Harvey Probber Gondola Chair
View Similar Items
Harvey Probber Gondola Chair
About the Item
- Creator:Harvey Probber (Designer)
- Dimensions:Height: 39 in (99.06 cm)Width: 26.75 in (67.95 cm)Depth: 25 in (63.5 cm)Seat Height: 19 in (48.26 cm)
- Style:Mid-Century Modern (Of the Period)
- Materials and Techniques:
- Place of Origin:
- Period:
- Date of Manufacture:1958
- Condition:Minor losses. Lacquer loss.
- Seller Location:New York, NY
- Reference Number:1stDibs: LU9119749149
Harvey Probber
A popular designer who had his heyday from the late 1940s into the 1970s, Harvey Probber is one of the post-war American creative spirits whose work has been recently rediscovered by collectors. His designs are by-and-large simple and elegant, but his signal achievement was to pioneer one of the key innovations of mid-20th century furniture: sectional, or modular, seating.
Even as a teenager, the Brooklyn-born Probber was making sketches of furniture designs — and selling them to Manhattan furniture companies. He began working as a designer for an upholsterer once he finished high school and, apart from a few evening classes he took as an adult at Pratt Institute, he was self-taught about design and furniture making.
After wartime service — and a stint as a lounge singer — Probber founded his own company in the late 1940s. A lifelong familiarity with the needs of New York–apartment dwellers doubtless sparked his most noteworthy creation: a line of seating pieces in basic geometric shapes — wedges, squares, half-circles — that could be arranged and combined as needed. Modular furniture remained the core idea of Probber’s business throughout his career.
As a self-trained designer, Probber was never wed to any particular aesthetic. He preferred the simple lines now associated with mid-century modernism for their inherent practicality, but often used hardware to enliven the look of his pieces, or added elements — such as a ceramic insert in the center of a round dining table — that was visually interesting and could serve as a trivet. He gravitated toward bright fabrics with attractive, touchable textures that might be satin-like or nubbly. Above all, Probber insisted that the sofas, case goods and other products that came out of his Fall River, Massachusetts, factory be built to last.
“The quality of aging gracefully,” Probber once told an interviewer, is “design's fourth dimension.” This quality he realized: Probber furniture is just as useful and alluring now as it was when made — and maybe even more stylish.
Find a collection of vintage Harvey Probber side tables, sectional sofas, chairs and other furniture on 1stDibs.
- Heywood Company Victorian White Wicker Parlour Armchair SetBy Heywood-Wakefield Co.Located in New York, NYPair of Victorian white painted wicker parlour chairs. Hand crafted intricate heart design back, and curved wicker leaves climb the front legs. Wonderful parlour, sunroom, or patio ...Category
Early 20th Century American Victorian Chairs
MaterialsWicker
$2,800 Sale Price / set41% Off - Italian Barcelona Style Chair and Ottoman FramesBy PalazzettiLocated in New York, NYLate 1970s Barcelona chair and ottoman chromed steel frames with leather strapping, without cushions. Manufactured by Palazzetti, Italy.Category
Late 20th Century Italian Mid-Century Modern Lounge Chairs
MaterialsSteel
- Pair of Coconut Shell Chairs with Mother of Pearl InlayLocated in New York, NYPair of coconut shell chairs with curved backs and mother-of-pearl inlay detail at top. Paris, France, circa 1990s.Category
Late 20th Century French Mid-Century Modern Side Chairs
MaterialsCoconut
$5,500 Sale Price / item26% Off - Karl Springer Polished Steel and Brass BenchBy Karl SpringerLocated in New York, NYOriginal circa 1970s Karl Springer polished stainless steel X-frame bench, with brass details and new black kid glove leather upholstery.Category
Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Benches
MaterialsSteel
- Walnut Faux Bamboo Stools with Needlepoint Giraffe & Zebra Upholstered SeatsLocated in New York, NYPair of walnut faux bamboo ottoman / stools upholstered with hand stitched needlepoint Zebra surrounded by flowers on one, and a Giraffe on the other. c. 1970's, North Carolina, USA.Category
Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Stools
MaterialsLinen
- Palatial Kinkeldey Faceted Crystal Nine Tier ChandelierBy KinkeldeyLocated in New York, NYMonumental 52" Kinkeldey faceted crystal nine-tier circular chandelier on chrome frame. Germany, circa 1970.Category
Mid-20th Century German Mid-Century Modern Chandeliers and Pendants
MaterialsCrystal
- Harvey Probber Gondola Slipper ChairsBy Harvey ProbberLocated in Brooklyn, NYThis stunning pair of Mid-Century Gondola chairs by Harvey Probber makes an elegant statement in any setting. Comfortable high back design is accentuated by beautiful upholstery and ...Category
Vintage 1960s American Mid-Century Modern Lounge Chairs
MaterialsUpholstery, Mahogany
$5,460 Sale Price / set42% Off - Pair of Mid-Century Modern Sculptural Gondola Chairs by Harvey Probber RestoredBy Harvey ProbberLocated in Port Jervis, NYSimple and elegant pair of Gondola chairs by Harvey Probber. Totally refinished and reupholstered. Black and white Grey tweed style fabric. In e...Category
Vintage 1950s American Mid-Century Modern Slipper Chairs
MaterialsFabric, Hardwood
- Mahogany Gondola Chair, Model 1053, by Harvey ProbberBy Harvey ProbberLocated in Dorchester, MAHarvey Probber designed his gondola chair, model no. 1053, with an elegantly curved high-back frame in deep mahogany. The chair has been newly upholstered in Knoll's Classic Bouclé i...Category
Vintage 1950s American Mid-Century Modern Chairs
MaterialsUpholstery, Mahogany
- Harvey Probber Velvet Slipper Lounge Chairs - a PairBy Harvey ProbberLocated in Forest Grove, PAElegant pair of Harvey Probber slipper lounge chairs. Freshly upholstered in a salmon colored velvet. Brass handle detail located at the top of the back. Original finish to the waln...Category
Vintage 1960s American Mid-Century Modern Slipper Chairs
MaterialsBrass
$2,995 / item - Harvey Probber Scissor Slipper Lounge Chair, 1960'sBy Harvey ProbberLocated in Bainbridge, NYAmerican Mid Century Harvey Probber attributed Scissor Lounge Chair. Slipper Chair. Featuring a scissor-lined supported Walnut framework, saber legs, newly reupholstered in tufted, ...Category
Vintage 1950s American Mid-Century Modern Slipper Chairs
MaterialsFabric, Wood
- Adorable Pair of Harvey Probber Club ChairsBy Harvey ProbberLocated in Chicago, ILAdorable pair of Harvey Probber club chairs. Can be used as occasional chairs, game chairs or slipper chairs. Proportions are compact, low in height and comfortable. We have six tota...Category
Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Club Chairs
MaterialsUpholstery
$7,500 / set
