During the 1930s, a company called Interlübke was established by brothers Leo and Hans Lübke to produce affordable bedroom furniture such as dressers, beds and other items for homeowners in the founders' native Germany. While the brand has changed and expanded its offerings over the years, it is still committed to producing well-made handcrafted furnishings for the home.
Cor is Latin for heart, and COR furniture exemplifies the qualities at the heart of exceptional design: practicality, comfort and style. The company's sofas, lounge chairs and coffee tables capture the essence of the best of mid-century modernism. Simple silhouettes, quality materials and function-first designs ensure that vintage COR furniture is still in high demand with collectors all over the world.
COR was founded in Rheda-Wiedenbrück, Germany, in 1954 by Leo Lübke — in the name of his son, Helmut — and the Prince of Bentheim-Tecklenburg, a northern German county. Nearly a couple of decades prior, in 1937, a manufacturer of bedroom furniture called Interlübke was established by Leo and his brother Hans. The latter’s son Horst, who was managing partner from 1972, retired during the 1990s and his son Helmut Lübke joined Interlübke and shifted the brand’s focus toward modular furniture systems. During the 1980s, the Prince of Bentheim-Tecklenburg left COR and the Lübke family became its sole owner. In 2006, COR-Interlübke retail locations opened their doors.
COR, which was primarily focused on upholstered furniture from its earliest days, made its mark in 1959 with a sleek modular seating system consisting of five parts called Quinta, which was created by designer Michael Bayer (the first creative director at Interlübke). The upholstered line boasted clean, angular contours and appealed to the day's ever-broadening flexible interior design sensibilities. The same thinking is applied at Interlübke, where designers busied themselves during the 1960s with developing storage furniture that could be endlessly expanded upon. At COR, the Quinta remained in production until 1978. The success of the Quinta was followed by the 1964 Conseta system, which featured a sofa and other pieces of seating designed by Friedrich Wilhelm Möller.
The following decades saw more successful collaborations at the Lübke family-run brands with designers like Peter Maly — who designed Memphis-style cabinets for Interlübke and postmodern seating in Pop art colors for COR — and Luigi Colani. The latter, a German industrial designer born Lutz Colani, created a range of gorgeous organically shaped Space Age seating for BASF and Fritz Hansen, serveware for Rosenthal and worked on automobile designs for Fiat. Colani designed the popular Orbis line for COR during the 1970s.
In 2000, the Arthe sofa by Wulf Schneider was awarded the prestigious Red Dot Award from the North Rhine-Westphalia Design Centre.
COR is still owned and operated by the Lübke family’s parent company Gebrüder Lübke GmbH & Co. KG and continues to produce furniture at the Rheda-Wiedenbrück factory, sourcing leather from southern Germany and upholstery from Italy. COR partnered with Jehs+Laub, a renowned Stuttgart-based studio, in 2010. In 2022, Interlübke was sold to Domovari, a manufacturer of bathroom accessories and interiors.
Find a collection of Interlübke furniture on 1stDibs.
Postmodern desk, interlübke
By Interlübke
Located in Neuss, NW
Postmodern desk by interlübke from the 1980s. High quality desk with a white asymethric working surface and white lacquered tubular steel legs. Quality Features: very good work...
Steel
$2,379
H 18.9 in W 43.31 in D 15.75 in
Postmodern Dalmatian Pongo Desk by Pierre Colleu for Starform and Disney, 1980s.
By Starform, Pierre Colleu 1, Disney Studios
Located in Lille, FR
Table height: 50 cm. Total height with the head: 80 cm Good condition. Some chips on the top.
Resin, Plastic
$3,568
H 22.84 in W 51.19 in D 18.51 in
Postmodern Pluto Desk by Pierre Colleu for Starform and Disney, France 1980s.
By Starform, Disney Studios, Pierre Colleu 1
Located in Lille, FR
Table height: 58 cm. Total height with the head: 90 cm Good condition. No restorations. Some fading on the head and legs, with a few spots and other age-related marks.
Resin, Plastic
$2,379
H 27.56 in W 34.65 in D 24.02 in
Postmodern Sketchbook Clairefontaine Desk by Pierre Sala, France 1980s.
By Pierre Sala
Located in Lille, FR
Table height: 70 cm. The top panel measures 88 cm by 61 cm without the spring. Good condition. The upper board has been repainted. Some fading on the legs, with a few spots and ot...
Wood, Paper
$26,170
H 28.75 in W 96.07 in D 56.7 in
Arquitectonica 1984 Madonna Table Desk Memphis Milano Postmodern Miami Sottsass
By Memphis Group, Memphis Milano, Arquitectonica
Located in Munster, NRW
Madonna table by Arquitectonica Miami for Memphis Milano, 1984. Iconic an extremely rare postmodern piece and one of the only Memphis Group productions whose design was commissione...
Wood
Bedside table produced by Interlübke, 1960s
By Interlübke
Located in MONTESSON, FR
This bedside table was produced by Interlübke in the 1960s. The drawer and wall element are in rosewood. This bedside table is in good vintage condition.
Rosewood
Postmodern Industrial Dining Table Designed by Robert Josten
By Robert Josten
Located in Culver City, CA
This dining table is equal parts post modern and industrial modern and just oozes California modernism. This dining table or writing desk was designed by Robert Josten in the 1970's. Made of aluminum, this metal grille / grid style is a staple of Robert Josten's work. This dining table is a great transitional piece that could easily flex into any contemporary environment. The table has an almost Allsaints, industrial modern feel with a slight steampunk vibe as well. The table could also be used in an ultra modern environment and would look great in a new modern designed home. This piece could also be used as a retail display table...
Aluminum
$6,559Sale Price|20% Off
H 30 in W 50 in D 70 in
1980s Postmodern Marble Stone Executive Two Sided Desk
By Karl Springer
Located in Madison, WI
Incredible 1980s Postmodern Marble designer desk. Great for use as an executive desk or a two sided desk. The black pieces supporting the marble writing...
Marble
Pierre Cardin desk
By Pierre Cardin, Francesco Bocola
Located in Bruxelles, BE
One off a kind desk designed by famous couturier pierre Cardin at the end of the seventies. This desk is well known and published in a lot of books and a version a little bit different was used by pierre Cardin himself in his bureau in the Espace Office in Paris. One of these desk are part of the museum Pierre Cardin in Paris. This is most probably a special command made for an French businessman alongside with the coffee table and the dresser and desk chair. The desk is signed also the dresser . A museum piece. It’s in good condition but the black glossy surface shows some mark of time . Best for me to sell all together. This example is very close to the desk designed in 1971-1973 by Fransesco Bocola for Pierre Cardin’s office (see page 21 of P.C.E.) Published in a similar version page 110 &111 in “PIERRE CARDIN EVOLUTION...
Wood
$1,303
H 28.94 in W 47.25 in D 31.5 in
Postmodern vintage Italian small lacquer dining table / desk by Cidue, 1980s
By Cidue
Located in Hastings, GB
Postmodern small dining table / desk by Cidue, Italy 1980s. Deep red lacquered top with sharp angled edges; triangular matt black legs . Condition is overall good- a very tiny ding ...
Metal
Desk model 804 with writing desk, Frattini for Bernini, 1960s
Located in Vicenza, VI
Desk with pull-out desk, model 804, made by Gianfranco Frattini for Bernini in the 1960s. The cabinet features a wooden frame with pull-out desk top covered in black leather and in...
Glass, Wood
BC Desk by DAaZ
Located in Geneve, CH
BC Desk by DAaZ Dimensions: D 50 x W 155 x H 74 cm. Materials: Albizzia wood, Ink stone. DAaZ Furniture honors the spirit of adventure. We embrace the escape of the ordinary and re...
Stone
Postmodern Memphis Design Writing Desk, Germany, 1980s
Located in Antwerp, Antwerp
This striking postmodern writing desk exemplifies the bold aesthetics of the Memphis design movement. The desk features an asymmetrical green laminated wood surface supported by a bl...
Metal
Postmodern Black Lacquered Desk by Interlubke, Germany 1980s
By Interlübke
Located in Miami, FL
All black lacquered postmodern writing desk with a storage cabinet and drawer with organizer by Interlubke, Germany 1980s.
Wood
Interlübke White Laminate Desk, 1980s, Germany.
By Interlübke
Located in Antwerp, BE
Post modern white laminate Interlübke desk beautiful, simple, sleek design that can stand freely in a spacious room or is also suitable for a small spa...
Aluminum