Alexander Girard for Braniff Airlines Hexagon Side Table
About the Item
- Creator:Alexander Girard (Designer)
- Dimensions:Height: 15.5 in (39.37 cm)Width: 17 in (43.18 cm)Depth: 20 in (50.8 cm)
- Style:Mid-Century Modern (In the Style Of)
- Materials and Techniques:
- Place of Origin:
- Period:
- Date of Manufacture:21st Century
- Condition:
- Seller Location:Seattle, WA
- Reference Number:1stDibs: LU5748227372332
Alexander Girard
The director of design for the textiles department at Herman Miller, Inc., from 1952 to 1973, mid-century modern visionary Alexander Girard introduced bright, bouncy colors to upholstery and drapery fabrics, created jaunty graphics for marketing and advertising materials and devised motifs for everything from textiles to ceramics based on his true love: folk art from cultures around the globe.
The son of an American mother and an Italian father, Girard (known as Sandro to his friends) was born in New York City in 1907 but raised in Florence. He came from a creative family — his father was a master woodworker — and Girard began drawing and making his own playthings as a youngster. He had a fascination for nativity crèche tableaux, an enthusiasm that likely was the germ for his later interest in folk art. He went on to earn degrees in architecture at schools in both Rome and London before returning to New York in the 1930s and working in interior design.
By the 1940s, he and his wife, Susan, had moved to Detroit, where Girard was head of design for Detrola, a firm specializing in tabletop radios. The elegant bentwood housings that he developed for the devices won him acclaim, but, more importantly, at Detrola he met Charles Eames. The two became lifelong friends, and it was Eames who drew Girard toward Herman Miller, which had no dedicated textile department until Girard arrived, and most of its furniture was upholstered in mundane, “safe” hues. Girard changed all that, introducing fabrics in vivid shades of red, orange, yellow and blue. His early designs incorporated geometric motifs — stripes, circles, square, triangles and such. But toward the end of the 1950s he began to introduce folk art themes into his designs.
Girard did not collect important or expensive folk pieces. Rather he was drawn to simple objects such as handmade toys, figurines and models of animals, buildings and plants. The fabrics that emerged had whimsical, lighthearted motifs depicting, for example, angels, children, birds and flowers. Toward the end of his term with Herman Miller, in an effort to achieve what he termed “aesthetic functionalism,” Girard produced a group of what he called “Environmental Enrichment” pieces — silk-screened cotton panels emblazoned with various graphic designs, from bold geometric patterns to folk art themes. They were meant to divide spaces in offices or the home in lieu of walls while simultaneously functioning as art. Today, panels of vintage Girard upholstery textiles have become premium collectibles. The designer's furniture is less well known, primarily because most of it was created for private commissions.
Girard’s most lasting contribution may be his folk art collection. He and Susan had begun gathering pieces shortly after their marriage, in 1936. By the 1970s, they had amassed the world’s largest collection of cross-cultural folk art, composed of more than 100,000 pieces from around the world. The Girards donated their holdings to the Museum of International Folk Art, in Santa Fe (where they had moved in the ’60s), quintupling the institution’s collection, and a new wing — named for the Girards — had to be built to hold it.
Find a striking range of vintage Alexander Girard seating, tables, textiles and other furnishings on 1stDibs.
- ShippingRetrieving quote...Ships From: Seattle, WA
- Return PolicyA return for this item may be initiated within 7 days of delivery.
- 1965 Alexander Girard for Braniff Airlines & Herman Miller Marble Coffee TableBy Alexander GirardLocated in Seattle, WAAlongside his contemporaries Charles and Ray Eames and George Nelson, Alexander Girard was a prominent figure in postwar US design. In a departure from the rather austere Modernist a...Category
Vintage 1960s North American Mid-Century Modern Side Tables
MaterialsAluminum
- 1965 Alexander Girard for Braniff Airlines & Herman Miller Glass Coffee TableBy Alexander GirardLocated in Seattle, WAAlongside his contemporaries Charles and Ray Eames and George Nelson, Alexander Girard was a prominent figure in postwar US design. In a departure from the rather austere Modernist a...Category
Vintage 1960s North American Mid-Century Modern Side Tables
MaterialsAluminum
- Alexander Girard & George Nelson Inc. Wall Mounted Vanity, Model 1030By George Nelson, Alexander GirardLocated in Seattle, WAAn unusual and rare wall mounted vanity from the 1964 Herman Miller accessory line to the CSS storage system. A collaborative design by Alexander Girard...Category
Vintage 1960s North American Mid-Century Modern Shelves and Wall Cabinets
MaterialsAluminum
- George Nelson Modular Seating System Bench in Alexander Girard Checker FabricBy George NelsonLocated in Seattle, WANelson’s studio “George Nelson & Associates” produced countless designs that were ahead of their time, including the Nelson Modular Seating System from which we have this three piece sectional set. The system was gorgeous line of products that Herman Miller produced between 1956-1978. The wide array of Nelson’s Modular System can be found in all shapes and sizes to this day. Sofas, loveseats, chairs, armless seating, end tables and more; it was meant to fulfill the needs of any space large or small. This rare bench has been completely restored and re-upholstered with the iconic Alexander Girard...Category
Vintage 1960s American Mid-Century Modern Benches
MaterialsSteel
- Eero Saarinen Womb Chair & Ottoman Medium in Alexander Girard Quatrefoil FabricBy Eero SaarinenLocated in Seattle, WAOne of the most iconic chair designs of the 20th century, Eero Saarinen designed this lounge chair for Florence Knoll at the request of “a chair that was like a basket full of pillow...Category
2010s American Mid-Century Modern Lounge Chairs
MaterialsFabric, Fiberglass
- 3 Seater Chiclet Sofa with Side TablesBy Ray WilkesLocated in Seattle, WA3 seater chiclet sofa with black leather-top side tables, designed by Ray Wilkes for Herman Miller, circa 1970s. Sofa is in original blue & black wool fa...Category
Vintage 1970s North American Post-Modern Sofas
MaterialsWool
- 1965 Alexander Girard Side Table by Herman Miller for Braniff AirlinesBy Alexander Girard, Herman MillerLocated in Pasadena, TX1965 Alexander Girard for Braniff airlines granite side table Alexander Girard was a prominent figure in postwar US design. In a departure from the rather austere Modernist aesth...Category
Mid-20th Century North American Mid-Century Modern Side Tables
MaterialsGranite, Aluminum
- Alexander Girard Occasional Table for Herman MillerBy Alexander GirardLocated in St.Petersburg, FLA rare marble top table by Alexander Girard for Herman Miller, circa 1960s.Category
Vintage 1960s American Mid-Century Modern Side Tables
MaterialsMarble, Aluminum
- Rare Alexander Girard Side TableBy Alexander GirardLocated in West Palm Beach, FLAlexander Girard table originally conceived for Braniff Airlines.
Girard's furniture designs were produced by Herman Miller for
only two years. Cast and Plated AluminumCategory20th Century American End Tables
MaterialsAluminum
- One of a Kind Midcentury Side Table Designed by Alexander GirardBy Alexander GirardLocated in BROOKLYN, NYOne of a kind Midcentury side table designed by Alexander Girard. handmade terrazzo table with inlay on steel frame legs. Features Girards early signature ( triangle, square, circle)...Category
Vintage 1940s American Mid-Century Modern Tables
MaterialsSteel
- Kipp Stewart for Drexel Wooden Inlay Hexagon Circular Tripod End / Side TableBy Kipp StewartLocated in New York, NYAmerican Mid-Century circular end / side table with an inlaid central hexagonal star design supported by a wooden tripod base. (KIPP STEWART FOR DREXEL).Category
20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Side Tables
MaterialsWood
- Set of Three Hexagonal Cluster Side TablesLocated in Greenwich, CTClustered hexagon tables. White and Green (Benjamin Moore "Citron") lacquered high gloss. Brown is dark walnut stain. Measurements: White 13.25" W x 13...Category
2010s American Modern End Tables
MaterialsLacquer, Wood