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Edmond J. Spence Coffee and Cocktail Tables

1911-1986

Edmond J. Spence played an important role in promoting the tenets of Scandinavian modernism in the United States but his name remains conspicuously omitted from the history books. He was an American furniture designer who is known for having introduced the West to unfamiliar cultural tastes and translating their subtleties to appeal to mid-century-era consumers.

Spence honed his eye for good craftsmanship as a young man. His family owned a furniture manufacturing company based in Batavia, New York. While not much has been reported about his schooling, it was not long before he started designing his own nightstands, end tables, chairs and more — all of which exhibited the appealing traits associated with mid-century modern furniture. Spence experimented with form and ornament owing to inspiration he gathered from international influences.

During the 1950s, Spence drew on Asian and Swedish influences in developing ideas for his own style of modern furniture. He incorporated aspects of Mexican design to create the Continental-American collection. Manufactured in 1953 by Industria Mueblera, this collection of sculptural wooden furnishings with brass details epitomizes Spence’s ability to draw attention to the most integral parts of global design while adding his own modern spin. The designer’s Coronation Group — a series of dressers, cabinets and more in blonde woods that featured decorative birch veneers — was built by artisans in Sweden and imported for sale to postwar homeowners in the United States by Massachusetts furniture company Walpole.

Spence’s “Peineta” chair — a work of mahogany, plywood and woven palm that is demonstrative of Spanish Colonial influences and is part of the Continental-American line — has long been on display in the Los Angeles County Museum of Art while other works are held in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Modern Art. And if Spence hadn’t captured the hearts of Americans by way of Industria Mueblera showrooms and alluring ads in Interiors magazine, some of his furniture was used as set decoration for the widely loved sitcom I Love Lucy.

Find vintage Edmond J. Spence seating, storage and case pieces, tables and other furniture on 1stDibs.

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Creator: Edmond J. Spence
Edmond J. Spence, Coffee Table, Birch, Brass, Sweden, 1950s
By Edmond J. Spence
Located in High Point, NC
A birch and brass coffee or cocktail table designed by Edmond J. Spence and produced by Walpole, Sweden, c. 1950s.
Category

1950s Swedish Mid-Century Modern Vintage Edmond J. Spence Coffee and Cocktail Tables

Materials

Brass

Edmond Spence Mahogany Coffee Table for Industria Mueblara, Mexico 1953
By Edmond J. Spence
Located in Camden, ME
A mahogany cocktail table with with brass filigree straps, carved block details and elegantly arched legs designed by Edmond Spence and manufactured in Mexico in the mid-1950s. This table is part of Edmund Spence's Industria Mueblara line of elegant Mexican modern furniture...
Category

20th Century Mexican Mid-Century Modern Edmond J. Spence Coffee and Cocktail Tables

Materials

Brass

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Edmond J. Spence coffee and cocktail tables for sale on 1stDibs.

Edmond J. Spence coffee and cocktail tables are available for sale on 1stDibs. These distinctive items are frequently made of wood and are designed with extraordinary care. There are many options to choose from in our collection of Edmond J. Spence coffee and cocktail tables, although gray editions of this piece are particularly popular. Many of the original coffee and cocktail tables by Edmond J. Spence were created in the mid-century modern style in north america during the 20th century. If you’re looking for additional options, many customers also consider coffee and cocktail tables by Arturo Pani, and Genaro Alvarez. Prices for Edmond J. Spence coffee and cocktail tables can differ depending upon size, time period and other attributes — on 1stDibs, these items begin at $7,200 and can go as high as $7,200, while a piece like these, on average, fetch $7,200.

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