Paul McCobb Walnut Bookshelf Wall Unit or Room Divider, 1960s
View Similar Items
Paul McCobb Walnut Bookshelf Wall Unit or Room Divider, 1960s
About the Item
- Creator:Lane Furniture (Manufacturer),Paul McCobb (Designer)
- Dimensions:Height: 78.13 in (198.46 cm)Width: 59.88 in (152.1 cm)Depth: 15 in (38.1 cm)
- Style:Mid-Century Modern (Of the Period)
- Materials and Techniques:
- Place of Origin:
- Period:
- Date of Manufacture:1960s
- Condition:Very good original vintage condition. Minor surface wear expected from age and use.
- Seller Location:South Bend, IN
- Reference Number:Seller: Liberty & 33rd Furniture Co. #73021stDibs: LU2745323460892
Paul McCobb
The single aesthetic attribute of vintage Paul McCobb furniture is that the designer completely forsook ornament — his pieces have no flourishes. And yet, because they are honest — McCobb’s chairs, desks and dining tables are made of solid wood, usually maple or birch, often paired with frames and legs of wrought iron; the cabinets are traditionally scaled; the seating pieces have historic antecedents such as the Windsor chair — his mid-century modern work has warmth and presence.
You could call the Massachusetts-born McCobb a man of parts. As a furniture designer, his work combined the attributes of many of his now better-known peers.
Like the work of Bauhaus designers such as Ludwig Mies van der Rohe and Marcel Breuer, McCobb's furniture had purity of form and line. Like the designs of Florence Knoll and George Nelson and his associates, McCobb’s work was efficient and purposeful. And even like George Nakashima, he was adept at interpreting traditional forms, in particular those of chairs, for the 20th century.
More than any other designer besides Russel Wright, with his ubiquitous ceramic tableware, McCobb was arguably responsible for the introduction of modern design into middle-class American households — if for no other reason than that he designed the 1952 set for the original Today show.
McCobb, a repeat recipient of the Good Design Award from the Museum of Modern Art, also designed cohesive lines of furnishings, such as his best-known Planner Group, that gave homes an instant “look.” He designed for several companies, most notably Directional, which was home to McCobb’s Origami chair.
In 1949, in partnership with New York furniture salesman B.G. Mesberg, McCobb set up the Directional Furniture Company, a brand known to vintage mid-century modern furniture collectors everywhere. Directional opened its doors after McCobb created the high-end Directional Modern line of sofas distributed by the New York-based Modernage Company. Directional also produced designs by other legends such as Paul Evans and Vladimir Kagan.
As you can see from the offerings on 1stDibs, McCobb designs are the pin-striped suit, or the little black dress, of a decor: an essential.
Find vintage Paul McCobb credenzas, bookcases, nightstands and other furniture on 1stDibs.
Lane Furniture
When the first iteration of the Lane Furniture company began to produce its now-famous Lane cedar chests in the early 20th century, the family behind the brand was unsure of how successful they’d be, so they initially didn’t bother adding their name to the offerings.
The manufacturer was off to a modest start but the family was industrious: The Lanes were made up of farmers and contractors who’d built more than 30 miles of the Virginian railroad. They owned a cotton mill and purchased thousands of acres of land in Campbell County, Virginia, where the Virginian railroad was intended to cross the main line of the Southern Railway.
The Lanes hoped to start a town in this region of the state, and by 1912, streets for the town of Altavista had been laid out and utility lines were installed. In the spring of that year, John Lane purchased a defunct box factory at a bankruptcy auction. His son, Edward Hudson Lane, was tasked with the manufacturing of the cedar “hope” chests for which the Lane family would become known, even though the company was initially incorporated as the Standard Red Cedar Chest Company.
The Standard Red Cedar Chest Company struggled in its early days but introduced an assembly system at its small factory after securing a contract with the federal government to produce ammunition boxes made of pine during World War I. The company prospered and applied mass-production methods to its cedar-chest manufacturing after the war, and, in 1922, rebranding as the Lane Company, it implemented a national advertising campaign to market its products. Ads tied the company’s strong cedar hope chests to romance. Anchored by copy that read “The gift that starts the home,” the campaign rendered a Lane cedar chest a necessary purchase for young women to store linens, clothing and keepsakes as they prepared to marry.
Wartime production during World War II had Lane producing aircraft parts. In the 1950s, the family-owned company began to branch out into manufacturing tables, bedroom pieces and other various furnishings for the entire home. The brand’s vintage mid-century furniture is highly sought after.
Lane’s Acclaim walnut furniture line, which, designed by Andre Bus, has been compared to Drexel’s Declaration series for its blend of modern furniture’s clean contours and traditional craftsmanship. Ads for the Lane series suggested that it included “probably the best-selling table in the world.” (There are end tables, cocktail tables and more in the Acclaim collection, sporting graceful tapered legs and dovetail inlays.) Later, during the 1960s, Lane offered handsome modular wall units designed by the likes of Paul McCobb. The company was acquired by United Furniture Industries in 2017 and became particularly well-known among contemporary consumers for its upholstered furniture. In 2022 United abruptly closed and ceased operations at Lane.
Vintage Lane furniture is generally characterized by relatively neutral styles, which are versatile in different kinds of interiors, as well as good quality woods and careful manufacturing. All of these attributes have made Lane one of the most recognizable names in American furniture.
Browse storage cabinets, side tables and other vintage Lane furniture on 1stDibs.
- Paul McCobb Planner Group Birch Bookcase on Hairpin Legs, 1950sBy Paul McCobb, Planner GroupLocated in South Bend, INA sleek and stylish Mid-Century Modern bookcase By Paul McCobb for Winchendon Furniture, "Planner Group" USA, 1950s Solid birch, with steel hairpin legs. Measures: 36"W x...Category
Vintage 1950s American Mid-Century Modern Bookcases
MaterialsSteel
- Paul McCobb Perimeter Group Ebonized Double-Sided Room Divider, Newly RefinishedBy Paul McCobb, Planner GroupLocated in South Bend, INA rare and exceptional Mid-Century Modern ebonized birch double sided wall unit or room divider By Paul McCobb for Winchendon Furniture "Perimeter Group" USA, 1950s Measures...Category
Vintage 1950s American Mid-Century Modern Sideboards
MaterialsBirch
- Paul McCobb Planner Group Black Lacquered Bookcases on Hairpin Legs, RefinishedBy Paul McCobb, Planner GroupLocated in South Bend, INA sleek and stylish pair of Mid-Century Modern glass front bookcases on hairpin legs By Paul McCobb for Winchendon Furniture, "Planner Group" USA, 1950s Solid birch in black lacqu...Category
Vintage 1950s American Mid-Century Modern Bookcases
MaterialsSteel
- Paul McCobb Planner Group Black Lacquered Bookcase on Hairpin Legs, RefinishedBy Paul McCobb, Planner GroupLocated in South Bend, INAn exceptional Mid-Century Modern glass front bookcase on hairpin legs By Paul McCobb for Winchendon Furniture, "Planner Group" USA, 1950s Solid birch in black lacquered finish, with sliding glass doors and steel hairpin legs. Measures: 36"W x 12.25"D x 34.25"H. Newly refinished. Excellent condition. Two matching bookcases...Category
Vintage 1950s American Mid-Century Modern Bookcases
MaterialsSteel
- Edward Wormley for Dunbar Superstructure Wall Unit or Room Divider, RestoredBy Dunbar Furniture, Edward WormleyLocated in South Bend, INA rare and exceptional "superstructure" wall unit display cabinet or room divider By Edward Wormley for Dunbar Furniture USA, 1950s Concave cabinet...Category
Vintage 1950s American Mid-Century Modern Cabinets
MaterialsBrass
- Paul McCobb for Calvin Mid-Century Modern Walnut Dresser or Credenza, RefinishedBy Paul McCobb, Calvin FurnitureLocated in South Bend, INAn exceptional Mid-Century Modern eight-drawer long dresser or credenza Designed by Paul McCobb for Calvin Furniture "Linear Group" USA, 1950s Walnut and aluminum trim and h...Category
Vintage 1950s American Mid-Century Modern Dressers
MaterialsAluminum
- Cast Iron Bookcase or Room DividerLocated in Oakville, CTRepurposed cast iron library book case ends with adjustable shelves. Overall dimensions are 24" x 48" x 84 1/2" high Upper shelves measure 15" x 4...Category
Early 20th Century American Bookcases
MaterialsMetal
- 'Xiangsheng II Shelving Unit', a Modular Bronze Bookcase and Room DividerBy Studio MVWLocated in Paris, FR‘XiangSheng II Shelving Unit‘ is an elegant collectible design work that combines champagne colored brushed bronze surfaces, and oxidized bronze with an intense brown patina. This li...Category
2010s Chinese Bookcases
MaterialsBronze
- Mid-Century Modern Wall Unit Bookshelf Room Divider by Frank KyleBy Frank KyleLocated in San Pedro Garza Garcia, Nuevo LeonFor your consideration, spectacular Room Divider from the early 1950s by sculptor and designer Frank B. Kayle in collaboration, that we belive, with Los Castillo from Taxco For more...Category
Vintage 1950s Mexican Mid-Century Modern Screens and Room Dividers
MaterialsStone, Cast Stone, Brass, Copper
- 1960's Art Wall Unit or Room Divider with Sculpture by JelínekLocated in Praha, CZUnique mid-century artistic wall unit or room divider made of metal with two wooden benches and sculpture by Jelínek (signed).Category
Vintage 1960s Czech Mid-Century Modern Screens and Room Dividers
MaterialsMetal, Copper
- Mahogany Room Divider Wall Unit by Ludvik Volak for Drevopodnik Holesov, 1960sBy Drevopodnik Holesov, Ludvik VolakLocated in Horomerice, CZ"Designed by Volak for Drevopodnik Holesov, a well known furniture manufacturer and dealer. In the last few years, these claustras have become increasingly rare with an equally incre...Category
Mid-20th Century Czech Mid-Century Modern Screens and Room Dividers
MaterialsMahogany, Lacquer
- Room Divider Wall Unit by Ludvik Volak for Drevopodnik Holesov, 1960s, RestoredBy Ludvik VolakLocated in Wien, ATThis room divider from the 1960s was designed by Ludvik Volak for Drevopodnik Holesov, in Czechoslovakia. This is made of bent beech plywood and ash veneer. Completely restored. Exce...Category
Vintage 1960s Czech Mid-Century Modern Screens and Room Dividers
MaterialsAsh, Plywood