Directional Furniture
A brand known to vintage mid-century modern furniture collectors everywhere, Directional Furniture opened its doors after American furniture designer Paul McCobb created the high-end Directional Modern line of sofas distributed by the New York–based Modernage Company.
In his pivotal introduction of postwar modernism to the mass market, the revered Massachusetts-born McCobb had established several lines, from the affordable and refined Planner Group for Winchendon to the swooping and unexpected arms of the Symmetric Group for Widdicomb, a Shaker-inspired collection that included a sofa and a lounge chair. Like all of McCobb’s designs, the Directional pieces for Modernage are defined by a sleek aesthetic in which the focus is on elegant functionality, frequently using fine materials such as brass and walnut. In 1949, in partnership with New York furniture salesman B.G. Mesberg, McCobb set up the Directional Furniture Company.
The pair’s first pieces were upholstered chairs, intended to harmonize with the modular Multiplex pieces designed by Martin Feinman. McCobb then designed an array of furniture including storage, dining, seating, desks and other pieces with details such as leather tops, wood finishes and Roman Travertine surfaces. While Directional stopped production of McCobb’s work in the early 1960s, it still released numerous pieces by leading designers manufactured by a variety of companies.
Designer Paul Evans led the factory for a time after joining in 1964. His provocative work for the company often reflected his understanding of materials from his early training as a silversmith, such as the popular Cityscape series — a milestone in brutalist design — with its blocky forms accented with brass and chrome. At his shop in Lambertville, New Jersey, he collaborated with a design team to clad furniture pieces in metallic surfaces, like the Argente line that began production in 1968 and involved an acetylene torch to give its aluminum material a textural quality. He also worked on the Sculpted Bronze series with hand-formed resin shaped over plywood or steel that was then coated with atomized bronze.
Other Directional designers included Vladimir Kagan, who contributed biomorphic sofas and swivel chairs; Milo Baughman, who created tables and dressers inspired by Scandinavian modernism; and Jack Lenor Larsen, who covered sofas in dynamically patterned fabric.
Find authentic Directional Furniture seating, tables, case pieces and storage cabinets from top sellers around the world on 1stDibs.
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Creator: Directional
Dealer: Habitat Gallery
Vladimir Kagan Serpentine Cloud Sofa for Directional in Heavy Boucle
By Directional, Vladimir Kagan
Located in Culver City, CA
This Vladimir Kagan sofa is simply stunning. The entire sofa has been upholstered in a heavy ivory bouclé, including the double disc bottom. This heavily textured sofa is not only vi...
Category
1990s American Modern Directional Furniture
Materials
Bouclé
Vladimir Kagan Serpentine Cloud Sofa, Directional, in Chinoiserie Tiger Velvet
By Directional, Vladimir Kagan
Located in Culver City, CA
This Vladimir Kagan Cloud sofa is divine! This is not just any sofa; it's a fantastical journey into the world of design where comfort meets chic in the most delightful way possible...
Category
1990s American Modern Directional Furniture
Materials
Velvet
Vladimir Kagan Serpentine Cloud Sofa for Directional in Tan Mohair
By Directional, Vladimir Kagan
Located in Culver City, CA
Step into the realm of luxury and design with this iconic Vladimir Kagan Cloud Sofa! Crafted with the finesse of a sculptor, this masterpiece is not just a piece of furniture; it's ...
Category
1990s Modern Directional Furniture
Materials
Mohair
Milo Baughman for Directional Credenza
By Directional, Milo Baughman
Located in Culver City, CA
A wonderful cabinet / credenza designed by Milo Baughman for Directional Furniture. This low walnut credenza has bifold doors and sits on an eboniz...
Category
1960s Mid-Century Modern Vintage Directional Furniture
Materials
Walnut
Paul McCobb Tuxedo Sofa in White Boucle, Directional, 1960's
By Directional, Paul McCobb
Located in Culver City, CA
This sofa is mid-century design at its finest. Designed by Paul McCobb for famed modernism manufacturer Directional Furniture, this tuxedo sofa is timelessly chic. Upholstered in a fine Belgian boucle...
Category
1960s Mid-Century Modern Vintage Directional Furniture
Materials
Bouclé
Curved Serpentine Sofa by Directional Furniture
By Directional
Located in Culver City, CA
This sofa is beyond stunning! Circa 1994, this white sofa features a gorgeous flame stitch upholstery and is equal parts comfortable and beautiful. The sofa features 3 pieces and a w...
Category
1990s Post-Modern Directional Furniture
Materials
Fabric
Early Paul Evans Sculpted Bronze Throne Chair, Signed and Dated, 1969
By Directional, Paul Evans
Located in Culver City, CA
One of the most recognizable and important names in the American studio craft movement of the 1960's and 70's, Paul Evans was a groundbreaking pioneer in brutalism. Collaborating as well as sharing a showroom with Phillip Lloyd Powell until 1964 when Evans met the owner of Directional Furniture and created a line of 6 coffee tables to go into the Directional High Point, NC booth for the spring Market. As the story has been recounted by Dorsey Reading, the tables never even made it to the showroom floor. Evans soon found out the tables never even had the opportunity to be sold; obviously disappointed, owner of Directional, BG agreed to put the tables out on the showroom floor in New York City to placate Paul Evans. What happened can probably best be compared today with "going viral."
The coffee tables started flying off the floor, and the orders came rolling in. This fervor led to Evans creating eventually over 800 designs with Directional-- with the very first series being the "Sculptured Metal" Collection which was publicized in 1968.
This piece specifically is a throne chair that also swivels. Upholstered in black leather, this throne chair is a wonderful example of Paul Evans Sculpted bronze technique, which involves hand sculpting using an epoxy resin and coating in an atomized cold cast bronze. This piece is signed and dated "PE 69" making it an early example of his goopy cast bronze series and line of furniture for Directional.
It's extremely important to note: Directional Furniture showrooms in New York City and Chicago were private to-the-trade only showrooms, so only interior designers and their clients were able to custom order these pieces through the showroom. There was never any "inventory" of furniture. Each and every piece was a custom, hand crafted work of art, created to order. No two of any piece were ever alike.
Evans eventually went on to employ a team of nearly 90 people, working two shifts-- helping to hand-craft his designs. This could easily explain why not every piece is hand signed, therefore making an early, had-signed pieces like this even more desirable for a collector.
This piece has a wonderful patina, with vibrant colors and while still brutalist in nature, it's a bit more subdued and could effortlessly be blended into any contemporary environment. We currently have this piece in the gallery paired with a Vladimir Kagan serpentine cloud sofa, and a Karl Springer goatskin...
Category
1960s American Brutalist Vintage Directional Furniture
Materials
Bronze
Paul McCobb for Directional 314 Model High Back Lounge Chair in Grey Velvet
By Directional, Paul McCobb
Located in Culver City, CA
Available right now we have this absolutely gorgeous Paul McCobb for Directional, model 314 wingback lounge chair. This lounge chair is stunning-- very large in scale, and clad in fine cotton velvet that has a slight sheen.
This gorgeous wingback was designed in the 1950's by Paul McCobb for Directional furniture, which is known for its high quality manufacturing. Many famed designers such as Milo Baughman, Paul Evans and even Vladimir Kagan have designed for Directional furniture, as it's truly a furniture dynasty producer of legacy furniture...
Category
1950s American Mid-Century Modern Vintage Directional Furniture
Materials
Velvet, Walnut
Set of Four Chrome Cityscape Chairs by Paul Evans for Directional
By Directional, Paul Evans
Located in Culver City, CA
A stunning and rare set of 4 chrome cityscape chairs by Paul Evans for Directional. This matched set of PE-241 arm chairs are upholstered in a supple black matte ultrasuede and feature Evans' signature chrome patchwork design.
These gorgeous Paul Evans Cityscape chairs...
Category
1970s American Mid-Century Modern Vintage Directional Furniture
Materials
Chrome
Paul Evans Argente Cube Table Model PE37
By Directional, Paul Evans
Located in Culver City, CA
Looking for the ultimate flex in furniture? Paul Evans Studio pieces are just that. The Argente line is highly collectable, as each piece is one-of-a-kind, individually crafted by hand in Paul Evans Studio.This Paul Evans cube table is a stunning example of Brutalist design and features enameled/inked and welded aluminum with a slate top.
This Paul Evans Argente side table while brutalist, is surprisingly versatile. We currently have it paired in the gallery between a pair of vintage Barcelona chairs across from a Vladimir Kagan serpentine sofa and it looks incredible. In the photos, we've added a photo for scale as well as to show versatility-- of the table in our booth at the 2020 Palm Springs Modernism Show. The table, featured lofted in the middle of the booth between 2 Torbjorn Afdal butterfly chairs...
Category
1960s American Brutalist Vintage Directional Furniture
Materials
Metal
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Previously Available Items
Vladimir Kagan Serpentine Cloud Sofa for Directional in Heavy Boucle
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This Vladimir Kagan sofa is simply stunning. The entire sofa has been upholstered in a heavy ivory bouclé, including the double disc bottom. This heavily textured sofa is not only visually appealing, it's insanely comfortable and is incredibly stylish.
The upholstery fabric is indeed a performance fabric that is meant to repel stains and hold its shape wonderfully.
Vladimir Kagan has never been a hotter designer than he is right now-- with many interior designers and celebrities alike opting for 1 or 2 of these gorgeous contemporary sofas in their living rooms. A few clicks online and you'll find a million ways to style these in your home. When Vladimir Kagan designed this serpentine cloud sofa, he had NYC penthouses and apartments in mind-- this 8' long sofa is large enough to be a solo sofa...
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Paul Evans Sculpted Bronze and Resin Console Table, Signed and Dated '71
By Paul Evans, Directional
Located in Culver City, CA
One of the most recognizable and important names in the American studio craft movement of the 1960's and 70's, Paul Evans was a groundbreaking pioneer in brutalism. Collaborating as ...
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Vladimir Kagan Cloud Sofa for Directional in Heavy Ivory Boucle
By Directional, Vladimir Kagan
Located in Culver City, CA
This Vladimir Kagan sofa is simply stunning. The entire sofa has been upholstered in a heavy ivory bouclé, including the double disc bottom. This heavily textured sofa is not only visually appealing, it's insanely comfortable and is incredibly stylish.
The upholstery fabric is indeed a performance fabric that is meant to repel stains and hold its shape wonderfully.
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Paul Evans Sculpted Bronze and Resin Wall Mounted Credenza, Signed and Dated '71
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Paul Evans Stalagmite Bronze and Resin Dining Table PE102, Signed and Dated 1970
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Paul Evans Cityscape Chrome Coffee Table, 1970's, Signed
By Paul Evans, Directional
Located in Culver City, CA
This coffee table by Paul Evans is a remarkable piece of his iconic Cityscape collection for Directional Furniture. A perfect square base, completely clad both inside and out in vert...
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Early Paul Evans "Crown of Thorns" Dining Table, Signed and Dated, 1968
By Directional, Paul Evans
Located in Culver City, CA
One of the most recognizable and important names in the American studio craft movement of the 1960's and 70's, Paul Evans was a groundbreaking pioneer in brutalism. Collaborating as well as sharing a showroom with Phillip Lloyd Powell until 1964 when Evans met the owner of Directional Furniture and created a line of 6 coffee tables to go into the Directional High Point, NC booth for the spring Market. As the story has been recounted by Dorsey Reading, the tables never even made it to the showroom floor. Evans soon found out the tables never even had the opportunity to be sold; obviously disappointed, owner of Directional, BG agreed to put the tables out on the showroom floor in New York City to placate Evans. What happened can probably best be compared today with "going viral."
The coffee tables started flying off the floor, and the orders came rolling in. This fervor led to Evans creating eventually over 800 designs with Directional-- with the very first series being the "Sculptured Metal" Collection which was publicized in 1968.
This piece specifically is the Crown of Thorns Dining Table Table in Oxidized Steel and Bronze. This piece is signed and dated by Evans "PE 68" making it an early example of this piece, and line of furniture for Directional.
It's extremely important to note: Directional Furniture showrooms in New York City and Chicago were private to-the-trade only showrooms, so only interior designers and their clients were able to custom order these pieces through the showroom. There was never any "inventory" of furniture. Each and every piece was a custom, hand crafted work of art, created to order. No two of any piece were ever alike.
Evans eventually went on to employ a team of nearly 90 people, working two shifts-- helping to hand-craft his designs. This could easily explain why not every piece is hand signed, therefore making an early, had-signed piece like this even more desirable for a collector.
This piece has a wonderful patina, with vibrant colors and while still brutalist in nature, it's a bit more subdued and could effortlessly be blended into any contemporary environment. We currently have this piece in the gallery paired with a Vladimir Kagan serpentine cloud sofa, and a Karl Springer...
Category
1960s American Brutalist Vintage Directional Furniture
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Bronze, Steel
Early Paul Evans American Craft PE-11 Coffee Table Signed and Dated, 1968
By Directional, Paul Evans
Located in Culver City, CA
One of the most recognizable and important names in the American studio craft movement of the 1960's and 70's, Paul Evans was a groundbreaking pioneer in brutalism. Collaborating as well as sharing a showroom with Phillip Lloyd Powell until 1964 when Evans met the owner of Directional Furniture and created a line of 6 coffee tables to go into the Directional High Point, NC booth for the spring Market. As the story has been recounted by Dorsey Reading, the tables never even made it to the showroom floor. Evans soon found out the tables never even had the opportunity to be sold; obviously disappointed, owner of Directional, BG agreed to put the tables out on the showroom floor in New York City to placate Evans. What happened can probably best be compared today with "going viral."
The coffee tables started flying off the floor, and the orders came rolling in. This fervor led to Evans creating eventually over 800 designs with Directional-- with the very first series being the "Sculptured Metal" Collection which was publicized in 1968.
We believe this is one of the original first designs as its photograph is featured as such in the documentary "Paul Evans, Cold Metal into Furniture Art."
This piece specifically is the PE-11 Angle Cocktail Table in Oxidized Steel and Bronze. This piece is signed and dated by Evans "PE 68" making it an early example of this piece, and line of furniture.
It's extremely important to note: Directional Furniture showrooms in New York City and Chicago were private to-the-trade only showrooms, so only interior designers and their clients were able to custom order these pieces through the showroom. There was never any "inventory" of furniture. Each and every piece was a custom, hand crafted work of art, created to order. No two of any piece were ever alike.
Evans eventually went on to employ a team of nearly 90 people, working two shifts-- helping to hand-craft his designs. This could easily explain why not every piece is hand signed, therefore making an early, had-signed piece like this even more desirable for a collector.
This piece has a wonderful patina, with vibrant colors and while still brutalist in nature, it's a bit more subdued and could effortlessly be blended into any contemporary environment. We currently have this piece in the gallery paired with a Vladimir Kagan serpentine cloud sofa, and a Karl Springer goatskin credenza...
Category
1960s American Brutalist Vintage Directional Furniture
Materials
Steel, Bronze
Vladimir Kagan Directional Serpentine Cloud Sofa in Teddy-bear Tan Boucle
By Directional, Vladimir Kagan
Located in Culver City, CA
This sofa is absolutely gorgeous! Clad in a heavy nap, light teddy-bear tan colored boucle, this sumptuous serpentine cloud sofa, designed by Vladimir Kagan is sure to make an elegant statement.
Vladimir Kagan pieces, known for their round biomorphic bodies are excellent additions to any modern or contemporary design and are the darlings of the interior design world.
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Vladimir Kagan Directional Serpentine Cloud Sofa in Ivory Boucle
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Vladimir Kagan Directional Serpentine Cloud Sofa in Ivory Boucle
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This sofa is truly a showstopper! Designed by Vladimir Kagan in the 1990's for Directional, this sofa features the iconic acrylic leg down the middle, has its original DIRECTIONAL ta...
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Vladimir Kagan Cloud Serpentine Sofa Upholstered in Heavy Ivory Boucle
By Directional, Vladimir Kagan
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This Vladimir Kagan sofa is absolutely stunning! It’s obvious why Vladimir Kagan furniture is more in demand than ever. This show-stopping Kagan sofa is not only a visual feast; the ...
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Directional furniture for sale on 1stDibs.
Directional furniture are available for sale on 1stDibs. These distinctive items are frequently made of fabric and are designed with extraordinary care. There are many options to choose from in our collection of Directional furniture, although beige editions of this piece are particularly popular. Many of the original furniture by Directional were created in the modern style in united states during the 20th century. If you’re looking for additional options, many customers also consider furniture by Thayer Coggin, Harvey Probber, and Jens Risom. Prices for Directional furniture can differ depending upon size, time period and other attributes — on 1stDibs, these items begin at $5,800 and can go as high as $47,800, while a piece like these, on average, fetch $17,300.
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Questions About Directional Furniture
- 1stDibs ExpertFebruary 22, 2021While a pear-shaped ring can be worn either way, most commonly it is worn with the tip of the diamond facing upwards to look like a falling teardrop when the hand is raised. This also helps create the impression of longer fingers.