While John B. Salterini designed ornate wrought-iron garden furniture for patios and lawns, he specifically sought to match the forms of indoor furniture and also advocated the use of his furniture indoors “because it brings into your home the freshness and gaiety of a flowery summer garden” (per his print advertisements).
After emigrating from Italy to New York, Salterini worked in journalism at first, editing a newspaper in Syracuse. When he moved to New York City, he worked in glass manufacturing and then entered into the production of wrought-iron furniture as a partner in Salterini & Gallo. When that company shuttered, he launched his own eponymous firm in 1934, eventually offering some of the most exquisite, high-end outdoor furniture of the mid-century period.
Over the course of his career, Salterini designed a wide range of furniture, from tables and chairs to chaise longues, ottomans and benches. And his influences were equally wide as well. His work is often identified as mid-century modern — the Clamshell line, designed for Salterini’s company by like-minded Italian architect and industrial designer Maurizio Tempestini, boasts soft curves and cocoon-like shells that strike a sharp contrast with the solidity of wrought iron and resemble the zany chair designs emerging during the postwar period from designers like Pierre Paulin and Arne Jacobsen.
The furniture from John B. Salterini Company also combined organic and geometric forms, one of the mid-century design movement’s defining features. But Salterini was equally influenced by the Gothic Revival and Art Deco movements, incorporating their signature flourishes like intricate lace-like patterns, delicate vine leaves and protruding scrolls into his French Provincial Group’s glass-topped tables and chairs. One of his most ornate and ostentatious designs is the Peacock double chaise longue, with its elaborate spokes and arching back.
The postwar boom in prosperity and leisure time led to the expansion of the home to include patios, which needed to be furnished with stylish outdoor furniture.
Wrought iron was considered the best material for outdoor use because of its comparative lightness and pliability to other metals. The term “wrought” means made by hand, as opposed to “cast” iron, which was made using molds. Salterini’s high-end handcrafted furniture, with names like Park Avenue Group — promoted for indoor use and photographed as such for the firm’s catalogues — attracted wealthy buyers from across the country. They were drawn to his ability to make a metal like wrought iron look almost ethereal and elegant, and the way he incorporated the popular styles and design principles of the day into his pieces. That Salterini’s garden furniture can be used indoors and look completely natural is a rare feat.
Find vintage John B. Salterini outdoor furniture on 1stDibs.
$2,200 / set
H 30.5 in W 23.5 in D 20.5 in
1960's Rid-Jid Folding Patio Set (Table & 4 Chairs) by Salterini
By Salterini
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Salterini stands at the forefront of innovative outdoor furniture, commanding the attention of mid-century design enthusiasts and collectors alike. Their folding pieces are essential...
Metal
$1,700 / set
H 29 in W 12 in D 41.75 in
Mid Century 5 Piece Outdoor Dining Set in the Style of Salterini
By Salterini
Located in New York, NY
Vintage outdoor patio dining set in the style of Salterini . Classic chairs have sculpted hoop wrought iron framework with wire mesh seats .The seats measure 24.5” in Diameter . Tabl...
Wrought Iron
Mid Century Folding Rid Jid Patio Set by Salterini
By John Salterini
Located in New York, NY
This great looking set of four folding chairs and a folding table was designed by Salterini and sold in the USA by Rid Jid in the 1960s . It’s made of mesh tub...
Steel
Paul Laszlo Patio Dining Set for Pacific Iron
By Paul Laszlo
Located in Los Angeles, CA
This set features four signature slender, black powder coated wrought iron chairs with a fan-back design using iron rods. Each chair has a black Naugahyde seat cushion. The set also ...
Wrought Iron
$2,250 / set
H 34 in W 23.75 in D 14.5 in
Vintage Mid-Century Modern Wrought Iron Outdoor Dining Set of 5
Located in West Palm Beach, FL
Elevate your dining experience with this Vintage MCM Wrought Iron Outdoor Dining Set of 5. Featuring sleek lines and mid-century modern style, this set...
Wrought Iron
Wrought Iron 5 Piece Mid Century Garden Table + Chairs
Located in Hollywood, FL
This is a Very unusual Wrought Iron 5 Piece Mid Century Garden Table + Chairs. they are Structurally 100% Sound but YES and new coat of paint needed. The Table measurements are 28...
Wrought Iron
$5,245 / set
H 27 in Dm 51 in
Thinline Aluminum Klismos Outdoor Dining Set, California Mid-Century Modern
By Thinline
Located in Bradenton, FL
1960s Thinline California Klismos-Style Aluminum Outdoor Dining Table and Four Chairs. This set is a wonderful example of California Mid-Century Modern outdoor design, combining graceful lines of the ancient Greek Klismos chair with lightweight, architectural aluminum constructing. This rare set consists of a round dining table and four matching dining chairs. The round table features a slender painted aluminum framework supports a substantial 51 inch diameter glass top. GLASS NOT INCLUDED. Its airy construction allows the sculptural base and surrounding chairs to remain visible through the glass, giving the entire group a light, almost floating appearance. The four chairs feature open woven lattice-pattern aluminum seat and back, with the narrow horizontal backrest gently curving around the sitter. The legs sweep outward in opposing curves. The repetition of the square latticework gives the chairs a graphic, architectural quality that feels remarkably contemporary more than sixty years after their manufacture. The classic white finish further emphasizes the set's lightness and makes it especially effective in a garden or poolside setting. Measurements below are for the table. Chairs measure 29"H x 21"W x 23.5"D; 15" Seat Height, 18.5" Seat Depth. We have an additional 4 chairs available in a separate listing. In modern settings, this set would be striking on a covered patio, pool terrace, garden courtyard, veranda, or screened lanai. This set would complement Palm Beach, Hollywood Regency, Mid-Century Modern interiors. It would also work beautifully in a Mediterranean, or Italian-inspired courtyard. Because the design unusually refined for patio furniture, it could readily move indoors into a sunroom, breakfast room, of enclosed porch. Comparable Thinline Klismos...
Aluminum
$1,660 / set
H 30.5 in W 23.5 in D 20.5 in
1960's Rid-Jid Folding Patio Set (Table & 2 Chairs) by Salterini
By Salterini
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Salterini stands at the forefront of innovative outdoor furniture, commanding the attention of mid-century design enthusiasts and collectors alike. Their folding pieces are essential...
Metal
Modern Iron Patio Set, likely Italy, Mid-20th Century
Located in Greding, DE
Elegant seating set made of white-painted metal, likely crafted in Italy around the mid-20th century. Comprising four chairs and a matching square table, the set features clean lines...
Iron
Mid Century Modern Patio Dining Table & Chairs by Mallin
By Mallin
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Condition: Original Condition Dimensions: Dining Table 27.50"H x 42"W x 42"D Chairs: 31”H x 22.50”W x 27”D Seat Height: 14.50" This Mid Century Modern patio dining set by Mallin ...
Aluminum
Wrought Iron Scrolling Pattern Cafe Patio Set Table w/ 4 Chairs
Located in Van Nuys, CA
Woodard wrought iron scrolling pattern patio/outdoor set featuring four side chairs, two armchairs, and one glass-top dining table. The set is fashioned after the outdoor seating sets...
Iron
Restored Rare 14 Piece Méandre Outdoor Patio Set by Walter Lamb for Pacific Iron
By Pacific Iron, Walter Lamb
Located in Van Nuys, CA
Large 14-piece white steel/iron patio set by designer Walter Lamb for the Los Angeles based Pacific Iron Products Co furniture company features its icon wave along the base of each t...
Iron
Scrolling Iron Patio/Outdoor Lounge Chair with Pad Seat, Set of Four
Located in Van Nuys, CA
A set of four Scrolling rod iron patio chair with distinct scrolling backrest and Googie style fabric seat. This chair is constructed with solid core ir...
Iron, Steel
Spun Fiberglass Four Chairs & Large Table Outdoor Patio Set by Russell Woodard
By Russell Woodard
Located in Van Nuys, CA
Set of four Mid-Century Modern spun fiberglass dining chairs with a matching pedestal table in the style of Russell Woodard. Professionally refinished in white, the sculptural hourgl...
Fiberglass
Midcentury Dining Chair with Scrolling Pattern, Set of Four
Located in Van Nuys, CA
Set of four midcentury dining chairs with scrolling pattern and velvet seats.
Metal, Iron
Custom 4 Person Outdoor "Circle 8" Iron Table with Glass Top
Located in Van Nuys, CA
Custom made 4 person outdoor "circle 8" iron table with glass top. The table features a unique repeating circle 8 design made up of individua...
Steel, Iron
