In its striking curtain wall of glass and modernist steel columns, Gordon Bunshaft’s International-style design for the Lever House — cocreated with Natalie de Blois — garnered widespread acclaim. The Pritzker Prize-winner was a legendary American architect, and his influence can be found today in city skylines all over the world.
Bunshaft studied at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology before undertaking fellowships in Europe and North Africa. In 1937, he joined New York City architectural firm Skidmore, Owings & Merrill where he worked until his retirement in 1979.
Bunshaft shared the same interest in modernist furniture as Florence Knoll, an architect and furniture designer who had a subtle but profound influence on the course of mid-century American modernism and who helped make Knoll Inc. a leading firm in its field. Bunshaft recommended that Knoll be placed in charge of interiors when, while at Skidmore, Owings & Merrill, he designed the Connecticut General Life Insurance Company’s headquarters in the mid-1950s.
Bunshaft’s projects drew heavily on the pioneering architectural work of Le Corbusier as well as Mies van der Rohe, an iconic furniture designer and fellow proponent of modernist architecture.
Celebrated architectural marvels created by Bunshaft include the Beinecke Rare Book & Manuscript Library for Yale University and the Lyndon Baines Johnson Library and Research Building for the University of Texas. Completed in 1974, Bunshaft designed the Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden, part of the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, D.C., and finished the National Commercial Bank in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, in 1983. The National Commercial Bank was his last project.
On 1stDibs, find vintage Gordon Bunshaft case pieces and other furniture.
Extra-Large Gordon Bunshaft Credenza by De Coene Frères, 1960s
By De Coene Frères, Gordon Bunshaft, Florence Knoll
Located in Dronten, NL
A rare and exceptional extra-large credenza designed by Gordon Bunshaft and crafted by De Coene Frères for the Lambert Bank in Belgium, circa 1960. This monumental piece exemplifies ...
Chrome
Gordon Bunshaft Mahogany Credenza by De Coene, Midcentury Design, 1960
By De Coene Frères, Gordon Bunshaft, Florence Knoll
Located in Dronten, NL
Gordon Bunshaft–designed mahogany credenza, manufactured by De Coene for Banque Lambert (Belgium), c. 1960. Clean, midcentury monumental proportions executed in rich mahogany with cr...
Chrome
1961 Davis Allen and Gordon Bunshaft of SOM Stainless & Rosewood Executive Desk
By Gordon Bunshaft, Davis Allen
Located in Philadelphia, PA
This is an Executive Desk, initially designed by Davis Allen and Gordon Bunshaft as part of SOM Design. This particular example dates to the year 1961. Skidmore, Owings & Merrill...
Steel
1960s Gordon Bunshaft and Davis Allen Credenza with Marble Top
By Gordon Bunshaft, Davis Allen
Located in Philadelphia, PA
This is a cabinet / credenza, originally designed by Gordon Bunshaft and Davis Allen. This particular example was produced in the 1960s. The design features a clean, architectural ca...
Marble, Steel
1965 Davis Allen & Gordon Bunshaft w/ Steel, Marble & Teak 2-Position Credenzas
By Gordon Bunshaft, Davis Allen
Located in Philadelphia, PA
These are custom 2-position credenzas, designed C. 1965 by Gordon Bunshaft and Davis Allen within Skidmore, Owings, and Merrill. The listed price includes one credenza, and we have 2...
Marble, Steel
1960s Gordon Bunshaft and Davis Allen of Teak Credenza for Chase Manhattan Bank
By Gordon Bunshaft, Davis Allen
Located in Philadelphia, PA
This is a substantial teak credenza, designed ca. 1965 by Gordon Bunshaft and Davis Allen for Skidmore, Owings, and Merrill. It is a custom-made piece, created to grace the offices o...
Steel
Custom Desk with Credenza by Gordon Bunshaft for General Fireproofing Company
By Gordon Bunshaft, General Fireproofing Company
Located in Kansas City, MO
This is a one of a kind, custom designed partners desk with credenza by Gordon Bunshaft for the General Fireproofing Company, also know as GF and Go...
Aluminum, Steel
C. 1958 Gordon Bunshaft of SOM / Alcoa / GF Studios Italic Desk
By Gordon Bunshaft
Located in Philadelphia, PA
This is a custom Italic Desk, designed by Alcoa / Reynolds / GF Studios for Gordon Bunshaft and SOM's Reynolds Metals Headquarters in Richmond, VA. The design is largely seen as a co...
Aluminum, Steel
C. 1958 Gordon Bunshaft of SOM / Alcoa / GF Studios Italic Desk
By Gordon Bunshaft, General Fireproofing Company
Located in Philadelphia, PA
This is an Italic Desk, designed by Alcoa / Reynolds / GF Studios for Gordon Bunshaft and SOM's Reynolds Metals Headquarters in Richmond, VA. The design is largely seen as a collabor...
Aluminum, Steel
1965 Davis Allen and Gordon Bunshaft of SOM Credenza for Chase Manhattan Bank
By Gordon Bunshaft, Davis Allen
Located in Philadelphia, PA
This is a Custom 2-position credenza, produced in 1965 and designed by Davis Allen and Gordon Bunshaft for the interior of the Chase Manhattan Bank headquarters, one of Bunshaft and ...
Travertine, Steel
C. 1958 Gordon Bunshaft of SOM / Alcoa / GF Studios Italic Credenza / Cabinet
By Gordon Bunshaft, General Fireproofing Company
Located in Philadelphia, PA
This is a custom Italic Cabinet, designed by Alcoa / Reynolds / GF Studios for Gordon Bunshaft and SOM's Reynolds Metals Headquarters in Richmond, VA. The design is largely seen as a...
Steel, Aluminum
1960s Davis Allen and Gordon Bunshaft for SOM 66 inch Credenza/Cabinet in Walnut
By Gordon Bunshaft, Davis Allen
Located in Philadelphia, PA
This is a Four Position Credenza, originally designed by Gordon Bunshaft and Davis Allen in the late 1950s. This particular example was produced by Skidmore, Owings, and Merrill (or ...
Travertine, Steel
1965 Olive Ash Burl and Marble Credenza by Gordon Bunshaft of SOM
By Gordon Bunshaft, Som American
Located in Philadelphia, PA
This is a monumental custom 2-position credenza, produced in 1965 by Gordon Bunshaft for the interior of the Chase Manhattan Bank headquarters, one of Bunshaft and SOM's most notable...
Marble, Steel
Monumental Ebony and Chrome Executive Desk
Located in North Hollywood, CA
Vintage executive desk designed in the United States, circa 1970s. This refinished desk is extremely attractive to any viewer due to the versatility of the design and the elegance of...
Steel, Chrome
1970s brutalist cabinet in massive oak, by De Coene (BE)
By De Coene Frères
Located in Oostende, BE
1970s brutalist cabinet in massive oak, by De Coene Frères (BE)
Oak
Danish Credenza with Tambour Doors by Dyrlund Denmark, 1960s
By Dyrlund
Located in Nuernberg, DE
Mid century credenza, with tambour doors, designed and manufactured by Dyrlund of Denmark. Produced in beautifully grained Teak this piece is another classic example of Dyrlund's Cra...
Metal
Alma Mid Century Rosewood and Leather Executive Desk
By Alma Desk Company
Located in Franklin Park, IL
Alma Mid Century Rosewood and Leather Executive Desk This desk measures: 78 wide x 36 deep x 29.5 high, with a chair clearance of 28 inches Fair Vintage Condition - Desk has Stain ...
Leather, Rosewood
$5,800Sale Price|26% Off
H 29.5 in W 72.5 in D 36.5 in
Dunbar Roger Sprunger Rosewood and Stainless Steel Desk
By Roger Sprunger, Dunbar Furniture
Located in Pasadena, TX
A Mid-Century Modern executive desk in the style of Roger Sprunger. Rosewood with stainless steel double pedestal base. Three drawers including one file and two regular with two pull...
Stainless Steel
$2,565Sale Price|28% Off
H 29.53 in W 79.53 in D 18.12 in
Vintage Retro Teak large Sideboard Credenza by Tom Robertson for McIntosh, 1960s
By A.H. MacIntosh & Company, Tom Robertson
Located in Markington, GB
Vintage 1960s McIntosh sideboard by Tom Robertson. It has three drawers, cupboard space, and a drinks section with a useful pullout shelf. Credenza is in very good original condition...
Teak
65 Davis Allen Oak Stainless Credenza
By Davis Allen
Located in Pasadena, TX
Davis Allen joined Skidmore, Owing and Merrill (SOM) in 1950 as a junior architectural designer. In the intervening forty years, and since 1965 with the rank of Associate Partner, Senior Interior Designer, Allen collaborated with three generations of SOM partners. 64" GF Davis Allen...
Stainless Steel
Art Deco Dresser designed by De Coene Belgium
By De Coene Frères
Located in Antwerp, BE
Antique Art Deco dresser in beautiful cherry colored veneer and sculptural feet. Three drawers with brass hardware. Dimensions: 114 W x 88 H ...
Cherry
Herman Miller Mid Century Rosewood Executive Desk
By Herman Miller
Located in Franklin Park, IL
Herman Miller Mid Century Rosewood Executive Desk This desk measures: 74.25 wide x 31.5 deep x 28.5 high, with a chair clearance of 27 inches Great Vintage Condition - Desk has Sta...
Rosewood
1968 Executive Desk
By Warren Platner
Located in Hanover, MA
Executive desk formerly belonging to noted architect George M. Notter, (1933–2007) of the Boston firm Anderson Notter Finegold (now known as Finegold Alexander Architects). Current institutional memory at the firm suggests it was a special order from Herman Miller for the then new New York offices of MGM, however Herman Miller's archivist was unable to confirm. Styling, particularly the distinctive slim milled aluminum tracks through which the entire drawer carriage glides is clearly similar to Warren Platner's designs for Lehigh-Leopold which were then among the most costly of executive office furnishings. The bent flat bar chromed steel base with its distinctive pigeon toe splay is somewhat similar to a table base in Stow Davis' Electa Series, designed by Alexis Yermakov circa 1971. Walnut laminate top is very clean with no issues. One corner edge shows a small separation. The only identifying markings are within the milled aluminum channel: G.P. F.I. 2 And the date Dec. 20, 1968. See image 18. Between the rectangular laminate top and the chrome base is a heavy blackened steel plate. Underneath the bent chrome pigeon toe feet are bars of a thick phenolic material which act as floor protector. We can have keys made to fit the two locking drawers. Tim Anderson...
Aluminum, Steel, Chrome
$2,495
H 30 in W 73.5 in D 17.25 in
Mid Century Modern Danish Style Teak Credenza Sideboard Buffet Bar Cabinet 1960s
Located in Portland, OR
A good original Mid Century Modern Danish style teak credenza sideboard, circa 1968. This elegant mid century credenza is made from teak, the credenza having twin three paneled door...
Teak
74" Vintage Stow Davis Credenza with Leather Top
By Stow Davis
Located in Pasadena, TX
Stow Davis A vintage Stow Davis credenza with a leather top and chrome legs. This large storage unit has six small pencil drawers and three filin...
Steel
Sold
H 30 in W 80 in D 40 in
Rare Mid Century Modern Italic Executive Desk by Gordon Bunshaft for GF Studios
By Gordon Bunshaft, General Fireproofing Company
Located in Lafayette, IN
This remarkable piece is one of the most spectacular desk designs to come out of the Mid-Century era. Designed by architect Gordon Bunshaft for GF Studios (a division of the General...
Aluminum
Gordon Bunshaft Chest of Drawers
By Florence Knoll, De Coene Frères, Gordon Bunshaft
Located in Dronten, NL
Mahogany chest of drawers with chrome recessed pulls, designed by Gordon Bunschaft and manufactured by De Coene for the Belgium Lambert Bank, circa 1960. The credenza features seven drawers with a lock on the side. The piece is finished on all sides so it can also work well as a room divider. The inside is completely veneered in oak. We also have 200 cm wide credenza that was used in combination with this piece to create a 320 cm wide credenza as shown in the last photos. Gordon Bunshaft was an American architect who made significant contributions to modernist architecture during the 20th century. He was born in Buffalo, New York, in 1909 and studied architecture at the Massachusetts Institute of...
Chrome
Gordon Bunshaft Executive Desk by GF Studios
By Gordon Bunshaft
Located in Van Nuys, CA
Architect Gordon Bunshaft (1909-1990) designed this rare Mid-Century Modern desk for the executive offices of the Reynolds Metal Company, circa 1958. Manufactured by GF Studios. This exceptional desk features raised stripe drawer fronts of alternating anodized and natural aluminum, supported by red anodized legs with a wood grain Formica top and a cut-out raised leather writing surface. Winner of the prestigious Pritzker Architecture Prize in 1988, Bunshaft has been credited with helping to establish the International Style as corporate America's standard in architecture, at least through the 1970s. The architect also designed several important cultural institutions including the Hirshhorn Museum in Washington D.C. and the Lyndon Baines Johnson...
Aluminum
Sold
H 30 in W 66 in D 30 in
Gordon Bunshaft Mid-Century Modern Italic Desk for General Fireproofing Co.
By General Fireproofing Company, Gordon Bunshaft
Located in Chesterfield, NJ
Very cool Mid-Century Modern desk designed by modern design architect Gordon Bunshaft (1909-1990) and manufactured by the General Fireproofing Company. This desk is made of aluminium...
Aluminum
Sold
H 21.75 in W 88.5 in D 19 in
Rare Gordon Bunshaft SOM Architect Floating Burl Olive Wood Credenza
By Gordon Bunshaft
Located in Brooklyn, NY
Rare, floating, office credenza or media cabinet designed exclusively for Chase Manhattan Bank by Gordon Bunshaft of Skidmore, Owings & Merrill (SOM) circa 1965 features a burl olive...
Chrome
Executive Walnut Desk by Gordon Bunshaft for Knoll
By Gordon Bunshaft, Knoll
Located in North Hollywood, CA
Vintage executive walnut desk by Gordon Bunshaft for Knoll. Features two pull-out drawers with chrome steel legs and wrapped around chrome on the edges.
Chrome