Paul McCobb Desks and Writing Tables

You could call Paul McCobb a man of parts. As a furniture designer, his work combined the attributes of many of his now better-known peers. Like Bauhaus designers such as Ludwig Mies van der Rohe and Marcel Breuer, McCobb's furniture had purity of form and line. Like the designs of Florence Knoll and George Nelson and his associates, McCobb’s work was efficient and purposeful. And even like George Nakashima, he was adept at interpreting traditional forms, in particular those of chairs, for the 20th century.
More than any other designer beside Russel Wright, with his ubiquitous ceramic tableware, McCobb was arguably responsible for the introduction of modern design into middle-class American households — if for no other reason than that he designed the 1952 set for the original Today show. McCobb also designed cohesive lines of furnishings, such as his best-known Planner Group, that gave homes an instant “look.” McCobb designed for several companies, most notably Directional, the New York firm that also produced designs by other legends, such as Paul Evans and Vladimir Kagan.
The signal aesthetic attribute of McCobb designs is that he completely forsook ornament — his pieces have no flourishes. And yet, because they are honest — the chairs, desks and tables are made of solid wood, usually maple or birch, often paired with frames and legs of wrought iron; the cabinets are traditionally scaled; the seating pieces have historic antecedents such as the Windsor chair — McCobb’s mid-century modern work has warmth and presence.
As you can see from the offerings on 1stDibs, vintage Paul McCobb designs are the pin-striped suit, or the little black dress, of a décor: an essential.
Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Paul McCobb Desks and Writing Tables
Aluminum
1970s American Mid-Century Modern Vintage Paul McCobb Desks and Writing Tables
Chrome
1960s American Mid-Century Modern Vintage Paul McCobb Desks and Writing Tables
Maple
1960s American Mid-Century Modern Vintage Paul McCobb Desks and Writing Tables
Wood
20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Paul McCobb Desks and Writing Tables
Brass
1950s American Mid-Century Modern Vintage Paul McCobb Desks and Writing Tables
Brass
1970s American Mid-Century Modern Vintage Paul McCobb Desks and Writing Tables
Brass
20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Paul McCobb Desks and Writing Tables
Birch
1950s American Mid-Century Modern Vintage Paul McCobb Desks and Writing Tables
Brass
Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Paul McCobb Desks and Writing Tables
Steel
Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Paul McCobb Desks and Writing Tables
Walnut
Mid-20th Century North American Mid-Century Modern Paul McCobb Desks and Writing Tables
Birch
1950s American Mid-Century Modern Vintage Paul McCobb Desks and Writing Tables
Brass
1950s American Mid-Century Modern Vintage Paul McCobb Desks and Writing Tables
Aluminum
1950s American Mid-Century Modern Vintage Paul McCobb Desks and Writing Tables
Brass
Mid-20th Century North American Mid-Century Modern Paul McCobb Desks and Writing Tables
Maple
1960s American Mid-Century Modern Vintage Paul McCobb Desks and Writing Tables
Brass
Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Paul McCobb Desks and Writing Tables
Steel
1950s American Mid-Century Modern Vintage Paul McCobb Desks and Writing Tables
Brass
Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Paul McCobb Desks and Writing Tables
Steel
1950s American Mid-Century Modern Vintage Paul McCobb Desks and Writing Tables
Maple
1950s American Mid-Century Modern Vintage Paul McCobb Desks and Writing Tables
Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Paul McCobb Desks and Writing Tables
Aluminum
1950s American Mid-Century Modern Vintage Paul McCobb Desks and Writing Tables
Brass
Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Paul McCobb Desks and Writing Tables
Steel
Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Paul McCobb Desks and Writing Tables
Steel
Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Paul McCobb Desks and Writing Tables
Brass
Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Paul McCobb Desks and Writing Tables
Steel, Iron
Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Paul McCobb Desks and Writing Tables
Steel, Iron
Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Paul McCobb Desks and Writing Tables
Brass
Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Paul McCobb Desks and Writing Tables
Brass
Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Paul McCobb Desks and Writing Tables
Brass
Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Paul McCobb Desks and Writing Tables
Maple
Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Paul McCobb Desks and Writing Tables
Brass
Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Paul McCobb Desks and Writing Tables
Iron
Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Paul McCobb Desks and Writing Tables
Brass
1950s American Mid-Century Modern Vintage Paul McCobb Desks and Writing Tables
Brass
Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Paul McCobb Desks and Writing Tables
Steel
1950s American Mid-Century Modern Vintage Paul McCobb Desks and Writing Tables
Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Paul McCobb Desks and Writing Tables
Aluminum
1950s American Mid-Century Modern Vintage Paul McCobb Desks and Writing Tables
Brass
1950s American Mid-Century Modern Vintage Paul McCobb Desks and Writing Tables
Aluminum
1950s American Mid-Century Modern Vintage Paul McCobb Desks and Writing Tables
Brass
1950s American Mid-Century Modern Vintage Paul McCobb Desks and Writing Tables
Nickel
1950s American Mid-Century Modern Vintage Paul McCobb Desks and Writing Tables
Maple
1970s American Mid-Century Modern Vintage Paul McCobb Desks and Writing Tables
Wood
1970s American Mid-Century Modern Vintage Paul McCobb Desks and Writing Tables
Maple
1970s American Mid-Century Modern Vintage Paul McCobb Desks and Writing Tables
Brass