Mahogany and Brass Dresser by Harvey Probber
View Similar Items
Mahogany and Brass Dresser by Harvey Probber
About the Item
- Creator:Harvey Probber (Designer)
- Dimensions:Height: 38 in (96.52 cm)Width: 42 in (106.68 cm)Depth: 18 in (45.72 cm)
- Style:Mid-Century Modern (Of the Period)
- Materials and Techniques:
- Place of Origin:
- Period:
- Date of Manufacture:ca. 1950
- Condition:Recent professional restoration, original patina to brass.
- Seller Location:Hadley, MA
- Reference Number:1stDibs: LU99971154130
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.
- Pair of Rosewood and Mahogany Chests by Harvey ProbberBy Harvey ProbberLocated in New York, NYPair of tailored chests designed by Harvey Probber, having rosewood drawer fronts, tops and sides with dark mahogany trim, and legs, with brass feet. Both are in good, original condition, showing some cosmetic signs of age and use. Each dresser has three drawers, each drawer front is 7.75 inch H. Originally designed as dressers, these would also function well as large night tables...Category
Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Commodes and Chests of Drawers
MaterialsMahogany, Rosewood
- Rosewood and Mahogany Triple Dresser by Harvey ProbberBy Harvey ProbberLocated in Miami, FLStunning Harvey Probber large dresser or cabinet. The triple dresser features a mahogany case with contrasting Brazilian rosewood sliding doors and sculpted handles. The doors open t...Category
20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Dressers
MaterialsMahogany, Rosewood
- Harvey Probber Chest of DrawersBy Harvey ProbberLocated in New York, NYMid-Century Modern chest of drawers by Harvey Probber. Harvey Probber chest of drawers in bleached mahogany with four drawers brass sabots to the feet. Inside two top drawers have wh...Category
Vintage 1960s American Mid-Century Modern Commodes and Chests of Drawers
MaterialsWood, Mahogany
- Harvey Probber Espresso Mahogany Sliding Doors 10 Drawers Gentlemen's Chest MintBy Harvey ProbberLocated in Rockaway, NJHarvey Probber Espresso mahogany sliding doors 11 drawers gentlemen's chest highboy dresser mint Cork lined drawers.Category
20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Commodes and Chests of Drawers
MaterialsMahogany
- Harvey Probber Mahogany and Brass Credenza Storage CabinetBy Harvey ProbberLocated in Atlanta, GALarge scale credenza or chest, designed by Harvey Probber, American, circa 1960s. This piece is a versatile size and can be used as a credenza, media center, or bar in a living area,...Category
Vintage 1960s American Mid-Century Modern Credenzas
MaterialsBrass
- Mid-Century Modern Chest of Drawers Harvey ProbberBy Harvey ProbberLocated in New York, NYMid-Century Modern Harvey Probber Chest of drawers. Low chest of drawers by Harvey Probber in bleached mahogany with three drawers set on plinth base. Top two drawers have white lami...Category
Vintage 1960s North American Mid-Century Modern Commodes and Chests of D...
MaterialsMahogany
