Though much of Arthur Umanoff's furniture is marked by a no-frills simplicity common in American mid-century modern design, his work is anything but one-note. Over the course of a prolific career, Umanoff designed everything from case pieces to candleholders to magazine racks to dining chairs in iron, leather, walnut, wicker and more. With furnishings for a broad range of manufacturers throughout the ’50s, ’60s, ’70s and early ’80s, Umanoff continued a thread of sculptural elegance and textural sensitivity through his designs.
After graduating from Pratt Institute in the early 1950s, Umanoff experimented mostly with wood furniture before landing a job at Post Modern Ltd, a New York manufacturer of wrought-iron furniture. There he produced furnishings that married wrought iron with wood and plastic, creating functional pieces free of utilitarian bulkiness.
Umanoff continued his experimentation with mixed materials through a partnership with Shaver Howard, for whom he designed wine racks in combinations of iron, leather and wicker.
When Shaver Howard bought Boyeur Scott, Umanoff conceived several furniture designs for the brand, including the 1964 Granada collection, whose curlicue iron bases, visible through glass tops, stand out as some of his most ornate and decorative work. Indeed, much of Umanoff’s oeuvre is far more simplistic, like iron-and-pine armchairs for The Elton Co. or low-backed, slatted-seat barstools with slender iron legs for Raymor.
Umanoff was fluent, too, in the more sumptuous modernism of the era: In the mid-1960s, he designed the 2405 and 4449 armchairs for Madison Furniture Industries. Popular in offices, the walnut-framed, leather-upholstered seats, which could have been mistaken for the seductive Scandinavian modern seating of the era, were reportedly the jumping-off point for Captain Kirk’s iconic seat on Star Trek.
Even as he is among the mid-century modern designers you may not know, with work across such a range of styles and manufacturers (most no longer in business), Umanoff, who died in 1985, leaves a legacy that is fascinatingly diverse and at times enticingly elusive, making his work intriguing objects for collectors.
Find vintage Arthur Umanoff bar stools, tables, benches and other furniture today on 1stDibs.
Mid Century Modern Sculptural Bar Cart with a Surfboard Top by Arthur Umanoff
By Arthur Umanoff
Located in Port Jervis, NY
Beautiful design for a indoor outdoor, (poolside), iron bar cart with an surfboard shaped oak top. Top was refinished and varnished. In excellent vintage condition with minimal wear. Plenty of storage below with two wide shelves.
Wrought Iron
Arthur Umanoff 39 Bottle Wine Rack with Round Top
By Arthur Umanoff
Located in Highland, IN
Ready to hold 39 wine bottles, this iron wine rack by Arthur Umanoff has a delightful curved top echoing the round shape of the bottle holders and a terrific graphic quality.
Iron
$1,532
H 24.81 in W 18.9 in D 31.5 in
1960s Italian Two-Tier Brass and Glass Bar Cart with Dark Glass Top
By Romeo Rega, Milo Baughman, Maison Jansen, Maison Baguès, Willy Rizzo
Located in Carimate, Como
Beautiful and stylish 1960s Hollywood Regency Italian two-tier brass and smoked glass bar cart. A great piece that perfectly adds to every home decor the typical glitz, glamour and g...
Brass
Mid Century Modern Burl Credenza by Arthur Umanoff
By Arthur Umanoff, Dillingham Manufacturing Company
Located in Raleigh, NC
Exceptional 1970s Burl Wood Credenza by Arthur Umanoff for Dillingham This remarkable credenza showcases Arthur Umanoff's distinctive design aesthetic for Dillingham, dating to appr...
Burl
$2,250
H 42 in W 41.5 in D 20.5 in
Mid Century Modern Arthur Umanoff Slat Dry Bar for Shaver Howard, 1950's
By Arthur Umanoff
Located in Bedford Hills, NY
Features Umanoff's signature vertical wood slatting and a minimalist black iron base that eliminates "utilitarian bulkiness". Designed for both style and utility, it includes a dura...
Wrought Iron
MCM Walnut Rolling Sideboard Bar Cart by Kroehler
By Kroehler Mfg. Co.
Located in Lake Worth, FL
For FULL item description click on More Details below. Shipping Quote Information The shipping quote stated in the listing was from 1st Dibs and they normally set all the costs and handle all the shipping details. However, if you let us know what 1st Dibs is quoting you and give us your zip code, we can sometimes ship it for less and get it to you faster. For a shipping quote, click on "ASK THE SELLER" under the purchase button and provide your zip code. Offering one of our recent palm beach estate fine furniture acquisitions of a vintage MCM walnut rolling...
Walnut
$2,239
H 27.56 in W 37.01 in D 17.33 in
1950s Art Deco Mid-Century Italian Wood and Brass Dry Bar Cabinet Liquor Cart
By Guglielmo Ulrich, Ico & Luisa Parisi, Gio Ponti, Paolo Buffa, Vittorio Dassi
Located in Carimate, Como
Unique and very elegant Italian Art Deco dry bar cabinet cart with top glass tier and highlighted by the great wooden structure design and overall shape completed by the details of t...
Brass
$4,500
H 30.25 in W 40 in D 20 in
Paul McCobb for Directional Black Lacquered Flip Top Server Bar Cart, Refinished
By Paul McCobb, Directional, Calvin Furniture
Located in South Bend, IN
An exceptional Mid-Century Modern flip top extension rolling bar cart server By Paul McCobb for Directional and produced by Calvin Furniture, "Calvin Group" USA, 1950s Black lacqu...
Brass
$6,200 / item
H 38 in W 32 in D 19 in
Bar Cart in Blackened Laser-Cut Steel Frame with Oak Slats and Leather Top
By Klein Agency
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Bar cart has been developed as a new addition to our favourite dry bar unit. The curvaceous laser cut steel form is adjusted to allow for mobility and with removal of door hardware, the piece functions as a lighter, more porous movable bar...
Cut Steel
$1,534
H 24.81 in W 30.32 in D 14.97 in
1960s Italian Two-Tier Brass and Glass Bar Cart with Dark Glass Top
By Willy Rizzo, Maison Baguès, Maison Jansen, Milo Baughman, Romeo Rega
Located in Carimate, Como
Beautiful and stylish 1960s Hollywood Regency Italian two-tier brass and smoked glass bar cart. A great piece that perfectly adds to every home decor the typical glitz, glamour and g...
Brass
George Nelson Style Mid Century Oak Bar Cart
By George Nelson
Located in Franklin Park, IL
George Nelson style mid century oak bar cart Bar cart measures: 36.5 wide x 18.5 deep x 26 inches high All pieces of furniture can be had in what we cal...
Brass
$5,699
H 28.25 in W 55.75 in D 19.5 in
Mid-Century Burl Wood Credenza by Arthur Umanoff for Dillingham
By Dillingham Manufacturing Company, Arthur Umanoff
Located in North Hollywood, CA
Stunning midcentury burl wood credenza designed by Arthur Umanoff for Dillingham in the United States, circa 1970s. This credenza has a m...
Burl, Lacquer
$1,886
H 26.38 in W 31.89 in D 19.69 in
Mid-Century Hollywood Regency Two-Tier Brass and Glass Bar Cart, Italy, 1970s
By Romeo Rega, Milo Baughman, Maison Jansen, Maison Baguès, Willy Rizzo
Located in Carimate, Como
Beautiful and stylish vintage 1970s Italian two-tier faux bamboo brass and glass bar cart with great brass wheels, green smoked glass tops and removable tray. Very good condition wit...
Brass