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.
Paul Evans & Phillip Lloyd Powell, Very Rare, Walnut and Pewter Bottle
By Paul Evans, Phillip Lloyd Powell
Located in Los Angeles, CA
This is a very rare bottle. Only 5 were made because it was very difficult to make. This one was a gift to one of our clients.
Pewter
$1,107 / item
H 10.63 in W 5.91 in D 7.09 in
Minimalist Vase Delaunay CS9 by Noom, Sculptural Design, Brass and Steel
By Kateryna Sokolova, NOOM
Located in Paris, FR
Delaunay vase, one of the vases from the "Suprematic" collection. The collection inspired by the geometric works of the great Suprematist Kazimir Malevich. Suprematism is a modernis...
Brass, Steel
$1,256 / item
H 14.18 in W 5.91 in D 7.09 in
Gabo Vase CS7, Sculptural Design in Copper and Steel by Noom, Minimalist
By NOOM, Kateryna Sokolova
Located in Paris, FR
Gabo vase, one of the vases from the "Suprematic" collection. Collection inspired by the geometric works of the great Suprematist Kazimir Malevich. Suprematism is a modernist moveme...
Copper, Steel
$895 / item
H 11.42 in W 7.49 in D 3.94 in
Accent Malevich Vase CS7, Minimalist, Copper and Painted Steel by Noom
By Kateryna Sokolova, NOOM
Located in Paris, FR
Malevich Vase — part of the Suprematic Collection by NOOM — is a tribute to the visionary genius of Kazimir Malevich and the bold geometry of the Suprematist movement. This early 20t...
Steel, Copper
$1,595 / item
H 11.42 in W 7.49 in D 3.94 in
Modern Malevich Vase CSL2, Oxidized Copper and Steel, NOOM, Numbered Edition
By Kateryna Sokolova, NOOM
Located in Paris, FR
Malevich vase, one of the vases from the "Suprematic" collection. Collection inspired by the geometric works of the great Suprematist Kazimir Malevich. Suprematism is a modernist mo...
Copper, Steel
$958 / item
H 14.97 in W 6.7 in D 3.94 in
Minimalist Vase Genke CS2, Copper and Painted Steel, Bold design by Noom
By NOOM, Kateryna Sokolova
Located in Paris, FR
Genke Vase — part of the Suprematic Collection by NOOM, designed by Kateryna Sokolova, embodies the brand’s signature fusion of contemporary, bold, sculptural design with functional ...
Copper, Steel
$8,250Sale Price|44% Off
H 6.13 in W 16.13 in D 8.13 in
Paul Evans Box Patchwork, Copper, Bronze, Pewter, Hinged, Signed
By Paul Evans
Located in New York, NY
Paul Evans Box, Copper, Bronze, Pewter, Hinged, Signed. Large scale hinged patinated mixed metal textured box with painted red wood interior and lined w...
Bronze, Copper, Pewter
$508Sale Price|53% Off
H 9.7 in Dm 4 in
Masons Ironstone Bottle Vase in Chinese Dragon Pattern very rare, circa 1820
By Mason's Ironstone
Located in Lincoln, Lincolnshire
This is a very rare ironstone vase, in the Chinese style, all hand painted in the coloured dragon pattern, made by the Mason's factory in the early 19th century. Both the vase shape and the pattern are very rare. The vase has a bottle shape with a fairly tall neck, having two dolphin head handles, with attached loops. (NOTES ON SHAPE This vase style is a copy of a much earlier Chinese bronze vase shape produced in the Ming, Hongwu period of 1368 - 1398, which had similar decorative animal head side handles with loops. ( See the book Chinese Ceramics by He Li, page 216, published by Thames & Hudson. ). Also On view at The Met Fifth Avenue in Gallery 204; The square handles and rings illustrate the metal origins of the shape of the vase. Similar examples have been excavated in Chinese tombs dating to the fifteenth and sixteenth century, suggesting that the shape was particularly popular at that time.) This vase is beautifully hand decorated in a more complex variant of the Coloured Chinese Dragon pattern, with strong coloured enamels depicting a green dragon on one side and a pink dragon...
Pottery, Ironstone
$700
H 5.99 in W 2.76 in D 2.76 in
Japanese Colorful Antique Sake Bottle / 'Kutani Ware' / 1830-1900 / Small Vase
Located in Sammu-shi, Chiba
Kutani ware is a color-painted porcelain produced around Kanazawa City in the southern part of Ishikawa Prefecture, starting in 1655. It features a colorfu...
Pottery
A Rare Paul Ysart Attributed Close-Pack Millefiori Art Glass Paperweight Bottle
By Paul Ysart
Located in New York, NY
This very rare Bottle is attributed to Paul Ysart, a Scottish glass artist known for his work in millefiori and paperweight techniques. The piece is executed in clear glass, encasing...
Art Glass
$1,931 / item
H 14.97 in W 6.7 in D 3.94 in
Modern Vase Genke CSL3, Hammered Brass and Steel by Noom, Numbered Edition
By Kateryna Sokolova, NOOM
Located in Paris, FR
Genke vase, one of the vases from the "Suprematic" collection. The collection inspired by the geometric works of the great Suprematist Kazimir Malevich. Suprematism is a modernist mo...
Brass, Steel
$1,130 / item
H 15.36 in W 7.88 in D 5.91 in
Minimalist Ekster Metal Vase CS10, Contemporary Design, Copper and Steel, Noom
By Kateryna Sokolova, NOOM
Located in Paris, FR
Ekster Vase — part of the Suprematic Collection by NOOM — is a sculptural tribute to the genius of Kazimir Malevich and the pure geometric vision of the Suprematist movement. Born in...
Steel, Copper
$1,109 / item
H 10.63 in W 5.91 in D 7.09 in
Delaunay Vase CS7, Contemporary Bold Design in Copper and Steel by Noom
By Kateryna Sokolova, NOOM
Located in Paris, FR
Delaunay vase, one of the vases from the "Suprematic" collection. The collection inspired by the geometric works of the great Suprematist Kazimir Malevich. Suprematism is a modernist...
Steel, Copper
Paul Evans-phillip Powell
By Phillip Lloyd Powell, Paul Evans
Located in Chicago, IL
Phillip Powel -Paul Evans Charger
Stainless Steel
Paul Evans & Phillip Lloyd Powell Tray
By Phillip Lloyd Powell, Paul Evans
Located in West Palm Beach, FL
Tray/Charger by Paul Evans & Phillip Powell
Mahogany and Stainless Steel
signed with engraved metal disk to underside
(Designers Inc. paul Evans
Stainless Steel