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Rare Mid Century Coffee Table

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Rare Mid-Century Coffee Table by Max Kment, 1950s
By Kunstgewerbliche Werkstätte Max Kment, Max Kment
Located in SAINT-OUEN-SUR-SEINE, FR
Rare Mid-Century beech wood coffee table / side table by Max Kment for manufacturer
Category

Vintage 1950s Austrian Mid-Century Modern Coffee and Cocktail Tables

Materials

Wicker, Glass, Beech

Herbert Hirche for Rosenthal Rare Midcentury Coffee Tables, 1970s, Germany
By Herbert Hirche, Rosenthal
Located in Biebergemund, Hessen
Beautiful and rare Herbert Hirche coffee or side tables, manufactured by ROSENTHAL in the 1970s
Category

Mid-20th Century German Mid-Century Modern Coffee and Cocktail Tables

Materials

Metal, Copper

Burl and Walnut Coffee Table by Edward Wormley for Dunbar
By Edward Wormley, Dunbar Furniture
Located in New York, NY
Rare midcentury coffee table, designed by Edward Wormley for Dunbar. The table features a stunning
Category

Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Coffee and Cocktail Tables

Materials

Walnut, Burl

Rare Mid-Century Brazilian Coffee Table, circa 1960s
Located in LAGUNA BEACH, CA
Rare Mid-Century Brazilian Coffee Table, Brazilian 'Jacaranda' Rosewood and travertine marble
Category

Vintage 1960s Brazilian Mid-Century Modern Coffee and Cocktail Tables

Materials

Travertine

Rare French Mid-Century Suspended Organic Form Coffee Table
By Jean Royère
Located in New York, NY
A rare and important French Mid-Century Modern cocktail table. This exceptional piece features an
Category

Mid-20th Century French Mid-Century Modern Coffee and Cocktail Tables

Materials

Wrought Iron

Century Chinoserie Rattan Wood Monumental Coffee Table
By Century Furniture
Located in Fort Lauderdale, FL
On offer on this occasion is one of the most stunnin, sculptural wood and cane top coffee table you
Category

21st Century and Contemporary American Chinoiserie Coffee and Cocktail T...

Materials

Rattan, Wood

Danish Mid Century Henning Kjaernulf Rare Large Coffee Table
By Vejle Stole & Møbelfabrik, Henning Kjærnulf
Located in San Diego, CA
Beautiful Mid-Century Modern large coffee table, by Henning Kjærnullf for Vejle Støle & Møbelfabrik
Category

20th Century Danish Scandinavian Modern Coffee and Cocktail Tables

Materials

Teak

Rare Mid-Century Modern Italian Travertine Coffee Table, circa 1970
Located in Philadelphia, PA
A rare Mid-Century Modern Italian travertine coffee table. The top has turned corners and is
Category

Vintage 1970s Italian Coffee and Cocktail Tables

Materials

Travertine

A Mid-Century Modern Coffee Table
Located in Chicago, IL
An Italian mid-century coffee table made from burlwood veneer in contrasting shades. The burl is
Category

Mid-20th Century Italian Mid-Century Modern Coffee and Cocktail Tables

Materials

Burl

A Mid-Century Modern Coffee Table
A Mid-Century Modern Coffee Table
H 17 in W 47.5 in D 47.5 in
Mid Century Coffee Table, 1960s
Located in Praha, CZ
- Rare type.
Category

Vintage 1960s Czech Mid-Century Modern Coffee and Cocktail Tables

Materials

Glass, Wood

Mid Century Coffee Table, 1960s
Mid Century Coffee Table, 1960s
H 23.63 in Dm 29.14 in
Rare Mid-Century Modern Cityscape Paul Evans "L" Shaped Coffee Table
By Paul Evans
Located in Brooklyn, NY
A stunning "L" shaped cityscape design signed by Paul Evans. This elegant vintage modern coffee
Category

Vintage 1970s North American Mid-Century Modern Coffee and Cocktail Tables

Materials

Chrome

Rare Round Mid-Century Italian Table Coffe Wood Glass Often Green Cesare Lacca
By Cesare Lacca
Located in Palermo, Sicily
Rare Round Mid-century Italian table coffee wood glass often green Cesare Lacca.
Category

Vintage 1950s Italian Mid-Century Modern Coffee and Cocktail Tables

Materials

Art Glass, Walnut

Rare Mid-Century Modern Tulip Base Marble Coffee Table by Honsel, Germany, 1960s
By Honsel
Located in Munich, DE
Amazing, elegant and rare Mid-Century Modern tulip base coffee table or sofa table. Designed and
Category

Vintage 1960s German Mid-Century Modern Coffee and Cocktail Tables

Materials

Marble, Aluminum

Mid-Century Modern 1970s Danish Coffee Table
Located in London, GB
A rare Modernist coffee table of Danish design, circa 1970, the surface constructed of mahogany
Category

Mid-20th Century Danish Mid-Century Modern Coffee and Cocktail Tables

Materials

Glass, Mahogany

Mid-Century Modern 1970s Danish Coffee Table
Mid-Century Modern 1970s Danish Coffee Table
H 15.44 in W 71.07 in D 34.93 in
Rare Tommi Parzinger Mid-Century Modern Cocktail Table and Stools
By Tommi Parzinger
Located in Bridgeport, CT
Tommi Parzinger Mid-Century Modern two-tier cocktail table with stained walnut top featuring an
Category

Mid-20th Century Mid-Century Modern Coffee and Cocktail Tables

Materials

Walnut

Mid-Century Modern Brass Lotus Coffee Table
Located in Weesp, NL
Mid-Century Modern stylish Lotus coffee table in fantastic condition. A truly rare and stylish
Category

Vintage 1970s French Mid-Century Modern Coffee and Cocktail Tables

Materials

Brass

Mid-Century Modern Brass Lotus Coffee Table
Mid-Century Modern Brass Lotus Coffee Table
H 16.15 in W 41.74 in D 41.74 in
Mid 20th Century Danish Rosewood Coffee Table
Located in London, GB
A beautiful and rare rosewood coffee table, boasting a simplistic elegance through it's waterfall
Category

Vintage 1960s Danish Mid-Century Modern Coffee and Cocktail Tables

Materials

Rosewood

Mid 20th Century Danish Rosewood Coffee Table
Mid 20th Century Danish Rosewood Coffee Table
H 17.72 in W 50.01 in D 20.87 in
Rare Bamboo Glass Coffee Table
Located in Brooklyn, NY
Unique long coffee table with metal frame and bamboo trim. Metal frame has a great shape and the
Category

Mid-20th Century Mid-Century Modern Coffee and Cocktail Tables

Materials

Chrome

Rare Bamboo Glass Coffee Table
Rare Bamboo Glass Coffee Table
H 14 in W 56 in D 30 in
Mid-Century Italian Marmorino Coffee Table, 1950s
Located in Oud Beijerland, NL
Very nice and rare Italian coffee table of the 50's in Italy. It is made of Marmorino, traditional
Category

Vintage 1950s Italian Mid-Century Modern Coffee and Cocktail Tables

Materials

Plaster

Mid-Century Italian Marble Coffee Table, 1950s
Located in Oud Beijerland, NL
Beautiful coffee table with gorgeous elegant marble top and metallic legs with brass tips. Made in
Category

Vintage 1950s Italian Mid-Century Modern Coffee and Cocktail Tables

Materials

Marble, Brass, Metal

Mid-Century Italian Marble Coffee Table, 1950s
Mid-Century Italian Marble Coffee Table, 1950s
H 18.12 in W 45.67 in D 22.05 in
Mid-Century Italian Marble Coffee Table, 1950s
Located in Oud Beijerland, NL
Beautiful coffee table with gorgeous elegant marble top and metallic legs with brass tips. Made in
Category

Vintage 1950s Italian Mid-Century Modern Coffee and Cocktail Tables

Materials

Marble, Brass, Metal

Mid-Century Italian Marble Coffee Table, 1950s
Mid-Century Italian Marble Coffee Table, 1950s
H 19.69 in W 35.44 in D 15.75 in
Rare Danish Extending Coffee Table
By Severin Hansen
Located in Brooklyn, NY
Mid-Century Modern teak table with extending leaves. In addition to the great modern style, tapered
Category

Vintage 1960s Danish Mid-Century Modern Coffee and Cocktail Tables

Materials

Wood

Rare Danish Extending Coffee Table
Rare Danish Extending Coffee Table
H 20 in W 82 in D 23.5 in
Rare Finn Juhl Coffee Table
By Finn Juhl
Located in San Francisco, CA
Finn Juhl design FJ 57 coffee table for Niels Vodder, Denmark. Top made from highly figured teak
Category

Vintage 1950s Danish Mid-Century Modern Coffee and Cocktail Tables

Rare Finn Juhl Coffee Table
Rare Finn Juhl Coffee Table
H 16 in W 35.5 in D 35.5 in
French Mid 20th Century Gilt Iron Coffee Table
Located in Benington, Herts
A rare and decorative mid 20th Century gilt iron coffee table with glass inset top. French circa
Category

Vintage 1950s French Mid-Century Modern Coffee and Cocktail Tables

Materials

Iron

Italian Mid-Century Modern Rationalist Coffee Table, 1950s
Located in Milan, IT
Italian Mid-Century Modern Rationalist coffee table 1950s Rare lacquered wood low table in two
Category

Vintage 1950s Italian Mid-Century Modern Coffee and Cocktail Tables

Materials

Metal

Mid-Century Modern Jatoba and Brass Coffee Table
Located in Weesp, NL
Jatoba and brass Mid-Century coffee table. Stylish and classy coffee table produced in northern
Category

Vintage 1960s Italian Mid-Century Modern Coffee and Cocktail Tables

Materials

Brass

Unique Mid-Century Two-Tier Mahogany Coffee Table
Located in Brooklyn, NY
Rare Mid-Century Modern two-tier coffee table with cantilever floating top design and copper
Category

Vintage 1950s American Mid-Century Modern Coffee and Cocktail Tables

Materials

Copper

Mid-Century Emiel Veranneman Osaka Coffee Table, 1955
By Emiel Veranneman
Located in Antwerpen, Antwerp
Here a rare and all original 1955 'Osaka' Coffee table designed by Emiel Veranneman. This coffee
Category

20th Century Belgian Mid-Century Modern Coffee and Cocktail Tables

Materials

Glass, Wood

Rare asymmetrical beveled top coffee table
By Edward Wormley
Located in New York, NY
Rare asymmetrical beveled top coffee table with three conoid legs joined by curvilinear brass
Category

Vintage 1950s American Mid-Century Modern Coffee and Cocktail Tables

Materials

Brass

Magnificent Tile Top Coffee Table, Mid-Century Modern
Located in Pemberton, NJ
Tile top coffee table with magnificent splayed legs. This is one of those pieces that actually
Category

Vintage 1950s Italian Mid-Century Modern Coffee and Cocktail Tables

Materials

Ceramic, Walnut

Rare 1960's Plywood Coffee Table
Located in Asbury Park, NJ
1960's Russian made plywood coffee table. Rarely do you see this example for sale. It was
Category

Vintage 1960s Unknown Mid-Century Modern Coffee and Cocktail Tables

Materials

Plywood

Rare 1960's Plywood Coffee Table
Rare 1960's Plywood Coffee Table
H 16 in W 19.625 in D 39.25 in
Mid-Century French Coffee Table by Claude Delor, 1950s
By Claude Delor
Located in HEVERLEE, BE
Very rare mid century modern coffee table by Claude Delor. The coffee table is made out of a black
Category

Vintage 1950s French Mid-Century Modern Coffee and Cocktail Tables

Materials

Metal

Rare Glass Coffee Table by Colli
By Gio Ponti
Located in Sag Harbor, NY
Rare glass coffee tableby Pierluigi Colli. Edged glass top with etched motifs on bent metal base.
Category

Vintage 1940s Italian Mid-Century Modern Coffee and Cocktail Tables

Rare Glass Coffee Table by Colli
Rare Glass Coffee Table by Colli
H 20 in W 38 in D 21 in
Rare Coffee Table in Rosewood, Danish Architect, circa 1960
Located in Aalsgaarde, DK
Rare coffee table in massive rosewood (palisander), legs in steel and rosewood. Made by a Danish
Category

Mid-20th Century Danish Mid-Century Modern Coffee and Cocktail Tables

Materials

Rosewood

Rare Coffe Table Attributed to Borsani
By Osvaldo Borsani
Located in Piacenza, Italy
Wood and glass coffee table attributed to Osvaldo Borsani. Elegant low table with peculiar shape
Category

Vintage 1940s Italian Mid-Century Modern Coffee and Cocktail Tables

Materials

Glass, Wood

Peter Ghyczy Coffee Table Rare Model
By Peter Ghyczy, Ghyczy
Located in Oostrum-Venray, NL
This is a very rare model coffee table, we contacted Peter Ghyczy, who told us that this table was
Category

1990s Dutch Mid-Century Modern Coffee and Cocktail Tables

Materials

Brass

Peter Ghyczy Coffee Table Rare Model
Peter Ghyczy Coffee Table Rare Model
H 15.75 in W 36.62 in D 28.75 in
Mario Gottardi, Rationalist Mid-Century Modern Coffee Table, 1950
By Mario Gottardi
Located in Milan, IT
Mario Gottardi, Rationalist Mid-Century Modern coffee table, 1950. Mid-century incredible coffee
Category

Vintage 1950s Italian Mid-Century Modern Coffee and Cocktail Tables

Materials

Wood, Lacquer

Rare 18th Century Black Coromandel Panel Chinese Coffee Table
Located in Montreal, QC
Rare mid-18th century Chinese coromandel panel featuring numerous immortals and figures from Daoist
Category

Antique 1730s Chinese Coffee and Cocktail Tables

Materials

Wood

Mid Century Bronze Crane Heron Cocktail Coffee Table
By Willy Daro
Located in Palm Springs, CA
see this style table especially a pair. Has the classic mid century vibe and design. The overall size
Category

Vintage 1950s Austrian Coffee and Cocktail Tables

Materials

Bronze

Ron Seff Mid-Century Modern Polished Steel Chrome Rattan Glass Coffee Table
By Ron Seff
Located in Dayton, OH
"Mid century modern Ron Seff radius leg coffee or cocktail table featuring polished steel / chrome
Category

Mid-20th Century Mid-Century Modern Coffee and Cocktail Tables

Materials

Chrome

Redwood Mid Century Modern Wood Slat Coffee Table / Bench
Located in Brooklyn, NY
This super rare quality coffee table is constructed with Redwood from California in the 1960s
Category

Vintage 1960s North American Mid-Century Modern Coffee and Cocktail Tables

Materials

Hardwood

1950's Joaquim Tenreiro Rare Coffee Table
By Joaquim Tenreiro
Located in New York, NY
Joaquim Tenreiro's coffee table stands as a rare and unique piece within the realm of mid-20th
Category

Mid-20th Century Brazilian Coffee and Cocktail Tables

Materials

Glass, Wood

1950's Joaquim Tenreiro Rare Coffee Table
1950's Joaquim Tenreiro Rare Coffee Table
H 13 in W 59.06 in D 25.99 in
Rare Jørgen Høj Coffee Table, Denmark, 1960s
By A. Mikael Laursen, Jorgen Hoj
Located in London, GB
Rare Jørgen Høj coffee table for A. Mikael Laursen, Aarhus, Denmark, 1960s. Ships worldwide
Category

Mid-20th Century Danish Mid-Century Modern Coffee and Cocktail Tables

Materials

Steel

Rare Jørgen Høj Coffee Table, Denmark, 1960s
Rare Jørgen Høj Coffee Table, Denmark, 1960s
H 15.75 in W 39.38 in D 39.38 in
Rare Danish Teak Skinny Accent / Coffee Table with Pair Nesting Tables
Located in Kensington, MD
Rare Danish Teak Skinny Accent / Coffee Table with Pair Nesting Tables Additional information
Category

Mid-20th Century Mid-Century Modern Coffee and Cocktail Tables

Materials

Teak

Mid Century Round Coffee Table Charles Eames Herman Miller
By Charles Eames, Herman Miller
Located in Baltimore, MD
Rare 1950's coffee table designed by Charles Eames for Herman Miller, early production, Aluminum
Category

Vintage 1950s American Mid-Century Modern Coffee and Cocktail Tables

Materials

Metal

Rare Chrome Tubular Coffe Table, France, 1970s
Located in L'Escala, ES
Rare and beautiful chrome tubular and smoke glasse coffee table or end table manufactured in France
Category

Mid-20th Century French Coffee and Cocktail Tables

Materials

Chrome

Rare Chrome Tubular Coffe Table, France, 1970s
Rare Chrome Tubular Coffe Table, France, 1970s
H 20.08 in W 40.16 in D 17.33 in
Mid-Century Modern Brazilian Jacaranda Coffee Table by Sergio Rodrigues
By Sergio Rodrigues
Located in BROOKLYN, NY
Rare Mid-Century Modern Sergio Rodrigues solid jacaranda wood coffee table. Beautiful design all
Category

Vintage 1970s Brazilian Mid-Century Modern Coffee and Cocktail Tables

Materials

Jacaranda

Rare Philip & Kelvin LaVerne Erotica Coffee Table
By Philip and Kelvin LaVerne
Located in New York, NY
A Rare Philip & Kelvin LaVerne Erotica Coffee table of unusual design. This highly important and
Category

Vintage 1970s American Mid-Century Modern Coffee and Cocktail Tables

Materials

Bronze, Pewter

Mid Century Brutalist Teak Coffee Table Pierre Chapo style, 70s
By Pierre Chapo
Located in Leamington Spa, GB
. Original mid-century. Made of teak. Unusual square shape. The table has a solid reddish brown teak top
Category

Mid-20th Century European Brutalist Coffee and Cocktail Tables

Materials

Oak, Teak

Rare Coffee Table by Phillip Lloyd Powell
By Phillip Lloyd Powell
Located in Pawtucket, RI
Rare slate-topped coffee table with stack laminated walnut base from the studio of noted American
Category

Vintage 1960s American Mid-Century Modern Coffee and Cocktail Tables

Materials

Slate, Gold Leaf

Rare Coffee Table by Phillip Lloyd Powell
Rare Coffee Table by Phillip Lloyd Powell
H 19.5 in W 33.5 in D 43.5 in
Rare John Vesey X-Base Coffee Table
By John Vesey
Located in Danville, CA
Rare neoclassical modern coffee table in aluminum and brass by John Vesey. The two X-form legs with
Category

Vintage 1960s American Mid-Century Modern Coffee and Cocktail Tables

Materials

Aluminum, Brass

Mid Century Ercol Blonde coffee table with magazine rack, 1950s 1960s
By Lucian Ercolani, Ercol
Located in Leamington Spa, GB
Unique repurposed Rare model 393 breakfast table into a coffee table. Designed by Lucian Ercolani
Category

Mid-20th Century British Mid-Century Modern Coffee and Cocktail Tables

Materials

Beech, Elm

Mid-Century Triangular Italian Coffee Table, By Fratelli Reguitti, Italy 1960s
By (After) Gio Ponti, Fratelli Reguitti
Located in Roma, IT
Fantastic Mid-Century coffee table in beech wood. This fantastic object was produced in Italy in
Category

Mid-20th Century Italian Mid-Century Modern Coffee and Cocktail Tables

Materials

Wood, Beech, Walnut

Hollywood Regancy Romeo Rega Coffee Table Brass Chrome Mid Century
By Maison Charles
Located in Berlin, BE
Extremely rare Romeo Rega coffee table with 4 side tables in brassed and chromed steel. Very
Category

Mid-20th Century French Hollywood Regency Coffee and Cocktail Tables

Materials

Brass, Steel, Chrome

Maison Charles France Coffee Table Chrome Mid Century Hollywood Regancy
By Maison Charles
Located in Berlin, BE
Extremely rare Maison Charles coffee table with 4 side tables in chromed steel. Very handy
Category

Mid-20th Century French Hollywood Regency Coffee and Cocktail Tables

Materials

Steel, Chrome

Rare Mid-Century Danish Modern C. B. Hansens Etablissement Table
By C.B.Hansen
Located in Forney, TX
Rare, elegant and sophisticated, this very fine quality vintage table by the acclaimed Danish royal
Category

Mid-20th Century Danish Louis XV Coffee and Cocktail Tables

Materials

Bronze, Ormolu

Mid Century Modern Edward Wormley for Dunbar Carpathian Elm Coffee Table
By Dunbar Furniture, Edward Wormley
Located in Chicago, IL
Mid Century Modern Edward Wormley for Dunbar Carpathian Elm Coffee Table A beautiful and rare
Category

Vintage 1950s American Mid-Century Modern Coffee and Cocktail Tables

Materials

Elm, Burl

French Mid Century Coffee Table by Claude Delor, 1950's
By Claude Delor
Located in Oud Beijerland, NL
Rare and very nice round coffee table by Claude Delor. This stunning French piece is designed and
Category

Vintage 1950s French Mid-Century Modern Coffee and Cocktail Tables

Materials

Steel, Brass

Mid Century Modern Adrian Pearsall Walnut Glass Jacks Coffee Table 1960s
By Adrian Pearsall
Located in Troy, MI
Mid Century Adrian Pearsall Jacks coffee table circa 1960s Rare 8 point solid walnut base and
Category

Vintage 1960s American Mid-Century Modern Coffee and Cocktail Tables

Materials

Glass, Walnut

George Nelson, Rare Coffee Table, Walnut, USA, 1946
By George Nelson, Herman Miller
Located in High Point, NC
A very rare modular walnut coffee table, Model 4651, designed by George Nelson and produced by
Category

Vintage 1940s American Mid-Century Modern Coffee and Cocktail Tables

Materials

Walnut

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Rare Mid Century Coffee Table For Sale on 1stDibs

Find many varieties of an authentic rare mid century coffee table available at 1stDibs. A rare mid century coffee table — often made from wood, metal and glass — can elevate any home. Whether you’re looking for an older or newer rare mid century coffee table, there are earlier versions available from the 18th Century and newer variations made as recently as the 21st Century. Each rare mid century coffee table bearing Mid-Century Modern, Scandinavian Modern or Hollywood Regency hallmarks is very popular. You’ll likely find more than one rare mid century coffee table that is appealing in its simplicity, but Philip and Kelvin LaVerne, Paul McCobb and Dunbar produced versions that are worth a look.

How Much is a Rare Mid Century Coffee Table?

A rare mid century coffee table can differ in price owing to various characteristics — the average selling price 1stDibs is $4,787, while the lowest priced sells for $1 and the highest can go for as much as $65,000.

A Close Look at Mid-Century Modern Furniture

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 legendary 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.

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.

Finding the Right coffee-tables-cocktail-tables for You

As a practical focal point in your living area, antique and vintage coffee tables and cocktail tables are an invaluable addition to any interior.

Low tables that were initially used as tea tables or coffee tables have been around since at least the mid- to late-1800s. Early coffee tables surfaced in Victorian-era England, likely influenced by the use of tea tables in Japanese tea gardens. In the United States, furniture makers worked to introduce low, long tables into their offerings as the popularity of coffee and “coffee breaks” took hold during the late 19th century and early 20th century.

It didn’t take long for coffee tables and cocktail tables to become a design staple and for consumers to recognize their role in entertaining no matter what beverages were being served. Originally, these tables were as simple as they are practical — as high as your sofa and made primarily of wood. In recent years, however, metal, glass and plastics have become popular in coffee tables and cocktail tables, and design hasn’t been restricted to the conventional low profile, either.

Visionary craftspeople such as Paul Evans introduced bold, geometric designs that challenge the traditional idea of what a coffee table can be. The elongated rectangles and wide boxy forms of Evans’s desirable Cityscape coffee table, for example, will meet your needs but undoubtedly prove imposing in your living space.

If you’re shopping for an older coffee table to bring into your home — be it an antique Georgian-style coffee table made of mahogany or walnut with decorative inlays or a classic square mid-century modern piece comprised of rosewood designed by the likes of Ettore Sottsass — there are a few things you should keep in mind.

Both the table itself and what you put on it should align with the overall design of the room, not just by what you think looks fashionable in isolation. According to interior designer Tamara Eaton, the material of your vintage coffee table is something you need to consider. “With a glass coffee table, you also have to think about the surface underneath, like the rug or floor,” she says. “With wood and stone tables, you think about what’s on top.”

Find the perfect centerpiece for any room, no matter what your personal furniture style on 1stDibs. Browse a vast selection of antique, new and vintage coffee table and cocktail tables today.