KEM Weber Desks
American, German, 1889-1963
Architect and designer Kem Weber arrived in the United States in the vanguard of a wave of progressive Central European talents — among them, Rudolph Schindler, Richard Neutra, Paul T. Frankl and Ilonka Karascz — who would profoundly affect the course of modernism in the United States. In his new home, Weber created a wholly American form of modern design that is sleek and stylish, yet comfortable and practical.
Karl Emanuel Martin Weber — “Kem” was his self-styled nom d’usage — was born and trained in Berlin. In 1914, he became an accidental immigrant to the U.S.. Sent to San Francisco by his teacher-turned-employer, architect Bruno Paul, to oversee an installation at a global design expo, Weber was marooned by the outbreak of World War I. But he quickly grew to love California, even if his early years there were difficult. When design commissions were hard to find, he took jobs as a lumberjack, chicken farmer and art school teacher. (He gained U.S. citizenship in 1924.)
In the mid-1920s, while working for the Los Angeles–based Barker Bros. department store — the largest furniture retailer in the country at the time — Weber regularly traveled around the nation to deliver lectures on modernism. His reputation as a champion of a new, clean and elegant style earned him architectural commissions and contracts to design furniture and items such silverware, coffee services and cocktail shakers. His masterpiece is the Airline lounge chair, designed 1934-1935. With its raked, gently angular frame and cantilevered seat, the chair suggests movement, speed and forward progress. Though it seemed perfect for mass production, Weber was never able to convince a major manufacturer to take it on. In the end, fewer than 300 Airline chairs were made. Today, those may be the rarest examples of Weber’s work, but are always worth looking out for. As you will see on these pages, his designs are both intelligent and stylish. They deserve to be a part of any serious collection of American modernism.
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Creator: Kem Weber
Heywood Wakefield Trimline Desk & Chair Kem Weber Design
By Kem Weber, Heywood-Wakefield Co.
Located in Saint-Ouen, FR
Heywood Wakefield Trimline desk & chair Kem Weber Design : U.s.a Period: 1950
full restored.
Category
1950s American Mid-Century Modern Vintage KEM Weber Desks
Materials
Chrome
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Kem Weber desks for sale on 1stDibs.
Kem Weber desks 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 Kem Weber desks, although brown editions of this piece are particularly popular. Many of the original desks by Kem Weber were created in the mid-century modern style in united states during the 1950s. If you’re looking for additional options, many customers also consider desks by Harvey Probber, John Van Koert, and Stow & Davis. Prices for Kem Weber desks can differ depending upon size, time period and other attributes — on 1stDibs, these items begin at $7,273 and can go as high as $7,273, while a piece like these, on average, fetch $7,273.