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.
$14,400Sale Price|20% Off
Phillip Lloyd Powell Rotating Walnut Case / Bar, 1965
By Phillip Lloyd Powell
Located in Chicago, IL
Phillip Lloyd Powell Rotating Walnut Case / Bar, 1965 Walnut, Carved and painted wood base, cane, felt interior Dimensions: 39½ high 35 wide 30 deep A distinctive rotating case or b...
Felt, Cane, Walnut
Gorgeous Aldo Tura Bar Cart Creme, 1965
By Aldo Tura
Located in Munich, DE
Gorgeous Aldo Tura Hollywood Regency style bar or serving cart by Aldo Tura, Milano, Italy, 1965. Creme lacquered goatskin bar or serving cart with two glass tops and serving tray wi...
Brass
$160Sale Price|76% Off
H 31 in W 32.25 in D 19.5 in
Boho Chic Henry Link Pencil Reed Cabinet/Dry Bar With Rotating Top
Located in Delray Beach, FL
Elevate your entertaining space with this Boho Chic Henry Link Pencil Reed Dry Bar. Featuring a unique rotating top and crafted in the 1980s, this piece offers both style and functio...
Reed
Gorgeous Wall HangingDisplay Shelf by Phillip Lloyd Powell
By Phillip Lloyd Powell
Located in BROOKLYN, NY
Amazing wall mounted shelf hand crafted in black walnut by Phillip Powell. Signature dovetailed edges and choice walnut stand in contrast with the grass cloth backing. Sculptural she...
Walnut
Art Deco Rotating Bar from France, Palisander Wood, Glass Doors, 1930s
Located in Houston, TX
Rectangular body of the bar has rotating double side inner part. On the front it has two shelves. One on the top has glass sliding doors and one on the bottom has sliding wooden doors with chrome handles. Inner part of the rotating element has mirrored wall, attached shelf for glasses and secure holder for four bottles. Highly polished bar top and its walls are...
Glass, Palisander
Walnut Dry Bar Sideboard Cabinet
Located in Paris, FR
This extremely elegant solid high quality Walnut wood Dry Bar Sideboard is the combination of a traditional sideboard with a sophisticated drinks cabinet. The design was inspired by ancient jewellery boxes: simple, neat containers of precious and shiny objects. It hides a reflective surface where you can store your best bottles and also includes an elegant black metal tray...
Metal, Iron
Phillip Lloyd Powell Large Cabinet in Walnut and Gold Leaf
By Phillip Lloyd Powell
Located in Waalwijk, NL
Phillip Lloyd Powell, large cabinet, walnut, gold leaf, painted wood, United States, circa 1965 Crafted by the skilled hands of Phillip Lloyd Powell, this highboard stands as a test...
Gold Leaf
Cabinet Credenza Phillip Lloyd Powell and Paul Evans
By Phillip Lloyd Powell, Paul Evans
Located in Atlanta, GA
From the early collaboration between two New Hope craftsmen Phillip Lloyd Powell and Paul Evans, came this stunning piece of furniture that epitomizes their individual artistic aesth...
Slate, Iron
$169,000
H 22.64 in W 118.9 in D 20.08 in
Phillip Lloyd Powell Long Wall-Mounted Sideboard in Carved Walnut
Located in Waalwijk, NL
Phillip Lloyd Powell, long wall-mounted sideboard, walnut, Unites States, circa 1970 Crafted in Phillip Lloyd Powell’s New Hope studio, this wall-mounted sideboard pairs understate...
Walnut
$3,761
H 35.44 in W 70.87 in D 17.72 in
Danish folding Bar With Rotating Cabinet by Reno Wahl for Dyrlund 1960s
By Drylund, Reno Wahl Iversen
Located in Cork, IE
What better place to look for clever space saving solutions than on a ship! This captain's bar was designed by Reno Wahl Iversen for the Danish manufacturer Dyrlund. It comes with ...
Brass
Studio Walnut Desk by Phillip Lloyd Powell
By Phillip Lloyd Powell
Located in Atlanta, GA
Stunning desk with drawers and compartment in walnut by Phillip Lloyd Powell (1919-2008). The freeform surface is made of thick walnut plank with a patched joined design with two ros...
Walnut
Wall-Mounted Cabinet by Phillip Lloyd Powell
By Phillip Lloyd Powell
Located in St.Petersburg, FL
A rare and unusual wall-mounted cabinet by Phillip Lloyd Powell in walnut. Drawers on one side with piano hinge bi-fold doors on the other side, with adjustable shelves inside. Great...
$7,000
H 32.25 in W 96 in D 18.5 in
Mid-Century Walnut & Slate Sideboard in the Style of Phillip Lloyd Powell
By George Nakashima, Phillip Lloyd Powell, Paul Evans
Located in Brooklyn, NY
This beautiful sideboard features a striking slate top, unique Brutalist style cabinet doors and a variety of storage space contained within. C...
Slate
Sold
H 16.5 in W 53 in D 15 in
Phillip Lloyd Powell/Paul Evans Carved Walnut Wall Hung Cabinet, Early 1960s
By Phillip Lloyd Powell, Paul Evans
Located in Amarillo, TX
Chip carved walnut bar cabinet by Phillip Lloyd Powell, USA, circa 1962. New Hope, PA Studio. Measure: 16.5 x 53 x 15 inches. 41.9 x 134.6 x 38 cm. Paul Evans hardware, wa...
Bronze, Steel
Bar Cabinet by Phillip Lloyd Powell
By Phillip Lloyd Powell
Located in Amarillo, TX
Phillip Lloyd Powell bar in walnut, signed [Phil Powell], USA, circa 1967. Hand worked with four doors opening to illuminated interior, glass shelves and found objects. Heig...
Felt, Glass, Walnut