Lawrence Peabody Lighting
American designer Lawrence Peabody imbued his mid-century modern furniture with flair and style. His vintage lounge chairs, side tables and credenzas feature sleek silhouettes and chic curves. At the same time, every piece has an easy and comfortable appeal reflective of a designer known to be humble and pragmatic.
Peabody was born in 1924 in Haverhill, Massachusetts. As a young man, the story goes, he joined the Navy partly because he found the uniforms aesthetically appealing. After World War II, Peabody used the benefits offered by the G.I. Bill to attend the Rhode Island School of Design. There, he studied under Austrian designer Ernst Lichtblau, who introduced Peabody to the Bauhaus style.
After completing his studies in America, Peabody moved to Denmark and attended the Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts. Here, he met his wife, Bette, who he married in 1952. By 1955, Peabody had moved back to America and settled in Boston, where he created Danish-inspired seating for the Selig furniture company and opened a design firm called Lawrence Peabody & Associates.
One of the firm's earliest designs was a walnut and rattan cradle chair for Richardson Nemschoff, which earned the 1962 International Design Award. Peabody became known for using walnut in his work and drew on Scandinavian modernist influences in his designs.
For the next three decades, Lawrence Peabody & Associates developed an extensive client list that included names like Kohler, Richardson Brothers, Chapman Lamps and Boyd Lighting.
Throughout his life and career, Peabody also developed a love of Haiti and Haitian art. On one trip to Port-Au-Prince, he met and befriended a man named Dewitt Peters, founder of Le Centre d'art, a haven for local artists. Peabody and Dewitt collaborated to promote handcrafted Haitian art and furniture at overseas museums. Peabody even became one of the organization's directors. He eventually purchased a home in Port-Au-Prince and spent much time there later in life.
Today, Craft Associates Furniture holds the license to produce Peabody designs.
On 1stDibs, find vintage Lawrence Peabody seating, tables, storage cabinets and other furniture.
1970s American Mid-Century Modern Vintage Lawrence Peabody Lighting
Ceramic, Milk Glass
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Lawrence Peabody Lighting
Metal, Nickel
2010s Italian Modern Lawrence Peabody Lighting
Iron, Copper
1970s Italian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Lawrence Peabody Lighting
Murano Glass
1930s French Art Deco Vintage Lawrence Peabody Lighting
Alabaster, Metal
1970s Slovenian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Lawrence Peabody Lighting
Plastic
1970s Italian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Lawrence Peabody Lighting
Brass
1970s Unknown Hollywood Regency Vintage Lawrence Peabody Lighting
Ceramic, Glass
1960s Swiss Mid-Century Modern Vintage Lawrence Peabody Lighting
Aluminum
Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Lawrence Peabody Lighting
Brass
1970s Italian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Lawrence Peabody Lighting
Metal, Chrome
1970s Slovenian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Lawrence Peabody Lighting
Plastic
1970s Italian Hollywood Regency Vintage Lawrence Peabody Lighting
Crystal, Metal
