is a style for every room.
With designs for pendant lights and chandeliers across eras, colors and materials, you’ll never run out of options to explore on 1stDibs — shop a collection today that includes antique Art Deco chandeliers, Stilnovo chandeliers, Baccarat chandeliers and more.
The alluring pendant light exemplifies the designer’s winsome mid-career work.
Patrizio Chiarparini of Brooklyn’s Duplex gallery sheds light on the lasting legacy of Italy’s postwar furniture boom.
There are many lessons to be learned from the lofts, apartments and townhouses of architects and decorators in Manhattan and beyond.
Having created extravagant homes for reality TV’s biggest stars, the designer is stepping into the spotlight with his first book.
The Louisiana-born and -bred architect talks to 1stdibs about the art of making timeless places that matter.
The Palm Springs interior decorator developed a mid-century style that defined the vacation homes of celebrities and other notables, including Bob Hope and Lucille Ball.
The houses from this New York studio cloak modernist tendencies within what are often more traditional trappings.
In the market for a fantastic fixture from the 1940s, ’50s or ’60s? Here are some names to know.