An American woodworker known for a wide range of furniture that is sensuous, sculptural and imbued with character, Phillip Lloyd Powell is an iconic figure in design. His organic style transcended the conventions of popular mid-century modern furniture and is best reflected in the vintage cabinets and tables for which he is renowned.
“I am an artist working with furniture,” Powell once said. But the self-taught furniture maker wore a number of different hats throughout his lifetime. He crafted handmade furniture as a teenager at his boyhood home and went on to study engineering at what is now Drexel University. Powell served in the Army Air Corps during World War II, and, on his return, he established his first showroom in New Hope, in his home state of Pennsylvania, stocking furniture from Knoll, Herman Miller and Isamu Noguchi.
In New Hope, Powell encountered fellow furniture designers Paul Evans and George Nakashima. The latter, a master woodworker who preferred a personal approach to design over industrial methods and materials, encouraged Powell to concentrate on making his own furniture. When Powell did so, he’d experiment with Nakashima’s unused stock of wood, drawing on natural world forms for seating and shapely coffee tables.
Evans, who moved to New Hope in 1955, was invited to share Powell’s studio space. Powell’s furniture design practice really took off and a collaboration with Evans put into motion the 1960s American Studio Craft Movement, which came to include furniture designers Wharton Esherick and Sam Maloof. The decade-long partnership between Evans and Powell yielded stone-topped tables, walnut chests with sculptured metal exteriors and more.
Powell was inspired by Evans’s artistry as a jewelry designer — he was a skilled welder whose Cityscape pieces are milestones of brutalism. Powell, in turn, encouraged him to turn his sculptures into furniture. Like Evans, Powell incorporated a range of materials into his work, rendering the interiors of his hand-carved cabinets alluring and distinctive with applications of silver leaf and fabrics.
The sinewy arms of Powell’s famous New Hope lounge chair are representative of his broad expertise with wood and his ability to make graceful yet functional furniture. He worked slowly, and the influence of the natural world remained a driving force in his designs. Powell produced approximately 1,000 pieces while he lived and worked in New Hope until his death in 2008.
Find vintage Phillip Lloyd Powell furniture on 1stDibs.
$50,000 / set
Pair of Carved Wood Doors by Phillip Powell
By Phillip Lloyd Powell
Located in Atlanta, GA
These two doors were commissioned directly from the artist and were made for a specific site . The front of the doors are wonderfully contoured and are highly sculptural. The design ...
Mirror, Walnut, Giltwood, Lacquer
Large Carved Wood Mirror with Scale Detail
By Karl Springer
Located in Miami, FL
A very large mirror. The thick frame is solid teak with carved scales design. Note the bevel on the mirror and please do not overlook the fact that ...
Wood
Spanish Silvered Gilt Carved Wood Mirror
Located in Barcelona, ES
Foliage Floral Petite Wall Mirror, Carved Wood, Silver Leaf. A lovely hand carved small mirror with silver leaf finishing, Spain, early 20th century...
Silver Leaf
Antique French Carved Wood Wall Mirror, circa 1940
Located in Paris, FR
Antique French wall mirror in stained and patinated carved beech wood, circa 1940. With alternating foliage and billet decoration (Decorative architectural element : alignment of car...
Glass, Mirror, Wood
Antique French Carved Oak Wood Mirror, circa 1900
Located in Paris, FR
Antique French wall mirror in carved light oak wood decorated in the Breton folk art style (French region). Antique frame measures width 11...
Mirror, Wood, Oak
$5,464Sale Price / item|20% Off
H 35.44 in W 33.47 in D 1.58 in
Free form organic shaped Estremoz marble brass Powell mirror by InsidherLand
By Joana Santos Barbosa, InsidherLand
Located in Maia, Porto
The Powell mirror smoothly reimagines the majestic beauty of the awe-inspiring Reflection Canyon, a remote and magnificent cliff formation in Utah, USA. ...
Marble, Metal, Brass
18th Century, Pair of Italian Neoclassical Carved and Giltwood Mirrors
Located in IT
18th century, pair of Italian neoclassical carved and giltwood mirrors Size H 70 x W maximum 50 x W 43.5 frame x D 3. The pair of delightful mirrors was made in south of Italy (Sicily) in the neoclassical period, towards the end of the 18th century. They are composed of a box frame, in carved wood...
Mirror, Wood, Giltwood
$39,500 / set
H 57.5 in W 35 in D 3 in
Pair of Antique French Louis XVI Style Hand Carved Giltwood Mirrors
Located in New York, NY
A fabulous pair of antique French Louis XVI style hand carved giltwood mirrors. Each is beautifully modeled in hand carved wood with garlands and flowe...
Giltwood
$58,500 / set
H 55 in W 38 in D 5 in
Pair of 19th Century Italian Venetian Hand-Etched Carved Giltwood Mirrors
Located in New York, NY
A fantastic and large pair of 19th century Louis XV/Roccoco style Italian Giltwood Venetian hand-etched and hand engraved mirrors. These gorgeous mirrors are all hand-carved with scr...
Mirror, Giltwood
$9,874
H 29.53 in W 14.97 in D 2.37 in
18th Century, Pair of Venetian Louis XV Carved and Gilt Wood Mirrors
Located in IT
Second half of 18th century, pair of Venetian Louis XV carved and gilt wood mirrors This fine pair of mirrors was made in Baroque Era in Venice in the second half of the 18th cent...
Mirror, Wood, Giltwood
$1,279
H 49.41 in W 14.18 in D 0.99 in
Carved Chinese Wood Mirror Panel Depicting Bats Symbol of Happiness Good Fortune
Located in West Sussex, Pulborough
We are delighted to offer for sale this lovely ornately carved wood Chinese panel depicting six bats and a mirror plate in the middle One of my favourite decorative motifs on furniture and furnishings is those which carry the bat. Associated with vampires and haunted houses...
Mirror, Hardwood
Spanish Gilt Carved Wood Round Mirror by Francisco Hurtado
By Francisco Hurtado
Located in Barcelona, ES
Spanish Scrollwork Giltwood Carved Round Mirror Large Francisco Hurtado scalloped giltwood mirror with carved scroll-work, Spain, 1950-1960. An spectacular hand-carved wood mirror with a highly decorative scalloped frame with scroll-work and gold leaf finish. Francisco Hurtado was an Spanish cabinet maker from the mid-20th century period highlighted manufacturing mirrors. This Spanish Revival mirror...
Gold Leaf
French Antique Oval Mirror, Carved Wood & Gilding, circa 1950
Located in Paris, FR
Large French antique oval mirror. Carved wood frame with fluting and gilded crosspieces. Stained wood, re-gilding to the patinated leaf. Antique frame width: 5 cm / 1.96 in. Modern glass mirror. Antique laminated...
Giltwood, Wood, Glass, Mirror