The suave architect and interior designer Paul Laszlo made his reputation in Hollywood, where his clients included Barbara Stanwyck, Cary Grant and Elizabeth Taylor. He was aligned to no artistic or design movements, relying on his own carefully honed instincts to create his celebrated lounge chairs, tables, dressers and other furnishings. From the late 1930s to the 1960s, Laszlo’s name was a byword for sumptuous modernity among members of the smart set.
Born in Hungary in 1900, Laszlo learned about quality from his father, a prosperous furniture manufacturer. He studied design in Vienna and had his technical training in Stuttgart, Germany, where, at age 27, he established an upscale design business that gained an international reputation. Nine years later, with the Nazis in power, Laszlo, a Jew, left Germany for the United States and made his way to Los Angeles. There, he established an interior design office in Beverly Hills and was pleased to find that his Stuttgart credentials carried weight.
While he took many commercial assignments for American department stores, custom residential work was Laszlo’s stock in trade. He turned his hand to every element in a room, “down to the last ashtray,” Time magazine once wrote. Like his clients, Laszlo appreciated luxury — not the luxury of rare and precious materials, but the luxury of rich colors and textures, and deep comforts. He had a contemporary élan, exemplified by spaces that were bright, airy, uncluttered and up-to-date.
The classic earmarks of Laszlo’s furnishings are generous proportions and, in the case of his Paddle and Plank armchairs, namesake armrests that are flat and wide, the perfect spot to rest a cocktail. His case goods, tables and dining chairs have clean, elegant lines; they are simply formed yet warm, with interesting details such as woven veneer door fronts.
In recent years, Laszlo’s designs have found a new audience among fans of his easygoing modernism. Prices are in the neighborhood of $5,000 for his vintage cabinets, and from $8,000 to upwards of $20,000 for seating pieces, which are generally found in pairs or groups of six or more.
There was a reason that Laszlo’s work was so admired in the mid-20th century: every design contributes to an environment that is comfortable and elegant — at once robust and relaxed.
Find vintage Paul Laszlo furniture on 1stDibs.
$7,500Sale Price|40% Off
Rare Restored Museum Quality 3-Strand Rattan Settee, Paul Laszlo for Ficks Reed
By Paul Laszlo
Located in Van Nuys, CA
Restored original 1948 Paul Laszlo designed three-strand sectional settee featuring three-strand staple-shaped arms and arched bases made by Ficks Reed furniture company. This stunni...
Rattan
$6,900Sale Price|40% Off
Restored Rattan 3-Strand Sectional Settee Sofa by Paul Laszlo for Ficks Reed
By Paul Laszlo
Located in Van Nuys, CA
Restored original 1950 Paul Laszlo designed three-strand sectional settee featuring three-strand staple-shaped arms and arched bases made by Ficks Reed furniture company. This stunni...
Rattan
$3,800
H 34 in W 50 in D 32 in
Paul McCobb Curvaceous Wing Back Settee or Sofa Refinished Reupholstered
By Paul McCobb
Located in Atlanta, GA
Curvaceous Wing back settee or sofa, designed by Paul McCobb for Directional, American, circa 1950s. This sofa is currently being refinished and reupholstered and can be completed in...
Upholstery, Wood
1950's Ficks Reed Rattan Split Settee or Lounge Chairs
By Ficks Reed
Located in Las Vegas, NV
Rare Ficks Reed rattan split seat settee or pair of open sided one arm lounge chairs. Completely original finish and upholstery. Exceptional quality piece of furniture circa 1950's. ...
Upholstery, Rattan
Edward Wormley Pair of Sofas / Settees
By Dunbar Furniture, Edward Wormley
Located in Highland, IN
These lovely, lightly scaled sofas or loveseats designed by Edward Wormley for Dunbar, are not only an uncommon form, having a matched pair available is also very rare. They are stru...
Upholstery, Wood
Rare Egyptian Revival Ebony and Inlaid Settee, Late 19th Century
Located in Southampton, NY
Egyptian Revival ebony and inlaid settee, late 19th century "Of architectural form with geometric borders and inlaid with fruitwoods, ivory, mother of pearl and wire, the carved giltwood cresting rail in the form of serpents centred by a tablet inlaid with a winged bird, probably the symbol of the Egyptian Goddess, Nekhbet, clutching a payrus stalk, the padded back between two moulded cartouches depicting Horus and Iris, the arm supports in the form of Canopic jars surmounted by the head of Anubis, with a padded seat and shaped legs terminating in paw feet. Measures: 26" deep x 56" wide x 45.5" high x 18" seat height In the nineteenth century, the Egyptian Revival became fashionable following the Napoleonic campaigns in Egypt with the publication of Voyage (1802) by Vivant Denon...
Wire
Vintage Boho Ficks Reed Woven Rattan Sofa
By Ficks Reed
Located in West Palm Beach, FL
Indulge in the enduring charm of this vintage Boho Ficks Reed Woven Rattan Sofa, a superb example of classic tropical design. Ficks Reed is renowned for its high-quality rattan furni...
Fabric, Cane, Rattan
Danish 1940's Settee attributed To Ole Wanscher
By Kaare Klint, Frits Henningsen, Ole Wanscher
Located in Bridgeport, CT
Beautiful and unique settee that seem to draw on famous designs from Kaare Klint and Frits Henningsen. The settee is most likely by Ole Wanscher who made...
Wool, Mahogany
$2,511
H 29 in W 49 in D 33 in
Mid-Century Modern Rattan Settee in the Style of John Wisner for Ficks Reed
By Ficks Reed
Located in Aramits, Nouvelle-Aquitaine
Vintage settee/loveseat with serpentine arms, in the style of John Wisner for Ficks Reed, 1950s. Very well executed rattan and hardwood construction, with spring support, beautiful ...
Fabric, Rattan
Midcentury Settee, possibly Finn Juhl /Niels Vodder
By Finn Juhl
Located in Richmond, VA
Great, sleek midcentury settee recently upholstered. No markings but very similar to Niels Vodder's model NV53.
Upholstery, Wood
$2,850
H 30.5 in W 48.5 in D 33.5 in
1950s Paul McCobb for Planner Group Mid-Century Modern Loveseat Settee or Sofa
By Paul McCobb
Located in St. Louis, MO
Paul McCobb for Planner Group loveseat, settee or sofa. Upholstery needs to be updated as it has stains, foam is good. Price includes refinishing of legs. Measures: Seat 16" H, arm 1...
Upholstery, Wood
$9,900Sale Price|22% Off
H 26.5 in W 51 in D 27.5 in
'LC2' Black Leather Settee Sofa Loveseat by Le Corbusier for Cassina, Signed
By Pierre Jeanneret, Le Corbusier, Cassina, Charlotte Perriand
Located in Los Angeles, CA
This incredibly comfortable Le Corbusier for Cassina 'LC2' two-seat loveseat sofa, signed (see pics, in gorgeous thick Italian black leather on chrome steel frame is in beautiful vin...
Steel
Maxwell Royal Settee
Located in Palm Springs, CA
A tall and sculptural settee with tapered wood arms and back, often attributed to Edward Wormley for Dunbar. Designed by Maxwell Royal in the 1950's. Hig...
Upholstery, Wood
$16,000
H 30 in W 76 in D 35.5 in
Rare Restored Campaign Sofa by John Wisner for Ficks Reed, circa 1954
By Ficks Reed, John Wisner
Located in Atlanta, GA
A fabulous restored vintage Campaign style sofa from a difficult to find series by John Wisner for Ficks Reed. Exceptional rattan and hardwood construction with Cane back panels. Bra...
Brass
Paul Laszlo Custom Curved Aluminum and Velvet Settee Sofa
By Paul Laszlo
Located in Coronado, CA
Paul Laszlo rare and unique curved settee, privately commissioned for actor Cameron Mitchell in the 1950s. Only 2 of these settees have come to market, neither of which had the extra...
Aluminum
Rare Museum Quality Paul Laszlo Arched 3-Strand Rattan Settee
By Paul Laszlo
Located in Van Nuys, CA
Rare museum quality Paul Laszlo three-strand rattan settee. This loveseat dates from 1941 and features a unique arched arm and lounge arched seat back. We ...
Rattan
Paul László, Sofa / Bench, Woven Rattan, Mahogany, California, 1950s
By Paul Laszlo, Glenn of California
Located in High Point, NC
A sofa / settee / bench by Paul László for Glenn of California. Dark stained mahogany and original woven rattan / cane seat and back. Paul László is considered among the most impo...
Rattan, Mahogany
Paul Laszlo Sofa
By Paul Laszlo
Located in New York, NY
Rare plank-arm sofa by Paul Laszlo. Sculptural sofa of ebonized wood frame. Wide plank arms with shaped cut-out sections. Curved back with spindle fret-work and tapered legs. Recen...
Paul Laszlo Settee
By Paul Laszlo
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Paul Laszlo cane settee for Glenn of California
Mahogany, Cane