Art Deco Machine Age Industrial Full Size Metal Bed by Bel Geddes for Simmons
By Simmons Company Furniture, Norman Bel Geddes
Located in New York, NY
Stylish full size metal bed, designed by Normal Bel Geddes, for the Simmons Furniture Company.
Steel
Vintage Metal Simmons Bed Frame
By Simmons Company Furniture
Located in Brooklyn, NY
Metal bed frame designed by Simmons with rails included.
Metal
Vintage Full Size Metal Bed Frame
By Simmons Company Furniture, Norman Bel Geddes
Located in Brooklyn, NY
Mid-Century Modern metal bed frame designed by Simmons. Restored in an industrial bare metal style finish.
Vintage Metal Coil Bed Spring
By Simmons Company Furniture
Located in Dorchester, MA
With its striking color and sculptural form, this vintage metal coil box spring makes a unique and interesting wall sculpture or decorative object.
Metal
Best known for industrial and Art Deco style metal furniture, Simmons Company Furniture was among the leading manufacturers and sellers of steel furniture from the early to mid-20th century.
In 1923, the Chicago-based furniture firm captured international attention when it introduced the world’s first bedroom suite made of steel. This innovative approach to design made waves throughout the furniture manufacturing industry, which, at the time, produced primarily wooden furniture.
Towards the late 1920s, Simmons Company Furniture began collaborating with American modernist industrial designer Norman Bel Geddes. Bel Geddes was renowned for his sleek, streamlined, futuristic style, seen in Electrolux appliances, radios for Philco and RCA and the aerodynamic Chrysler Airflow. Bel Geddes was also the designer behind the famed General Motors “Futurama” exhibition at the 1939 New York World’s Fair.
For Simmons, Bel Geddes designed a steel bedroom furniture ensemble in 1929, including an enameled steel vanity, bed frame and dresser, each with chrome-finished accents. In 1933, Simmons exhibited the suite at the Century of Progress World’s Fair in Chicago, garnering critical acclaim. Over the next few years, Bel Geddes designed several other pieces for Simmons, such as an Art Deco-style one-drawer side table, leather-upholstered metal armchairs, vanity benches and chests of drawers.
In addition to these modernist designs, Simmons created American Classical furniture and steel reproductions of Windsor, Chippendale and Sheraton pieces aimed at the upper-middle-class market. To soften the industrial look, many pieces, such as rocking chairs, armchairs, desks and dressers, were enameled in color finishes or imitation wood.
Simmons Company Furniture pieces have had a resurgence in popularity, particularly among interior designers and collectors of early 20th-century furniture. The company’s furnishings are in museum collections across the United States, including the Metropolitan Museum of Art and Brooklyn Museum in New York.
On 1stDibs, discover a range of Simmons Company Furniture seating, case pieces and storage cabinets, tables and more.