Jay Spectre Custom Weathered Oak Dining Table
View Similar Items
Jay Spectre Custom Weathered Oak Dining Table
About the Item
- Creator:Century Furniture (Cabinetmaker),Jay Spectre (Designer)
- Dimensions:Height: 28.5 in (72.39 cm)Diameter: 72 in (182.88 cm)
- Style:Modern (Of the Period)
- Materials and Techniques:Oak,Limed
- Place of Origin:
- Period:
- Date of Manufacture:1980s
- Condition:Refinished. Wear consistent with age and use.
- Seller Location:New York, NY
- Reference Number:1stDibs: LU831838025962
Jay Spectre
From arranging window displays as a teenager to securing a preeminent position in the decorating and design sphere, Jay Spectre had an extraordinary career. He drew on a range of influences for his lounge chairs, chests of drawers and coffee tables of the 1970s and ‘80s, and is best known for these furnishings as well as his interiors of the era.
For his eponymous Manhattan firm, Spectre created modern, delectable interiors for luxury homes, private aircraft, yachts and offices — his clientele included corporations and affluent figures all over the world — and for his sophisticated furnishings and decor, he found inspiration in Art Deco as well as in Asian and African art..
Spectre’s career in design began modestly — he worked as a window dresser in his Kentucky hometown. He had big plans, however, and moved to New York City, where he would establish the Jay Spectre Inc. design firm. During interviews in the years that followed, Spectre spoke highly of Hollywood glamour and its impact on his work. He was interested in the forces of modernism and technology, and was greatly inspired by the Art Deco era, which was brought to global attention at a large decorative arts exhibition held in Paris in 1925. The movement’s textile designers integrated floral motifs and vivid colors into their works, while Art Deco furniture makers were fond of dark woods, modern metals and decorative embellishments such as exotic animal hides.
In 1985, in order to grant large manufacturers the rights to produce Spectre’s furniture designs, he formed a licensing firm called J.S.P.S. Inc. with South African-born interior designer Geoffrey Bradfield. This was the era that brought Spectre recognition, awards, and numerous high-profile clients that the designer called “silent celebrities” (they deeply valued their privacy).
Spectre also created furniture that was aimed at younger consumers and intended to be affordable. He introduced an Art Deco–informed spirit at North Carolina’s Century Furniture — a brand that is known to vintage mid-century modern furniture collectors — where he created oversize, inviting lounge chairs and bentwood benches that featured plush tufted leather cushions. Spectre’s Eclipse collection was at one point among the largest-selling lines for the brand.
Spectre was named one of the top eight designers in America by the Smithsonian Institution for their "Giants of Design 1979" exhibition. He earned a pair of awards from the Chicago Merchandise Mart in 1982 and 1983, and was inducted into the Interior Design Hall of Fame in 1986.
Find vintage Jay Spectre seating, tables and decorative objects on 1stDibs.
Century Furniture
Known for its durable vintage display cabinets, nightstands and dressers made of cherry, oak, walnut and more, Century Furniture of Hickory, North Carolina, began as an upholstered goods company in 1947 but added case goods and sophisticated mahogany dining-room furnishings shortly thereafter.
Launched by Harley Ferguson Shuford Sr., a Hickory native who was born to a family of textile mill owners, Century Furniture was intended to be “the best furniture company in the world.” With respect to speed and efficiency, the brand found its footing midway through production on a government contract that Shuford had secured in the early days to manufacture thousands of five-drawer chests. The effort was significant, but it was also a teachable moment as far as Shuford and his team’s learning the ropes of running a factory.
After hiring designer Raymond K. Sobota in 1950 and introducing the enormously popular Citation Collection in 1954, Century established its reputation as a leader in stylishly designed high-quality furniture. Sobota had furniture in his blood — after graduating from Kendall College of Art & Design in Grand Rapids, Michigan, he worked for his uncle Karl Schmidt, who was at the time a well-known furniture designer for Berkey and Gay and other makers in the Grand Rapids area, then known as America’s furniture capital. Sobota soon launched his own studio, designing furniture as a freelancer for various local manufacturers. Shuford found him by happenstance, journeying to Michigan’s second-largest city to offer a job to another designer who turned him down but recommended Sobota instead.
Century’s Citation line — a sizable collection for the brand that spanned furnishings for the bedroom, dining room and more — is revered in the world of vintage mid-century modern furniture collectors. The pieces sold very well during the 1950s, and the line is an oft-cited success story for Sobota, who would go on to win awards for his work and whose own catalogue of designs for the brand is massive.
In his 40-year career at Century, until he retired in 1995, he designed well over 100 furniture lines. Sobota’s nightstands, cabinets, side tables and more are characterized by his interest in Asian design, distinctly and brilliantly expressed in his Hollywood Regency–style Chin Hua line, which debuted during the 1970s. With its geometrically decorative brass drawer pulls and door handles as well as dining-chair seat-back carvings — all inspired by Asian motifs — this collection has rendered vintage pieces that saw Century’s craftsmen working with alluring ebonized walnut and more, some of the company’s most sought-after work today.
Also in the 1970s as well as in the 1980s, Manhattan interior designer Jay Spectre introduced an Art Deco–informed spirit at Century Furniture, creating oversize, inviting lounge chairs and bentwood benches that featured plush tufted leather cushions. Spectre’s Eclipse collection was at one point among the largest-selling lines for the brand.
Century licensed collections with celebrity interior designers such as Thomas O’Brien, Charlotte Moss and Bunny Williams among others. In 2013, when Alex Shuford III was named president of Century Furniture, the move marked the succession of the third generation to lead this company, which is today one of the world’s largest privately held manufacturers of high-end furniture.
Find Century Furniture lounge chairs and dining chairs as well as vintage mid-century modern credenzas, dressers and more on 1stDibs.
- Custom Cerused Oak Armoire, Jay SpectreBy Century Furniture, Jay SpectreLocated in New York, NYCustom Finished, Cerused Oak wardrobe by Jay Spectre for Century Furniture. Wardrobe features 2 large bottom drawers and doors open to reveal a series of cubicles and smaller drawers...Category
20th Century American Modern Wardrobes and Armoires
MaterialsNickel
$7,840 Sale Price20% Off - Tommi Parzinger Weathered Oak, Mahogany CredenzaBy Tommi ParzingerLocated in New York, NYMid-Century Modern classically styled credenza, buffet featuring a custom weathered oak/driftwood finish with aged bronzed brass hardware. Credenza has 3...Category
20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Buffets
MaterialsMahogany, Oak
- Aged Silver Tone Bronze Faux Bois Table BaseLocated in New York, NYStriking aged silver toned bronze table base in a stylized tree form with branch supports. Can support a top up to 54". Great as a dining, side or game table.Category
20th Century Asian Organic Modern Center Tables
MaterialsBronze
$7,350 Sale Price13% Off - Custom Grey Cheveron Hide/Velvet PillowsLocated in New York, NYPair of handmade pillows with bands of stitched white brindle hide, edge stitched velvet, and matte pewter mini sequins with grey velvet backs. Pillow inserts are feather and down, h...Category
21st Century and Contemporary European Modern Pillows and Throws
MaterialsCowhide, Velvet, Sequins
$402 Sale Price / set59% Off - Custom, Mid Century Gun Metal Turret LampsLocated in New York, NYModernist pair of custom hand turned gun metal lamps featuring a moorish/turret design. Lamps have a seductive Tahitian black pearl color. Rewired for use in...Category
20th Century North American Modern Table Lamps
MaterialsMetal
$6,500 / set - Custom Tommi Parzinger Mahogany ChestsBy Tommi ParzingerLocated in New York, NYCustom ordered pair chest of drawers in solid mahogany with iconic brass pulls all designed by Tommi Parzinger/Parzinger originals. Each chest ha...Category
20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Dressers
MaterialsBrass
$19,500 Sale Price / item59% Off
- Jay Spectre Custom Coffee TableBy Jay SpectreLocated in Chicago, ILJay Spectre custom coffee table, solid marble with bull-nose edge, custom inlaid stainless steel and stainless steel legs connected cradle for marb...Category
Vintage 1980s American Modern Coffee and Cocktail Tables
MaterialsMarble, Stainless Steel
- Jay Spectre "DeLanay" Round Chrome and Glass TableBy Century Furniture, Jay SpectreLocated in Philadelphia, PAJay Spectre "DeLanay" Glass and Chrome Side Table. In beautiful Condition. Couldn't an example of this table anywhere besides in an Ad! Updated Deco feel with a beautiful Etched G...Category
Vintage 1980s American Post-Modern Side Tables
MaterialsChrome
- Jay Spectre "Entrance Maker" Console Table with MirrorBy Century Furniture, Jay SpectreLocated in Philadelphia, PAJay Spectre for Century Furniture "Entrance Maker" White Oak Console with Hanging Mirror. Console is ziggurat-shaped with a Mirrored Back-Splash. Inspired from Art Deco Step Back D...Category
Vintage 1980s American Post-Modern Console Tables
MaterialsMirror, Oak
- Jay Spectre Console TableBy Jay SpectreLocated in Brooklyn, NYDeco inspired console with black lacquered base and 24-karat gold leafed top. For Century Furniture.Category
Late 20th Century American Console Tables
MaterialsGold Leaf
- Custom Oak Dining TableBy Ken PetersenLocated in Los Angeles, CAThis modern oak trestle table has the option to be made collapsible. It is seen here in 90" x 40" however it can be built in any size. Because each table is bench-made in our own L...Category
2010s American Modern Conference Tables
MaterialsOak
$12,000 / item - Jay Spectre Custom Console and Pair of LampsBy Jay SpectreLocated in Chicago, ILJay Spectre custom console and pair of lamps, these were designed in tandem for a private residential client in Toronto, Canada. Brushed stainless steel console with 2 small holes f...Category
Vintage 1980s American Modern Console Tables
MaterialsNickel, Stainless Steel
$15,120 / set