Brass Framed Biscuit Tufted Ottoman in Original Black Leather by Harvey Probber
About the Item
- Creator:Harvey Probber (Designer)
- Dimensions:Height: 14 in (35.56 cm)Width: 26 in (66.04 cm)Depth: 26 in (66.04 cm)
- Style:Mid-Century Modern (Of the Period)
- Materials and Techniques:
- Place of Origin:
- Period:
- Date of Manufacture:1960s
- Condition:Wear consistent with age and use. All original. Casters turn and glide smoothly. Leather has a beautiful patina and is in great condition. Foam is mostly dried but still has some life left and the piece presents beautifully.
- Seller Location:Brooklyn, NY
- Reference Number:1stDibs: LU882639156452
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 the 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 simple lines 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 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.
- ShippingRetrieving quote...Ships From: Brooklyn, NY
- Return PolicyThis item cannot be returned.
- Harvey Probber Knights Bench in Mahogany, Brass and Leather, Signed, 1950sBy Harvey ProbberLocated in Brooklyn, NY1950s Harvey Probber 'Knights' bench, model number 1173, with arched base and slatted seat in steam-bent mahogany with brass accents, and finished with a channel-tufted cushion. Bras...Category
20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Benches
MaterialsBrass
- Aperture: Ottoman in Copper by TJ VolonisBy TJ VolonisLocated in Brooklyn, NYTitle: Aperture Year: 2013 Ottoman / footstool executed in 1/2" copper tubing with upholstered seat, inspired by the iconic arc of a camera aperture. The solid squares of the ba...Category
21st Century and Contemporary American Industrial Ottomans and Poufs
MaterialsCopper
- Modernist Brass and Cane Wire Cheese Slicer Knife by Penchoen Originals, 1960sBy Penchoen OriginalsLocated in Brooklyn, NYElegant, modernist wire cheese knife in solid brass with cane-wrapped handle designed by Penchoen Originals of Sturgis, Michigan. Often misattributed to either Tommi Parzinger or Car...Category
Vintage 1960s American Mid-Century Modern Tableware
MaterialsBrass, Wire
- Modernist Lacquered Brass Pepper Mill and Salt Shaker, Italy, Original Box, 1960By Tommi ParzingerLocated in Brooklyn, NYAn exceptional quality, modernist salt and pepper set executed in lacquered, solid brass, made in Italy. In impeccable, unused condition and with original presentation box labeled, "...Category
Vintage 1960s Italian Mid-Century Modern Tableware
MaterialsBrass
- Marlene Dietrich Framed Silver Gelatin Photograph by Alfred Eisenstaedt, 1928By Alfred Eisenstaedt 1Located in Brooklyn, NYMarlene Dietrich at the Reimann Arts School costume ball in Berlin, 1928, photographed by Alfred Eisenstaedt (1898–1995). One of Germany's best known art schools during the interwar ...Category
Vintage 1920s American Photography
MaterialsWood
- Modernist Ceramic Table Lamp in Brick Red Glaze and Original String Shade, 1960sLocated in Brooklyn, NYModern table lamp in an oval teardrop form with a coarse, matte glaze in brick red, supported by an ebonized wood base, and with its rare, original string shade providing warm illumi...Category
Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Table Lamps
MaterialsCeramic, Wood, String
- Mid-Century Modern Ottoman in Mahogany by Harvey ProbberBy Harvey ProbberLocated in Belmont, MAMid-Century Modern 1950s ottoman, designed by Harvey Probber, with a rectilinear mahogany frame and upholstered in a high quality fabric.Category
Vintage 1950s American Mid-Century Modern Ottomans and Poufs
MaterialsMahogany
- Harvey Probber Style Mid Century Upholstered Walnut OttomanBy Harvey ProbberLocated in Countryside, ILHarvey Probber style Mid Century upholstered walnut ottoman Ottoman measures: 31.75 wide x 31.75 deep x 17 inches high All pieces of furniture can be had in what we call restored vi...Category
Vintage 1950s American Mid-Century Modern Ottomans and Poufs
MaterialsUpholstery, Walnut
- Pair of Ottomans by Harvey Probber, New White Upholstery, Signed, Ready to UseBy Harvey ProbberLocated in Kansas City, MOTwo matching Harvey Probber ottomans expertly reupholstered in a white / ivory soft blended fabric. The metal black enameled legs show signs of wear and some loss to the finish, but ...Category
Vintage 1960s American Mid-Century Modern Ottomans and Poufs
MaterialsUpholstery
- Tufted Large Black Leather OttomanLocated in Brooklyn, NYMid-Century Modern large black leather ottoman. Comfortable tufted top, perfect addition to any living room. (Please confirm item location - ...Category
20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Ottomans and Poufs
MaterialsLeather
- Upholstered Ottomans / Stools in the Style of Harvery ProbberBy Harvey ProbberLocated in Cincinnati, OHA pair of upholstered ottomans or stools with dark toned mahogany frames and legs . The top stripes in the fabric are creams, taupes , gray and tans with buttons giving them a tight ...Category
Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Ottomans and Poufs
MaterialsUpholstery, Wood
- Astor Large Brass Tufted Ottoman in Sharkskin Velvet by MontageBy MontageLocated in Wilton, CTDesigned by Montage, the Astor large ottoman is a wonderful addition to a refined interior space. Astor was designed with the delicate proportions of the midcentury, celebrating an e...Category
21st Century and Contemporary American Mid-Century Modern Benches
MaterialsBrass
