Art Deco industrial designer Walter von Nessen is best known for his glamorous Machine Age lighting designs and for his invention of the swing-arm lamp. Von Nessen was born in Germany, where he studied under Bruno Paul at Berlin’s Kunstgewerbeschule. After World War I, he worked for the architect Peter Behrens, in Berlin. He left in 1919 for Stockholm, where he designed furniture until emigrating with his wife, Margaretta, to the United States in 1923. In 1927, the couple opened Nessen Studios in Manhattan, designing and selling sleek, modern architectural lighting.
Art Deco was both novel and exciting in the late 1920s — as, indeed, was electricity itself — and Nessen Studios was at the forefront of the movement. Electric lighting designers at the time had no direct models to follow. The shapes and silhouettes of gas lamps, lanterns and chandeliers had been influenced by those of the kerosene-, oil- and candle-lit fixtures that preceded them, which in turn were informed by the fuels they used. Electric lighting required designs that accommodated essentials of the new technology, like cords and sockets. Von Nessen and his contemporaries thus had to create fixtures that addressed these challenges and looked modern without appearing overly mechanical.
Along with industrial-design visionaries of the period like Raymond Loewy, Gilbert Rohde and Donald Deskey, von Nessen crafted a style that was emblematic of the Machine Age. He produced lamps and home accessories from spun aluminum, with smooth surfaces that evoked the polished gleam of streamlined automobiles and airplanes. And he experimented with other popular materials of the era, such as Bakelite, chrome and fiberglass. His ingenious design for the now-ubiquitous swing-arm lamp earned him a reputation as an innovator.
Von Nessen’s work is represented in the collections of the Museum of Modern Art and the Cooper Hewitt Smithsonian National Design Museum, among other institutions. Designed to complement the luxurious interiors of the 1920s and ‘30s, still look fresh nearly a century later.
Toothpick Server by Russel Wright for Chase
By Walter Von Nessen, Chase Brass and Copper Company
Located in Sagaponack, NY
A polished silver sphere with multiple perforations for holding and dispensing toothpicks. Stamped "Chase USA".
Chrome, Steel
$77 / item
H 7.09 in Dm 7.49 in
Campana Small Vase or Ice Bucket in Glass Blown in a Mold Designed by Aldo Cibic
By Aldo Cibic
Located in Milan, IT
Campana is a blown in a mold glass vase designed by Aldo Cibic, a useful and versatile object that can be both a flower vase and an ice bucket. Its simple and elegant Silhouette make...
Blown Glass
$650
H 9.25 in W 9 in D 8.5 in
Chase Art Deco Chrome Champagne Ice Bucket Lurelle Guild Rockwell Kent Design
By Chase Brass and Copper Company, Rockwell Kent
Located in Chicago, IL
This chrome-plated champagne bucket has a Classic Art Deco style. The top edge is stepped and trimmed with a ribbed band; the front is adorned with a decorative plaque depicting Bacc...
Chrome
$1,195 / set
H 0.75 in Dm 11.75 in
Art Deco 8 Piece Chrome & Blue Glass Cocktail Set by Chase Blue Moon C1935
By Chase Brass and Copper Company
Located in Port Jervis, NY
Very special to the Art Deco period is the Chase copper and brass company which hired the leading designers of the day for its incredible inventory of household items. This particula...
Brass, Chrome
Art Deco Chrome Pancake Corn Set Blue Tray by Russel Wright for Chase
By Russel Wright, Chase and Co.
Located in New York, NY
Designed by the iconic American industrial designer Russel Wright for Chase, this Art Deco pancake corn set epitomizes the streamlined and functional aesthetic of the 1930s. The set ...
Chrome
$252Sale Price / item|28% Off
H 11.75 in Dm 3.75 in
Art Deco Chase "Gaiety" Cocktail Shakers C.1930-Price per item
By Chase Brass and Copper Company
Located in San Francisco, CA
ABOUT Chromed copper cocktail shakers with black enamel bands and Bakelite collar. Cap lifts to reveal a detachable strainer. CREATOR Howard Frederick Reichenbach (1901-1959) ...
Copper, Chrome
$220Sale Price|20% Off
H 2 in W 18.5 in D 13.5 in
Midcentury 1950s Solid Teak Danish Modern Rare Tray by Quistgaard for Dansk
By Dansk, Jens Quistgaard
Located in San Diego, CA
Incredible and beautiful design on this large solid teak, a tray designed by Quistgaard for Dansk, circa the 1950s, great condition with raised edges, incredible craftsmanship. early...
Teak
Art Deco Chrome Cocktail Ball and Olympia Saucer by Russel Wright for Chase
By Chase and Co., Russel Wright
Located in New York, NY
An exquisite example of Art Deco design, this chrome cocktail ball and Olympia saucer set was masterfully crafted by Russel Wright for Chase around 1935. A testament to modernist ele...
Chrome
Pair of Salt & Pepper Shakers Designed by Russel Wright for Chase Art Deco
By Chase and Co., Russel Wright
Located in San Diego, CA
Fantastic pair of polished chome art Deco shakers designed by Russel Wright for Chase with screwoff on bottoms simple elegant and a rare set to find.
Chrome
$790
H 3 in W 5 in D 0.5 in
Carl Aubock Big Brass Key Cork Screw, Bottle Opener, Paperweight, Austria, 1950s
By Werkstätte Carl Auböck
Located in Vienna, AT
A Midcentury combination corkscrew, bottle opener, and paperweight dating from the 1950s. Shaped like a large key, it was designed by Carl Auböck and crafted by his workshop in Vienn...
Brass
Fine And Rare Aldo Tura Cocktail Bar Set
By Aldo Tura
Located in Antwerp, BE
Exceptional 4 piece bar set in lacquered goatskin by Aldo Tura. Set features 3 ice buckets and 1 pepper mill.brass finial and glass insulated liner.
Brass
Modernist Chrome Toothpick Holder by Russel Wright for Chase Co.
By Chase and Co., Russel Wright
Located in San Diego, CA
A very nice modernist toothpick holder by Russel Wright for Chase & Co., circa 1940s. The piece is in very good condition and measures 3.25" D x 3" H. It is marked "Chase" with compa...
Chrome
Art Deco Cocktail Ball and Tray Designed by Russel Wright for Chase
By Chase Brass and Copper Company
Located in Nantucket, MA
Art Deco chrome cocktail ball and tray designed by Russel Wright for Chase Brass and Copper Company - the ball with holes for toothpicks with hors d'oeuvres has a rubber foot and sit...
Chrome
Art Deco "Viking" Chrome Cocktail Pitcher by Walter Von Nessen for Chase
By Chase and Co., Walter Von Nessen
Located in New York, NY
This stunning Art Deco "Viking" chrome cocktail pitcher, designed by Walter Von Nessen for Chase circa 1935, represents the epitome of sleek, modernist design from the Machine Age. C...
Chrome
American Art Deco Rare Chrome Plated Serving Tray by Chase
By Chase Brass and Copper Company, Walter Von Nessen
Located in San Diego, CA
Beautiful and rare chrome plated art deco tray by Chase some light wear on the center stamped at the bottom.
Chrome
Walter Von Nessen Rare copper Tiffin Tray
By Walter Von Nessen
Located in Westport, CT
Walter Von Nessen, Copper Tiffin Tray for Chase co. with black wood handles
Copper