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John Dickinson Coffee and Cocktail Tables

American, 1920-1982

Playful, sculptural, unexpected: Illustrious designer and decorator John Dickinson created interiors, lighting fixtures, seating and other furnishings that were wholly peculiar and unlike anything seen before. The Berkeley, California, native mined design movements of bygone eras for elements he would later integrate into what would become his signature anthropomorphic work.

Dickinson was inspired by Art Deco designers such as Jean-Michel Frank, who similarly drew on the past for his extravagant pieces, and found appeal in the claw-foot tables and seating that Georgian-era furniture makers produced.

Although Dickinson attended the Parsons School of Design in New York, he returned to the West Coast following graduation. He worked for decorating firms and furniture stores, and, in 1956, he set up his own practice in San Francisco, where he reinterpreted heritage in his sculptural lamps, stools and chairs with legs that terminate in hooves or resemble bones and tree branches.

Dickinson’s spare but sophisticated furniture is often associated with a “golden age” of San Francisco decorating that includes the work of designers Charles Pfister and Michael Taylor. Wider recognition over the years owes to collectors’ interest and exhibits such as “Fantasy and Function: The Furniture of John Dickinson,” which opened at the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art in 2003.

Despite his irreverent approach, Dickinson’s pieces were luxury items. He crafted lamps of unpolished brass and tables in chalky white plaster with a resin coating. His most iconic works are his Etruscan tables with legs resembling hooved animal feet and his Three-Legged African table, which was inspired by an artifact he discovered in an import shop. Dickinson took on only handpicked, young, well-to-do clients who were willing to give him free rein to experiment with these unusual forms and industrial materials. Leading department stores like Lord & Taylor, however, were also among his clientele. In 1977, Dickinson was commissioned to design a furniture collection for Macy’s. It featured white lacquered bookcases that drew on urban architecture and table lamps with bodies that mimicked animal bones.

Owing to his untimely death, and the fact that he worked in plaster, a highly breakable material, few of Dickinson’s original pieces exist to this day. Their scarcity renders every remaining Dickinson design a valuable heirloom guaranteed to make a statement in any room.

Find vintage John Dickinson furniture on 1stDibs.

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Creator: John Dickinson
John Dickinson Unique Crate Coffee Table from the Firehouse, San Francisco 1970
By John Dickinson
Located in Chicago, IL
John Dickinson Unique Crate Coffee Table from the Firehouse, San Francisco, 1970 The only known example from the series in a rectangular form—other versions were executed as even cub...
Category

1970s American Modern Vintage John Dickinson Coffee and Cocktail Tables

Materials

Pine

John Dickinson Prototype African Table from the Firehouse, San Francisco
By John Dickinson
Located in Chicago, IL
John Dickinson Prototype African table from the Firehouse, SanFrancisco; Painted wood. This unique table anchored the seating area in the Firehouse where Dickinson would entertain h...
Category

1970s American Mid-Century Modern Vintage John Dickinson Coffee and Cocktail Tables

Materials

Wood

1970s John Dickinson Twig Coffee Table
By John Dickinson
Located in New York, NY
Rare, "Twig" coffee table, painted plaster over rebar by John Dickinson.
Category

1970s Modern Vintage John Dickinson Coffee and Cocktail Tables

Materials

Steel

Signed John Dickinson Table
By John Dickinson
Located in Nashville, TN
Galvanized metal table in the stye of a draped table with brass trim.
Category

1960s American Vintage John Dickinson Coffee and Cocktail Tables

Materials

Brass

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John Dickinson African Leg Table, Signed
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John Dickinson African Leg Table, Signed
John Dickinson African Leg Table, Signed
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Parchment coffee table - 1970s
Located in Paris, FR
Square coffee table in off-white parchment. The parchment gives the table a texture and an irregular cream patina, reminiscent of aging over time.
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Parchment coffee table - 1970s
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John Dickinson Style Etruscan Hoofed Side Table
By John Dickinson
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Pair of Trompe l'oeil Drink Tables After John Dickinson
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John Dickinson Style Etruscan "X-Leg" Hooved Side Table
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Located in Bradenton, FL
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Coffee Table by Roger Capron from the 1970s, Ceramic and Metal.
By Roger Capron
Located in Saint-Ouen, FR
Coffee table by Roger Capron from the 1970s, ceramic and metal. 1970s coffee table by Roger Capron, metal and ceramic in orange. H: 39cm, W: 80cm, D: 39cm
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Signed John Dickinson 1970s White Plaster Low Side Table with Hoofed Feet
By John Dickinson
Located in Atlanta, GA
A signed John Dickinson plaster low side table from circa 1970 with white finish, X-Form base and hoof feet. This iconic John Dickinson plaster low side table, dating back to around ...
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McGuire Funiture San Francisco Round Glass Top Coffee Table with Rawhide Straps
By McGuire
Located in Miami, FL
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Rattan, Glass

John Dickinson Lacquered Y Table, ca 1970s
By John Dickinson
Located in Cathedral City, CA
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John Dickinson Lacquered Y Table, ca 1970s
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Located in Breda, NB
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Vintage Italian marble coffee table from the 1970s
Vintage Italian marble coffee table from the 1970s
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Previously Available Items
John Dickinson “African” Coffee Table, Post Modern
By John Dickinson
Located in Round Rock, TX
Beautiful and uncommon John Dickinson "African" coffee or cocktail table. The conical top above the three stylized large shaped legs inspired by African design offer a unique blend o...
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Vintage Signed John Dickinson Africa Table
By John Dickinson
Located in Dallas, TX
A vintage plaster 'Africa' table designed by John Dickinson. Beautiful patina to table with minimal wear. Signed to bottom of one foot "John Dickinson / San Francisco".
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John Dickinson Etruscan Occasional Table
By John Dickinson, Sutherlands
Located in Dallas, TX
John Dickinson Etruscan table in a matte white finish. Crafted of fiberglass reinforced concrete. Suitable for interior or exterior use. Weighs...
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Rare Table in the Form of Stacked Books by John Dickinson, circa 1960s
By Drexel, John Dickinson
Located in Peabody, MA
An occasional or side table by John Dickinson, in the form of a stack of bound volumes of Shakespeare's complete works (Histories, Tragedies and Comedies...
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John Dickinson Steel Coffee Table
By John Dickinson
Located in New York, NY
Custom-made John Dickinson low table in steel with blue watered finish raised on tapering legs with rounded spade feet. American, 1981
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John Dickinson Steel Coffee Table
John Dickinson Steel Coffee Table
H 16.25 in W 28 in D 44 in
John Dickinson Plaster Twig Table
By John Dickinson
Located in New York, NY
John Dickinson (1920-1982) "Twig" rectangular side table in plaster with faux bois incised decoration. Signed. American, c. 1970
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1970s American Vintage John Dickinson Coffee and Cocktail Tables

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Plaster

John Dickinson Plaster Twig Table
John Dickinson Plaster Twig Table
H 23.5 in W 32.5 in D 23 in
Square Plaster End-Table by John Dickinson, USA, c. 1970s.
By John Dickinson
Located in New York, NY
A beautifully preserved end-table by John Dickinson - one of his more popular designs from 1976 to 1980. In excellent original condition. Illustrated in Modern Americana, page 228.
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John Dickinson coffee and cocktail tables for sale on 1stDibs.

John Dickinson 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 John Dickinson coffee and cocktail tables, although gray editions of this piece are particularly popular. Many of the original coffee and cocktail tables by John Dickinson were created in the mid-century modern style in united states during the 20th century. If you’re looking for additional options, many customers also consider coffee and cocktail tables by George Nakashima, Philip and Kelvin LaVerne, and George Nakashima Studio. Prices for John Dickinson coffee and cocktail tables can differ depending upon size, time period and other attributes — on 1stDibs, these items begin at $21,900 and can go as high as $87,500, while a piece like these, on average, fetch $54,700.

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