Wendell Castle was an American furniture maker celebrated for his experimental creations in wood and plastic. He was one of the first to create seating, lighting and tables that resemble sculpture, otherwise known as art furniture.
A founding father of the American Studio movement, Castle was known for his craftsmanship and broke new ground in the 1960s with the stack-laminate technique, which involves layering and then sanding thin sheets of wood. In the ’70s, he transitioned to using gel-coated plastic in bright colors.
Castle integrated both mediums in his designs from the 2000s, which, like his vintage pieces, are characterized by curved, biomorphic lines and whimsical undertones (his Molar chair emphasized playfulness and a venturesome sensibility). Ever the innovator, he integrated computers and robots in his later production process to come up with wildly imaginative forms. Castle was working on a new body of work when he passed away in 2018 at the age of 85.
Find a collection of original Wendell Castle furniture on 1stDibs.
Wendell Castle “Samba” Cabinet for Icon Design Sculptural Ash Wood Storage Cabin
By Wendell Castle
Located in Miami, FL
A stunning example of American furniture, the Samba Cabinet by Wendell Castle for Icon Designs reflects Castle’s signature philosophy of treating furniture as sculpture. The piece fe...
Leather, Wood
Samba Cabinet by Wendell Castle, Late 20th Century, Signed with Impressed WC.
By Wendell Castle
Located in Kansas City, MO
Samba cabinet from the Wendell Castle Collection for Icon Design, late 20th century. Finished on all sides. Hand carved and stained ash with leather pulls. Signed with WC. The drawe...
Leather, Ash
Wendell Castle, Bird of Paradise
By Wendell Castle
Located in LAGUNA BEACH, CA
Wendell Castle's "Bird of Paradise," created in 1996, is a significant piece that falls within the realm of contemporary art and furniture design. Experience the artistic brilliance...
Wood, Birdseye Maple, Mahogany, Maple
Pretty Black Chinoiserie Cupboard Decorated with Birds and Flowers
Located in Godshill, Isle of Wight
Pretty Black Chinoiserie Cupboard Decorated with Birds and Flowers The cupboard is in black lacquer and has colourful applied and painted decoration of birds and chrysanthemums, it ...
Lacquer
20th Century Rustic Pine Cabinet
Located in Southampton, NY
20th Century Rustic Pine Cabinet A simply constructed pine cabinet with two doors and a central rail. A grey-ish painted wash gives creates a beautiful patina. Two porcelain knobs a...
Pine
Midcentury Storage Cabinet, Czechoslovakia, 1960s
Located in Praha, CZ
- In good original condition.
Wood
Chinoiserie laqcuer cabinet 20th century
Located in MILL, NL
English Black-lacquered cabinet with two doors, each decorated with a chinoiserie scene in gold and ochre tones on a black background. Depicted are pavilions and pagodas, figures on...
Hardwood
$94,875
H 180 in W 160 in D 50 in
Original 18th Century Monumental Cabinet on Stand / Italian Bargueno / European
Located in Miami, FL
Important monumental cabinet on stand. The case of the cabinet is walnut, veneered with rich rib boned ebony and luxuriously decorated with turtle ...
Walnut, Glass
French Faux Bamboo Bird's Eye Maple Cabinet
Located in Bradenton, FL
French Faux Bamboo Bird's Eye Maple Cabinet. Cabinet features a beautifully figured birds-eye-maple facade accented with carved bamboo moldings. This was an iconic decorative motif p...
Faux Bamboo, Birdseye Maple
Chinese Bird-and-Flower Painted Side Cabinet, c. 1850
Located in Chicago, IL
The darkly lacquered front of this 19th-century Chinese locking cabinet is the perfect canvas for a traditional bird-and-flower painting. Crafted of elmwood with mortise-and-tenon jo...
Elm
Late 20th Century Oak Two-Drawer Letter Size Filing Cabinet with lock
Located in Germantown, MD
A Late 20th Century Oak Two-Drawer Letter Size Filing Cabinet with lock. Will hold legal size and letter size file folders. Come with two keys. Measures 16" w x 16"D x 27.5"H.
Oak, Wood
$1,232
H 49.75 in W 19 in D 15.5 in
Late 20th Century Four-Drawer Solid Pine Filing Cabinet with Locks and Keys
Located in Germantown, MD
A Late 20th Century Four-Drawer Solid Pine Filing Cabinet with Locks and Keys in the old tavern style, with built-in file folders handing rails and two top locking drawers with keys....
Pine
$1,043
H 53.15 in W 33.86 in D 18.51 in
British Art Deco Bird’S-Eye Maple & Walnut Tallboy Compact Wardrobe, 1930s
Located in South Shields, GB
A beautiful quality Art Deco 1930's maple and walnut compact wardrobe Featuring a unique design feature - a compartment to the front, with a hanging rail to the inside To the side...
Wood, Birdseye Maple
$9,800 / item
H 32 in W 84 in D 21 in
Modern Wood 'Credenza Three' Cabinet by Last Workshop in Bleached Ash
By Last Workshop
Located in Chicago, IL
"Credenza Three" by Last Workshop. Made-to-order in Chicago, IL. A sturdy yet elegant credenza featuring a matching case and door combination with a steel base. The tear-drop ste...
Steel
Venetian Painted Side Cabinet, Italy, Late 19th / Early 20th Century
Located in Morristown, NJ
This delightful Venetian painted side cabinet exemplifies the enduring appeal of Italian vernacular Rococo revival furniture. Finished in a warm yellow-ochre ground, the cabinet is ornamented throughout with hand-painted teal foliate scrollwork, arranged in lively asymmetrical cartouches across the top, drawer, door, and sides. The decorative painting retains a charming, freehand quality typical of Venetian workshop production, emphasizing surface decoration over formal carving. The cabinet features a single drawer over a cupboard door opening to an interior storage compartment, raised on elegant cabriole legs with a shaped apron. Brass pulls accent the drawer and door, adding subtle contrast to the painted surface. The piece is unmarked, as expected for provincial Italian furniture of this period. The softly undulating form, curvilinear legs, and scrolling ornament reflect Rococo influences filtered through later 19th-century and early 20th-century revival tastes, often produced for domestic interiors and export. Its scale and function make it ideal as a bedside cabinet, small side table, or accent piece. Dimensions: 27"h x 17"w x 15"d Condition: Good/Fair. General discoloration, surface marks, and staining throughout consistent with age and use. Visible ring stains to the top, along with cracking to the top and drawer. Paint wear and minor surface imperfections are present and contribute to the cabinet’s authentic patina and character. Provenance: The Iris Apfel Collection Remarks: A highly decorative and characterful example of Venetian painted furniture...
Wood, Paint
Wendell Castle Cloud Wall Shelf 1969
By Wendell Castle
Located in Pawtucket, RI
Extremely rare Wendell Castle wall mounted shelf. Approximately thirty or forty examples of the Cloud shelf were produced in 1969. This work has been authe...
Molar Group cloud shelf by Wendell Castle
By Wendell Castle
Located in New York, NY
"The Black Edition" Molar Group Cloud shelf in gel-coated fiberglass-reinforced plastic. Signed and numbered. Originally designed by Wendell Castle, 1969. ...