Forward-looking architect Walter Lamb is best known for his revolutionary and widely loved patio furniture — he salvaged metal tubing from sunken ships in Pearl Harbor in the 1940s to create alluring chaise longues and other pieces for the backyard. His vintage furniture designs have been adorning patios worldwide for almost a century.
Trained as an architect at the University of California Berkeley campus, Lamb found himself in Hawaii during the 1940s. This period was a time of growth for furniture designers and manufacturers, as veterans were returning to the United States, getting married and starting families. These folks needed practical furniture for their new homes, and as the movement we now call mid-century modern took shape, imaginative architects and furniture makers would fill that need. Lamb was one such innovator.
Lamb worked the shaped tubing and fittings he’d gathered from battleship wreckage into proper frames and wrapped the structures in marine-grade cotton cording to create comfortable, element-proof outdoor furniture. Today his patio furniture has an esteemed place in the history of design. In fact, furniture enthusiasts are eager to restore and collect his iconic aged furniture rather than purchase reproductions.
Postwar California would become reputable as a manufacturing center for versatile furniture intended for both indoor and outdoor spaces. Seating, tables and other items — often made with rattan — produced by the likes of McGuire and Brown Jordan became a defining feature of organic modern living, a style that still characterizes many California interiors and influences innumerable design firms. Pasadena’s then-new Brown Jordan picked up Lamb’s designs, which eventually included dining tables, side tables and coffee and cocktail tables. And along with these furnishings, Lamb's sculptural vintage seating — his curvaceous lounge chairs and armchairs with cotton cord seats — while perfect for your fire pit, shouldn’t be relegated to outdoors-only settings.
Lamb received much acclaim for his work. The Museum of Modern Art in New York recognized his 1940s-era outdoor furniture for Brown Jordan with a design award.
On 1stDibs, find a noteworthy collection of vintage Walter Lamb furniture.
Set of Four Early Walter Lamb Bronze & Canvas Dining Chairs
By Walter Lamb
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Set of four early dining chairs by Walter Lamb dating from the late 40s or early 50s, predating his work with Brown Jordan. The set consists of two armchairs and two side chairs that...
Bronze
$7,674 / set
H 33.08 in W 19.3 in D 22.84 in
Trinidad Teak Dining Chairs by Nanna Ditzel 1990s Set of 8
By Nanna Ditzel, Frederecia Furniture
Located in Asaa, DK
Trinidad teak dining chairs by Nanna Ditzel for Fredericia Stolefabrik Denmark 1990s When designing the Trinidad Chair Model 3298 in 199...
Teak
$1,000 / set
H 37 in W 20.5 in D 17 in
Set of Four Wrought Iron Garden Patio Dining Chars Orleans for Woodard 1950/1960
By Woodard Furniture Co.
Located in New York, NY
Set of four Woodard Orleans pattern dining arm chairs. The chairs are structurally sound and sturdy, the paint finish shows wear and variations through...
Wrought Iron
$2,500 / set
H 34.5 in W 18.5 in D 21 in
Set of Four Brown Jordan Neoclassical Style Garden Dining Chairs
By Brown Jordan
Located in Rio Vista, CA
Neoclassical style set of four patio and garden dining chairs made by Brown Jordan. Heavy and solid cast aluminum construction with a lattice design influenced by Mario Papperzini fo...
Aluminum
$5,756 / set
H 33.08 in W 19.3 in D 22.84 in
Trinidad Teak Dining Chairs by Nanna Ditzel 1990s Set of 6
By Nanna Ditzel, Frederecia Furniture
Located in Asaa, DK
Trinidad teak dining chairs by Nanna Ditzel for Fredericia Stolefabrik Denmark 1990s When designing the Trinidad Chair Model 3298 in 1993,...
Teak
Set of 4 Patio Garden Dining Chairs Attributed to Salterini
By Salterini
Located in New York, NY
Nice set of 4 garden, patio dining chairs, attributed to Salterini. The chairs are structurally sound and sturdy, they are currently in later white paint finish, which shows signific...
Metal, Wrought Iron
$2,320Sale Price / set|20% Off
H 29.25 in W 25 in D 23.75 in
Set of 5 Piece Round Patio Garden Dining Table and 4 Mesh Arm Chairs
By Russell Woodard
Located in Sheffield, MA
Newly painted 40" round Mid-Century Modern Russell Woodard style wrought or cast iron base dining table with center hole for umbrella and four ...
Wrought Iron
$4,750 / set
H 32.25 in W 20.5 in D 24.5 in
Rare Set of Four Maurizio Tempestini White Lacquer Iron Frame and Mesh Chairs
By John Salterini, Maurizio Tempestini
Located in Chicago, IL
Rare set of four Maurizio Tempestini for Salterini white lacquer over wrought iron framed and iron mesh outdoor dining chairs. Minimalist design with open arms and linear form, iron ...
Wrought Iron
Set of Four Woodard Dining Chairs
By Woodard Furniture Co.
Located in New York, NY
Set of 4 modernist outdoor chairs patio chairs, attributed to Woodard. These chairs are in very good condition, free of breaks, bends or repairs, currently in later brown paint finis...
Wrought Iron
$6,720Sale Price|20% Off
H 20.5 in W 22 in D 70 in
Walter Lamb for Brown Jordan Bronze 'Waikiki' Rocking Chaise Lounge, circa 1960s
By Brown Jordan, Walter Lamb
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Sculptural bronze 'Waikiki' rocking chaise lounge by Walter Lamb for Brown Jordan. These collectible examples of functional art features curvy tubular bronze frames and rewoven with ...
Bronze
$6,560Sale Price|20% Off
H 20.5 in W 22 in D 70 in
Walter Lamb for Brown Jordan Bronze 'Waikiki' Rocking Chaise, 1960s, New Canvas
By Walter Lamb, Brown Jordan
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Sculptural bronze 'Waikiki' rocking chaise lounge by Walter Lamb for Brown Jordan. These collectible examples of functional art features curvy tubular bronze frames and rewoven with ...
Bronze
$3,600Sale Price / set|33% Off
H 31.5 in W 22.5 in D 20.25 in
Set of Four Jerry Johnson 'Arcadia' Chrome Sling Chairs for Landes, 1970s
By Landes Manufacturing Co., Jerry Johnson
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Designed by Jerry Johnson and manufactured by Landes Manufacturing Company in Los Angeles, this set of four 'Arcadia' chairs captures the bold spirit of 1970s American modernism. Fea...
Metal
$6,000Sale Price / set|20% Off
H 55.5 in W 16 in D 18 in
Set of Eight Blackened, Wrought Iron, Tall "Royal" Dining Chairs
Located in Chicago, IL
Set of eight custom designed blackened wrought iron dining chairs. Set consists of "king" and "queen" chairs and six "knights" chairs. The seats are covered in a Romanesque print cot...
Wrought Iron
Set of Four Early Walter Lamb Bronze Patio Dining Armchairs
By Walter Lamb
Located in Los Angeles, CA
A set of four early patio armchair in patinated bronze, designed and produced by Walter Lamb, pre-Brown Jordan. The chair has a tubular frame supported by a bent bronze runner and ar...
Bronze
Walter Lamb for Brown Jordan Copper Armchairs, New Cording
By Walter Lamb, Brown Jordan
Located in Los Angeles, CA
A set of four armchairs by Walter Lamb for Brown Jordan, offered and priced individually. These armchairs are comprised of tubular copper ...
Copper
Pair of Early Production Walter Lamb Lounge Chairs with Feet
By Walter Lamb
Located in Los Angeles, CA
A pair of pre-Brown Jordan production lounge chairs by Walter Lamb with a rare construction marked by details from his earliest work, as well as elements that would later find their ...
Bronze
Rare and Early Set of Six Dining Chairs by Walter Lamb
By Walter Lamb
Located in San Juan Capistrano, CA
Rare and early set of six indoor / outdoor patio dining chairs by Walter Lamb. The armchairs measure: 22.25" wide x 20.75" deep x 32.5"...
Bronze
Single Walter Lamb Dining Side Chair
By Walter Lamb, Brown Jordan
Located in Los Angeles, CA
A patio dining side chair in patinated bronze, designed by Walter Lamb and produced by Brown Jordan. The chair has a tubular frame supported by bent bronze runners, with each end ter...
Bronze
Sold
H 33 in W 21.5 in D 20 in
Walter Lamb for Brown Jordan Bronze Verdigris Dining Chairs, Four, circa 1955
By Walter Lamb, Brown Jordan
Located in Los Angeles, CA
A set of four dining chairs by Walter Lamb for Brown Jordan recently procured from the estate of Shirley Temple. These collectible examples are from the early years of Lamb's work wi...
Bronze
Set of Six Early Model 1940s Bronze Patio Dining Chairs by Walter Lamb
By Walter Lamb, Brown Jordan
Located in Los Angeles, CA
A set of six dining chairs by Walter Lamb dating from the late 1940s to early 1950s from the initial years of his work with Brown Jordan. The set Includes two ‘captain’ chairs with armrests and four simple dining chairs...
Bronze
Walter Lamb Patio Side Chair for Brown Jordan, Set of Four
By Walter Lamb, Brown Jordan
Located in Los Angeles, CA
A set of four garden dining side chairs in patinated bronze, designed by Walter Lamb and produced by Brown Jordan. Each chair has a tubular frame supported by a bent bronze runner. T...
Bronze
Three Walter Lamb Occasional Bronze Chairs
By Walter Lamb
Located in Los Angeles, CA
These came from an old estate that belonged to Ike and Tina Turner 1950s-1960s view park area Los Angeles. The house and all its' contents was sold roughly 50 years ago to a dentist....
Walter Lamb Bronze Dinette Table and Three Chairs
By Walter Lamb
Located in Los Angeles, CA
These came from an old estate that belonged to Ike and Tina Turner in the 1950s-1960s View Park area of Los Angeles. The house and all the contents was sold roughly about 50 years ag...
Set of Six Walter Lamb Armchairs
By Brown Jordan, Walter Lamb
Located in Danville, CA
Set of six bronze armchairs with nylon flagline seats and backrests by Walter Lamb. This set has the nylon cord option rather than the cotton, which can be cleaned and treated to mi...
Bronze
Bronze Table and Four Chairs Dining Set by Walter Lamb
By Walter Lamb
Located in Atlanta, GA
Iconic design by Walter Lamb that permeated the landscape of Mid-Century homes, especially those on the west coast. Model nos. C-2700 and C-1700 for Brown Jordon...
Bronze