Sam Maloof Leather Lounge Chair and Ottoman
View Similar Items
Sam Maloof Leather Lounge Chair and Ottoman
About the Item
- Creator:Sam Maloof (Maker)
- Dimensions:Height: 42.5 in (107.95 cm)Width: 29.13 in (74 cm)Depth: 31.5 in (80.01 cm)Seat Height: 15 in (38.1 cm)
- Sold As:Set of 2
- Style:Mid-Century Modern (Of the Period)
- Materials and Techniques:
- Place of Origin:
- Period:
- Date of Manufacture:1960s
- Condition:Original finish to walnut frames. New leather.
- Seller Location:Fulton, CA
- Reference Number:Seller: J17I1stDibs: LU94598712943
Sam Maloof
Along with George Nakashima and Wendell Castle, the woodworker Sam Maloof was a guiding spirit of the American Studio furniture movement — a postwar revival of craftsmanship fueled by a reverence for skilled labor and a disdain for mass-produced furnishings composed of plastic and other synthetic materials. Maloof brought a modern interpretation to traditional seating and cabinetry forms, and in doing so he created some of the most beautiful and artfully made furniture seen in the country since the 19th-century heyday of the Shakers.
Maloof was born in then-rural Chino, California, east of Los Angeles. His parents were immigrants from Lebanon, then still part of the Ottoman Empire. Maloof’s father sold fruits and vegetables from a cart, and his mother sold her handmade lace and embroidery. It was through her, Maloof would later say, that he found a love of fine craftsmanship.
Maloof tinkered with woodcarving as a boy, making things such as dollhouse furniture, but in high school he became known for his calligraphy and hand-lettered posters and signs. Into his 30s, Maloof made a modest living as a graphic artist. But in 1948, he and his newlywed bride, Alfreda Ward, a crafts teacher, moved into a new house. To save money, Maloof made their furniture from scrap oak planks, and he so clearly loved the work that his wife persuaded him to make woodworking his profession. Within two years, Maloof’s furniture was getting attention in the press, and in 1951 he received his first significant commission when the industrial designer Henry Dreyfuss hired him to make chairs and cabinets for a new office in Pasadena.
Entirely self-taught, Maloof was an intuitive designer, with a natural sense of scale and proportion. He never sketched plans for a piece in advance; on chairs, he said he worked from the legs up. Maloof used no metal hardware in his furniture; rather than bolts or screws, his pieces derive their strength and integrity solely from Maloof’s painstaking joinery.
Though he made all types of furniture, Maloof is best known for his rocking chairs. His are instantly recognizable by their long glides and attenuated, gently curved spindled backrests. Maloof lavished long hours shaping and sanding his chairs to conform to the human body, then oiling and rubbing the wood to give it a silky tactility.
Vintage Sam Maloof furniture is scarce, if not rare: At his peak of productivity in the 1970s, Maloof (by then, working with three assistants) made an estimated 300 pieces a year. His tables and smaller cabinets are priced at around $15,000; because they are his signature forms, rocking chairs made of walnut bring about twice that, more in exotic woods such as tiger maple and rosewood.
As you will see on 1stDibs, Sam Maloof designs are exemplary objects of both beauty and utility — warm, welcoming and rich in honest character.
- Vintage Leather Lounge Chairs & OttomanLocated in North Hollywood, CABeautiful vintage leather chairs & ottoman manufactured in the United States circa 1960s. This set retains its original red leather in nice vintage condition with only minor signs of...Category
Vintage 1960s American Mid-Century Modern Lounge Chairs
MaterialsLeather, Wood
$4,600 / set - Double Rocking Chair by Sam MaloofBy Sam MaloofLocated in New York, NYDouble rocking chair by Sam Maloof, circa 1980's signed Sam Maloof f.A.C.C./©, dated 1988 and numbered No. 9. Literature Jo Lauria, Craft in America: ...Category
Vintage 1980s American Modern Rocking Chairs
MaterialsWood, Walnut
- Elegant Art Deco Lounge Chair and Ottoman in LeatherLocated in Bernville, PAElegant 1930s Art Deco lounge chair and ottoman. Professionally re-lacquered and beautifully reupholstered in a soft cream leather. This ex...Category
20th Century American Art Deco Lounge Chairs
MaterialsLeather, Mahogany, Rosewood, Walnut
- Substantial Midcentury Dowel Lounge Chair and OttomanLocated in West Palm Beach, FLSubstantial midcentury dowel lounge chair and ottoman, in carved beechwood, with canvas upholstery, ready for reupholstery in your choice of fabric....Category
20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Lounge Chairs
MaterialsUpholstery, Beech
$2,360 Sale Price / set20% Off - Modernist Rosewood and Leather Lounge ChairBy Roche Bobois, Sergio RodriguesLocated in New York, NYVery stylish and chic low lounge chair with solid rosewood sides, and back, supporting top grade down filled leather cushions. The tubular blacken finish steel structure rests on chr...Category
Mid-20th Century Brazilian Mid-Century Modern Lounge Chairs
MaterialsRosewood, Leather
- Edward Wormley for Dunbar Brass Leg Lounge Chairs and OttomanBy Dunbar Furniture, Edward WormleyLocated in St.Petersburg, FLA wonderful pair of chairs with accompanying ottoman by Edward Wormley for Dunbar. Features a generous and comfortable seat, button back, and solid brass tapered legs. Rare to find s...Category
Vintage 1950s American Mid-Century Modern Lounge Chairs
MaterialsBrass