Cees Braakman Furniture
Dutch, 1917-1995
Revered Dutch mid-century modernist designer Cees Braakman had been creating furniture since his teenage years when he was promoted to head of design at UMS Pastoe in 1948. Today’s vintage furniture enthusiasts know that Braakman found inspiration in works by Scandinavian artisans such as Alvar Aalto and Herman Miller luminaries Charles and Ray Eames — Braakman’s clean-lined dining chairs, sleek sideboards and other case pieces are demonstrative of those influences.
UMS Pastoe was established in 1913 by German-Jewish entrepreneur Frits Loeb and became rapidly successful largely owing to its reputation for well-made tables and chairs. However, the Dutch brand is best known by collectors for the modular sideboards, storage cabinets and other spare, streamlined case pieces that it produced during the postwar years.
The Utrecht-born Braakman took over for his father, Dirk, who had by then been managing the company for more than 20 years and had designed a variety of furnishings for the manufacturer by himself. A year before he assumed his new role at Pastoe, Cees visited the United States where he became enamored with the designs of Charles and Ray Eames and the other creative minds associated with legendary American furniture manufacturer Herman Miller.
While many Dutch designers who are now celebrated by vintage furniture collectors — names like Gerrit Rietveld and Friso Kramer are in this list — found inspiration in Piet Mondrian and the country’s De Stijl art movement, they also looked to Scandinavian modernists such as Alvar Aalto and Americans such as the Eameses. Cees Braakman was no different.
Braakman’s 1940s-era tour to the States included a visit to the Herman Miller factory in Zeeland, Michigan. At the time, architect-designer-journalist George Nelson was director of design at the firm and had enlisted a range of designers to collaborate with Herman Miller and create what are now icons of mid-century modernism. Braakman took notice of industrial manufacturing techniques at HM and in particular, the company’s innovations in furniture design owing to experimentation with molded plywood and fiberglass-reinforced plastic.
The Dutch designer introduced the first line of modern furniture at UMS Pastoe thereafter — a table, a chair, a bed and more created in molded plywood and featuring oak veneers, specifically tailored for smaller living spaces. Braakman was convinced that Pastoe should move on from the restrictions that a collection or set of furniture presented to consumers.
Furniture for a bedroom, for example, should be practical and built as individual pieces that could be adapted as more space became available. New production methods and creative marketing came into focus under Braakman’s leadership, and his own lines of oak and birch furniture — which were created around cupboards that could be reconfigured as needed, or armchairs that could be combined to form a sofa — earned acclaim and were commercially very successful.
UMS Pastoe was recognized for its innovative furniture at the Milan Triennial in 1957 and Le Signe d’Or in Belgium, and Cees Braakman’s work can today be found at the Stedelijk Museum in Amsterdam.
Find vintage Cees Braakman furniture on 1stDibs.
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Creator: Cees Braakman
Dealer: Zo Goed Als Oud
Birch cabinet model BB04 by Cees Braakman for Pastoe, The Netherlands 1952
By Cees Braakman, Pastoe
Located in Amsterdam, NL
Birch book case model BB04 designed by Cees Braakman for Pastoe in 1952.
The valve can also be used as a desk.
The surface and one side of the cabinet have been sand and polished.
So...
Category
Mid-20th Century Dutch Mid-Century Modern Cees Braakman Furniture
Materials
Birch
Cees Braakman for Pastoe TU30 white dining table, The Netherlands, 1962
By Cees Braakman, Pastoe
Located in Amsterdam, NL
Silver metal frame and white formica top. Table can be extended from 120 to 170cm
Category
Mid-20th Century Dutch Mid-Century Modern Cees Braakman Furniture
Materials
Metal
Cees Braakman for Pastoe KM05 Metal Wire Stools, the Netherlands 1958
By Cees Braakman, Pastoe
Located in Amsterdam, NL
Black metal wire stools designed by Adriaan Dekker and Cees Braakman in 1958 for Pastoe.
Some of the frames were a bit rusted, and have been repainted in black.
Cees Braakman was a ...
Category
1950s Dutch Mid-Century Modern Vintage Cees Braakman Furniture
Materials
Metal
Set of four Cees Braakman for Pastoe model FT30 dining chairs, The Netherlands
By Cees Braakman, Pastoe
Located in Amsterdam, NL
Teak dining chairs with black faux-leather upholstery. The seating has been reupholstered in black vinyl. The back has the original black vinyl upholstery.
One leg has a repair at th...
Category
Mid-20th Century Dutch Mid-Century Modern Cees Braakman Furniture
Materials
Faux Leather, Teak
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UMS Pastoe b.v. is a Dutch furniture manufacturer from Utrecht, which designs and produces furniture under the Pastoe brand name. This company was founded on April 13, 1913 in Utrecht as UMS, which stood for Utrechtse Machinale Stoel- en Meubelfabriek. The name Pastoe comes from "passe partout" and was added to the name after the Second World War
Well-known designs are the wire steel chair SM05 by Cees Braakman and Adriaan Dekker, the cabinets by Aldo van den Nieuwelaar and Vision by Karel Boonzaaijer and Pierre Mazairac. Pastoe has worked with graphic designers such as Dick Bruna and Benno Premsela, photographers such as Ed van der Elsken and Cas Oorthuys and designers such as Shiro Kuramata, Shigeru Uchida, Maarten Van Severen and Vincent van Duysen.
Frits Loeb founded the factory in 1913 under the name Utrechtse Machinale Stoel- en Meubelfabriek (UMS). This was located at Oosterkade 30 in Utrecht. The furniture that was produced was initially intended for his store at the Ganzenmarkt in Utrecht, but soon it was sold at various points of sale in the Netherlands.
When the space on the Oosterkade had become too small, the factory moved around 1918 to the building of the former Tegelfabriek 'Holland' on the Rotsoord. Since 2016, the factory has been on the Tugboat in Houten.
UMS focused on the general public with its furniture. Business manager and designer Dirk Lubertus Braakman varied on the designs of the Amsterdam school. Although the business design style did not suit the taste of the general public, UMS continued to engage in innovative design, with influences from Scandinavia and art deco.
After World War II
After the Second World War, Loeb found an empty factory. He decided to rebuild UMS, with his cousin Frits Ullman assisting him. In the first years after the war, UMS mainly worked on behalf of third parties and did not yet have a permanent collection. Around 1947, the factory set a different course, with contemporary design central. In 1948, the new brand name Pastoe was introduced, which was added to the abbreviation UMS.
Business manager and designer Cees Braakman, after a study trip through the United States, introduced a new technique of curved plywood and persuaded Loeb and Ullman to use this production method. Due to the use of this new technique, no more reference was made to the craft. New materials such as plywood finished with oak and birch veneer characterized the designs. The new production technique provided the subdued and sober design that later became the company's trademark. UMS Pastoe joined the Good Living Foundation.
The focus of the UMS Pastoe collection was mountain furniture, where the consumer could put together a cabinet himself. This new concept of flexible cabinet systems was developed in 1955 in the cabinet system Meubelen-naar-maat. In this series, the cabinet could not only be assembled by the consumer himself, but also expanded later. This series was a great success at home and abroad. This became clear when the teak version was awarded a silver medal in 1957 at the 11th Triennale in Milan and Le Signe d'Or in Belgium.
In 1968, the company received the BKI Award for the innovation of PVC-coated chipboard that is milled transversely; the plates could then be folded into a cube. This technique was applied in the 1967 Pastoe Cube...
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Previously Available Items
Set of two Cees Braakman for Pastoe SB02 dining chairs, The Netherlands 1952
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Two plywood dining chairs by Cees Braakman for Pastoe.
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Cees Braakman
Cees Braakman was a Dutch furniture designer who ...
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H 32.29 in W 18.31 in D 19.69 in
Cees Braakman for Pastoe ET62, "Made to Measure" Chest of Drawers
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Chest of drawers designed by Cees Braakman for Pastoe in The Netherladns in the 1950s. The model ET62 comes from the "made to Measure" series.
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Cees Braakman for Pastoe KM05 Metal Wire Stool, the Netherlands 1958
By Cees Braakman, Pastoe
Located in Amsterdam, NL
Black metal wire stool designed by Adriaan Dekker and Cees Braakman in 1958 for Pastoe.
In very good condition. With a cognac leather cushion
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1950s Dutch Mid-Century Modern Vintage Cees Braakman Furniture
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Metal
H 22.05 in W 18.51 in D 18.51 in
Cees Braakman for Pastoe SM05 Wire Chair, The Netherlands 1953
By Cees Braakman, Pastoe
Located in Amsterdam, NL
Black metal wire stool with a cushion with new cognac leather upholstery and new filling.
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Rosewood Bar Cabinet or Secretaire by Cees Braakman for Pastoe CT69
By Cees Braakman, Pastoe
Located in Amsterdam, NL
Rosewood veneer bar cabinet on metal legs. Designed in The Netherlands by Cees Braakman for Pastoe in 1959.
Cees Braakman was a Dutch furniture designer who worked for UMS Pastoe in the midcentury. He designed many beautiful pieces with the “U+N series”, better known as the “Japanese Series”, as his most famous. In the 1940s, Braakman was sent to the United States to observe design and production processes of furniture. Inspired by the works of Charles and Ray Eames, he started working with new materials like ply-wood and steel, which were used in many of his designs. Many items of his hand are now well known Dutch design classics, such as his DU03 sideboard, TU11 dining table...
Category
1950s Dutch Mid-Century Modern Vintage Cees Braakman Furniture
Materials
Metal
Cees Braakman for Pastoe EB02 Desk, The Netherlands, 1959
By Cees Braakman, Pastoe
Located in Amsterdam, NL
Birch desk with plywood legs. Designed by Cees Braakman for Pastoe.
The top is in very good original condition, since the formar owners had a protection glass on top of the desk.
D...
Category
1950s Dutch Mid-Century Modern Vintage Cees Braakman Furniture
Materials
Birch, Plywood
Cees Braakman for Pastoe Th08 Coffee Table with Reversible Top, the Netherlands
By Cees Braakman, Pastoe
Located in Amsterdam, NL
Teak coffee table with a reversible top. One side in teak veneer ad the other side in white formica.
The side of the top, has some veneer damage. The teak top has been refinshed.
Cees Braakman was a Dutch furniture designer who worked for UMS Pastoe in the midcentury. He designed many beautiful pieces with the “U+N series”, better known as the “Japanese Series”, as his most famous. In the 1940s, Braakman was sent to the United States to observe design and production processes of furniture. Inspired by the works of Charles and Ray Eames, he started working with new materials like ply-wood and steel, which were used in many of his designs. Many items of his hand are now well known Dutch design classics, such as his DU03 sideboard, TU11 dining table...
Category
Mid-20th Century Dutch Mid-Century Modern Cees Braakman Furniture
Materials
Formica, Teak
H 16.15 in W 24.81 in D 47.25 in
Cees Braakman for Pastoe "Made to Measure" Cabinet, the Netherlands, 1950's
By Cees Braakman, Pastoe
Located in Amsterdam, NL
Made to Measure cabinet by Cees Braakman for Pastoe. It was possible to choose any variation desired, so every cabinet is unique.
This one con...
Category
1950s Dutch Mid-Century Modern Vintage Cees Braakman Furniture
Materials
Metal
H 45.28 in W 17.72 in D 60.63 in
Cees Braakman for Pastoe Desk Model EU02, The Netherlands 1959
By Cees Braakman, Pastoe
Located in Amsterdam, NL
Nice desk by Dutch Designer Cees Braakman. The desk is from the Pastoe U+N Series, better known as the Japanese Series. The desk has two chests of drawers with the famous black handl...
Category
1950s Dutch Mid-Century Modern Vintage Cees Braakman Furniture
Materials
Metal
Cees Braakman for Pastoe TU31 Dining Table, the Netherlands, 1950's
By Cees Braakman, Pastoe
Located in Amsterdam, NL
Teak extendable dining table with black metal frame. Can be extended form 157 to 217 cm
The frame has been repainted and the top has been refinshed.
...
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1950s Dutch Mid-Century Modern Vintage Cees Braakman Furniture
Materials
Metal
Cees Braakman for Pastoe CB02 Birch Cabinet, the Netherlands, 1959
By Pastoe, Cees Braakman
Located in Amsterdam, NL
Birchwood cabinet on the famous "u-legs" from the Birch series by Pastoe and Cees Braakman. Inside there is a shelf and two plywood drawers
This version has a knob instead of a lo...
Category
1950s Dutch Mid-Century Modern Vintage Cees Braakman Furniture
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Black Wood and Glass Trolley by Cees Braakman for Pastoe, Dutch Design, 1950s
By Pastoe, Cees Braakman
Located in Amsterdam, NL
Trolley, bar cart or serving table by Cees Braakman for U.M.S Pastoe the Netherlands. Made and designed in the 1950s. It has a black painted wooden frame with glass tops on four swiveling wheels.
In original and good condition.
Cees Braakman was a Dutch furniture designer who worked for UMS Pastoe in the midcentury. He designed many beautiful pieces with the “U+N series”, better known as the “Japanese Series”, as his most famous. In the 1940s, Braakman was sent to the United States to observe design and production processes of furniture. Inspired by the works of Charles and Ray Eames, he started working with new materials like ply-wood and steel, which were used in many of his designs. Many items of his hand are now well known Dutch design classics, such as his DU03 sideboard, TU11 dining table...
Category
Mid-20th Century Dutch Mid-Century Modern Cees Braakman Furniture
Materials
Glass, Wood
H 22.45 in W 25.2 in D 17.72 in
Cees Braakman furniture for sale on 1stDibs.
Cees Braakman furniture are available for sale on 1stDibs. These distinctive items are frequently made of wood and are designed with extraordinary care. There are many options to choose from in our collection of Cees Braakman furniture, although brown editions of this piece are particularly popular. Many of the original furniture by Cees Braakman were created in the mid-century modern style in europe during the 20th century. If you’re looking for additional options, many customers also consider furniture by UMS Pastoe, Friso Kramer, and Martin Visser. Prices for Cees Braakman furniture can differ depending upon size, time period and other attributes — on 1stDibs, these items begin at $476 and can go as high as $21,025, while a piece like these, on average, fetch $2,051.
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