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Swid Powell Desk Sets

The New York City–based tableware company Swid Powell produced some of the most distinctive china and silver of the 1980s in collaboration with international architects and designers. It enjoyed renewed attention in 2007, when the Yale University Art Gallery mounted the exhibition “The Architect’s Table: Swid Powell and Postmodern Design,” celebrating the donation to its collection of the company’s papers.

Swid Powell was established in 1982 by Nan Swid and Addie Powell, who met while working at the modernist furniture company Knoll. Their idea was to translate the aesthetics of postmodern design from the skyscraper to the dining table, and they brought into their preliminary discussions nine prominent architects. Among these were Philip Johnson, Stanley Tigerman and Richard Meier, all of whom expressed enthusiasm about making their designs accessible beyond the small group with the funds to commission buildings from them.

The first Swid Powell collection was launched in 1984, accompanied by a bold, graphic print campaign in keeping with the era’s advertising trends. The company’s best-known collaboration was with Robert Venturi’s Philadelphia-based firm, Venturi, Scott Brown and Associates, whose patterns — particularly the floral design Grandmother inspired by a tablecloth Venturi saw at the home of a colleague's grandmother — adorned Swid Powell porcelain as well as furniture and clothing.

The firm also partnered with architect Richard Meier, whose geometric designs were inspired in part by those of Josef Hoffmann and Charles Rennie Mackintosh. Swid Powell also worked with Arata Isosaki, Ettore Sottsass, Zaha Hadid and George Sowden, creating products that incorporated the bright, saturated colors and popular and historical references, like Classical columns, that animated postmodern design in the 1980s. The Chicago Blue china pattern designed for Swid Powell by the firm Gwathmey Siegel references the distinctive patterns of Frank Lloyd Wright’s leaded glass windows. As you will see in the examples below, Swid Powell continued to produce fine, fashionable homewares throughout the decade and beyond.

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Creator: Swid Powell
Richard Meier Swid Powell Magnifying Glass in Box Mid Century Modern Architect
Richard Meier Swid Powell Magnifying Glass in Box Mid Century Modern Architect

Richard Meier Swid Powell Magnifying Glass in Box Mid Century Modern Architect

By Richard Meier, Swid Powell

Located in Atlanta, GA

Modernist Silverplate Magnifying Glass, designed by Richard Meier for Swid Powell, Italy, circa 1980s. Includes original box and cloth bag. It is the perfect gift for the favorite de...

Category

1980s Italian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Swid Powell Desk Sets

Materials

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Richard Meier Swid Powell Magnifying Glass Mid Century Modern Architect Design
Richard Meier Swid Powell Magnifying Glass Mid Century Modern Architect Design

Richard Meier Swid Powell Magnifying Glass Mid Century Modern Architect Design

By Richard Meier, Swid Powell

Located in Atlanta, GA

Modernist Silverplate Magnifying Glass Designed by Richard Meier for Swid Powell, Italy, circa 1980s. Makes the perfect gift for the favorite design lover in your life (even if it's ...

Category

1980s Italian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Swid Powell Desk Sets

Materials

Metal, Silver Plate

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Swid Powell desk sets for sale on 1stDibs.

Swid Powell desk sets are available for sale on 1stDibs. These distinctive items are frequently made of wood and are designed with extraordinary care. There are many options to choose from in our collection of Swid Powell desk sets, although brown editions of this piece are particularly popular. Many of the original desk sets by Swid Powell were created in the mid-century modern style in italy during the 1980s. Prices for Swid Powell desk sets can differ depending upon size, time period and other attributes — on 1stDibs, these items begin at $650 and can go as high as $699, while a piece like these, on average, fetch $675.