Royal Palm Lacquered Goatskin Credenza, USA

About the Item

Available exclusively at Todd Merrill Studio, the Karl Springer LTD Royal Palm cabinet features a grid inlay of lacquered goatskin, available in a variety of colorways. The interior, in mahogany veneer, is stained to match the colorway of the goatskin. The four door cabinet has adjustable shelves and four drawers lined in moiré. Throughout the 1960s and 1970s, Karl Springer (1931-1991) created custom designs with superb craftsmanship and extreme attention to detail. Though he based his designs on European classical forms, Springer developed an irreverent and non-doctrinaire idiom of bold proportions and highly exotic finishes that is evidenced in this exquisite dining table reissued through the partnership of Karl Springer LTD and Todd Merrill Studio. His iconic work speaks with the confidence and energy of the 1970s and now finds new relevance in the world of contemporary design. Though he based his designs on European classical forms, Karl Springer developed an irreverent and non-doctrinaire idiom of bold proportions, highly exotic finishes, and a sometimes flashy palette that identified him strongly with his American clientele. His work speaks with the confidence and energy of the Disco Decade and now finds new relevance in the world of contemporary design.

Creator:
Karl Springer (Artist)
Dimensions:
Height: 34 in (86.36 cm)Width: 84 in (213.36 cm)Depth: 22 in (55.88 cm)
Materials and Techniques:
Goatskin,Lacquered
Place of Origin:
United States
Period:
2010-
Date of Manufacture:
2019
Production Type:
New & Custom(Current Production)
Estimated Production Time:
Available Now
Condition:
Seller Location:
New York, NY
Reference Number:
1stDibs: LU905322475262
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Shop All Karl Springer

Karl Springer

The Berlin-born, New York–based designer Karl Springer brought a chic, high-fashion sensibility to furnishings. During his heyday in the 1970s, Springer’s work was a favorite of the glamour set, who enjoyed the novelty of pieces finished in rich and striking materials that ranged from exotic hides and skins to lacquer and chromed metal. In a sense, Springer was a pre-postmodernist. Much as the dull, safe, corporate sameness of late 20th-century modernism prompted Ettore Sottsass, Michael Graves and others to explore new and provocative structures and materials in design and architecture, so, too, was Springer driven to enliven his creations with fresh and alluring energy and sleekness.

Springer came to New York in the late 1950s and found work arranging window displays at the department store Lord & Taylor. He had studied bookbinding in Germany, and, using his meticulous skills, he began crafting desk accessories wrapped in leather as a sideline. These pieces were sold in luxury stores like Bergdorf Goodman, and drew a sophisticated clientele that included the Duchess of Windsor. By 1965, he had established his own Manhattan atelier, and at his death he had showrooms as far afield as Los Angeles, Tokyo and Munich.

The chairs, tables, credenzas and other furniture forms Springer created are generally simple, but substantial, and often have robust, rounded lines. The appeal of his work lies in Springer's insistence on exacting construction and, above all, his eye for unusual materials and finishes. He employed Lucite, brass, and gunmetal along with chromed and polished steel, and revived exquisite finishes rarely seen since the days of Art Deco masters such as Émile-Jacques Ruhlmann and Jean-Michel Frank: shagreen (a type of sharkskin), python, goatskin, bone, horn, and lacquered parchment, as well as fabrics that include batik prints. Made of such materials, Springer’s work is by its very nature flamboyant and eye-catching: a suite of pieces will astonish, and an artfully placed side table in exotic hide will add a surprising spark.

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