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.
Fabric Board by Verner Panton for Mira Spectrum, 1970S
Located in bruxelles, BE
Fabric board by Verner Panton in a wooden frame. Signed Verner Panton. Wear due to time and age. For shipping, request us for receive the best price.
Fabric, Wood
Fabric Board by Verner Panton for Mira Spectrum, 1970S
Located in bruxelles, BE
Fabric board by Verner Panton in a wooden frame. Signed Verner Panton. Wear due to time and age. For shipping, request us for receive the best price.
Fabric, Wood
Fabric Board by Verner Panton for Mira Spectrum, 1970S
Located in bruxelles, BE
Fabric painting by Verner Panton with a wooden card. Signed Verner Panton. Wear due to time and age. For shipping, request us for receive the best price.
Fabric, Wood
"Space bar" by WAS, Unique piece
Located in Marinha Grande, PT
"Space bar" by WAS Airplane trolley turned into an unique Artwork The trolley has been customized by the french artist WAS transforming it into a work...
Metal, Aluminum
$1,950
H 36.5 in W 14.5 in D 14.5 in
Moroccan Pedestal Table in Moorish Hand Painted Design Octagonal Shape 1960s
Located in Moreno Valley, CA
Vintage 1960s Moroccan pedestal table. hand painted Moroccan side table on a dark maroon background color with floral and geometric designs in blue and ochre colors. Moroccan octagon...
Wood
Early 19th Century American Folk Art Six-Board Blanket Chest.
Located in Vero Beach, FL
Early 19th Century American Folk Art Six-Board Blanket Chest Crafted from old-growth white pine with traditional nailed construction and classic bootjack ends. The exterior features...
Pine
Italianate Folding Screen by Artmax, Gold Leaf & Cream, 1980s, Italy
By Artmax
Located in Chattanooga, TN
Italianate 3 panel, double-sided, folding screen by ArtMax. The room divider blends Mediterranean botanical motifs with classical revival elements. Each panel features the same desig...
Hardwood, Paint
Wave Hand-Tufted Rug in Orange by Verner Panton
By Verpan, Verner Panton
Located in Horsens, DK
Seven Colored rectangular rug with organic pattern designed by Verner Panton. Material: 100% New Zealand's Wool Hand-tufted Color: Orange.
Wool
$2,587
H 58.27 in W 83.47 in D 1.19 in
Mid-Century Modern Italian Folding Four-Panel Decorated Screen by Enzo Strada
By Enzo Strada
Located in Prato, IT
Mid-Century Modern Italian folding four-panel screen with bucolic transfer painting. 1960s Each panel measures cm.53 x 3 x H 148.
Wood
Luna Hand-Tufted Rug in Dark Yellow by Verner Panton
By Verpan, Verner Panton
Located in Horsens, DK
Eight colored rug with organic circle pattern designed by Verner Panton. Material: 100% New Zealand wool Hand tufted Color: Tone-in-tone dark yellow.
Wool
$1,750
H 34 in W 37 in D 22 in
Antique American Blanket Chest, circa 1900, Hand-Painted by Lew Hudnall
Located in Houston, TX
Antique Americana- style North American blanket chest with hinged lid, circa 1900. Hand-painted with a stylized Federal Eagle on the front. One talon grasping arrows and the other an...
Wood, Paint
$23,500
H 89.5 in W 17.25 in D 9.75 in
New England Tall Case Clock, Wooden Works by Riley Whiting, ca 1819-1835
Located in York County, PA
Exuberantly painted, New England tall case clock in dark umber, red, & chrome yellow decoration, with wooden works by riley whiting, Plymouth, Connecticu...
Wood
Wave Hand-Tufted Rug in Gray by Verner Panton
By Verpan, Verner Panton
Located in Horsens, DK
Seven colored rectangular rug with organic pattern designed by Verner Panton. Material: 100% New Zealand's wool Hand-tufted Color: Gray.
Wool
$25,000
H 23 in W 52.5 in D 22.5 in
Dauphin County Pennsylvania Paint Decorated Dower Chest Made for Madlen Nafzer
Located in York County, PA
Dauphin County, Pennsylvania Paint-Decorated Dower Chest, Made for Madlen Nafzer in 1808 This colorful Pennsylvania German dower chest, with pinwheels and tiny flowers on Robin's egg blue tombstone panels, set on a salmon ground, was found with the descendents of Madlen Nafzer of Dauphin County, Pennsylvania. Passed down through her family for several generations, the chest is accompanied by a softbound book that details the history of the Nafzer family. It tells the basic story of the woman for whom the chest was made in 1808; of how her family arrived on American soil and of their subsequent moves from Pennsylvania to Ohio to Indiana with the migrating Pennsylvania Dutch Community. Past its striking color and decoration, one of the most spectacular things about this particular chest is its untouched paint surface and early condition. While a lateral portion of the left, back foot is absent, broken and lost during the family's possession, the back of the foot is present and extremely stabile. This had been broken, presumably at the same time, but the original piece was kept and I personally doweled it back into place. I made no attempt to replace the missing side portion, so that the chest could be kept in this unspoiled form, a rare thing among surviving Pennsylvania Dower chests...
Wood
Folk Art Painted Face Suitcase by Artist Ira Yeager
By Ira Yeager
Located in Rio Vista, CA
Whimsical folk art painted suitcase or valise featuring a striped canvas covered exterior with a painted face by artist Ira Yeager (American 1938-2022). The case is covered with vintage western European ports of call with a lovely aged, distressed patina. The interior has a green intact silk lining with pockets. Used as a prop in Yeager's Gallery studio in Calistoga, CA. Made by US manufacturer...
Metal
Fabric Board by Verner Panton for Mira Spectrum, 1970S
Located in bruxelles, BE
Fabric board by Verner Panton in a wooden frame. Signed Verner Panton. Wear due to time and age. For shipping, request us for receive the best price.
Fabric, Wood
Fabric Board by Verner Panton for Mira, 1970s
Located in bruxelles, BE
Fabric painting by Verner Panton with a wooden card. Signed Verner Panton. Wear due to time and age.
Fabric, Wood
Fabric Board by Verner Panton for Mira Spectrum, 1970S
Located in bruxelles, BE
Wooden frame containing a fabric board by Verner Panton. Signed Verner Panton. Wear due to time and age of the board.
Fabric, Wood
Verner Panton Style Fabric Board, 1970s
Located in bruxelles, BE
Wooden frame containing a Verner Panton style fabric. Wear due to time and age of the frame.
Fabric, Wood
Verner Panton Style Fabric Board, 1970s Set 2
Located in bruxelles, BE
Wooden frame containing a Verner Panton style fabric. Wear due to time and age of the frame.
Fabric, Wood
Verner Panton Style Fabric Board, 1970s
Located in bruxelles, BE
Wooden frame containing a Verner Panton style fabric. Wear due to time and age of the frame.
Fabric, Wood
Verner Panton Style Fabric Board, 1970s
Located in bruxelles, BE
Wooden frame containing a Verner Panton style fabric. Wear due to time and age of the frame.
Fabric, Wood