Decades prior to the mass popularity of neo-industrial cement floors and furniture taking shape, there was Willy Guhl. The Swiss creative is considered one of the first “industrial” designers in his home country. He pioneered a rugged, organic style of modern furniture and decor — stylish planters, shapely seating and lots more — that remains widely coveted by many today.
Guhl was born in 1915 in Stein am Rhein and worked as a carpenter before beginning studies at the Zurich School of Applied Arts (known today as the Zurich University of the Arts), where he would go on to teach for nearly 40 years.
While Guhl is well-known for his range of provocative garden elements as well as his patio and outdoor furniture, today’s legion of mid-century modern enthusiasts are likely familiar with the designer’s iconic Loop chair (introduced in 1954). For this sculptural seat and other furnishings, Guhl tended toward industrial materials, which he bent and shaped into organic forms for a striking juxtaposition. Much of his work is crafted from either concrete or Eternit, a mixture of cement and asbestos developed by the Belgian company Etex, which, in the 1950s, commissioned Guhl and his students at the School of Applied Arts to conceive planters in the material. The resulting vessels — some hourglass-shaped, some in the form of handkerchiefs, all suitable for indoors or exteriors — remain some of Guhl’s most collectible pieces.
Guhl’s affiliation with the Swiss “neo-functional” movement centered on the idea of simplifying design without sacrificing form. According to Guhl, his mission was “achieving the most with the minimum of effort.”
In addition to his work as a designer, Guhl left his mark on subsequent creatives through his 39-year tenure at his alma mater, where he was instructor to the likes of Robert Haussmann, Kurt Thut and Bruno Rey. Modern-day shoppers at IKEA owe Guhl a debt of gratitude too. He was an early advocate of flat-pack furniture, championing its ability to make good design more widely accessible.
At its core, though, Guhl’s work was inherently human-centric: “At the center of my efforts, I put people and their living requirements,” he once said. “My products must be useful to people.” Guhl died in 2004 at the age of 89.
Find a range of vintage Willy Guhl furniture and decorative objects on 1stDibs.
$3,320Sale Price|20% Off
Willy Guhl barbecue dinning table
By Willy Guhl
Located in grand Lancy, CH
very rare concrete Willy Guhl barbecue dinning table , the center of the table , metal part is missing
Concrete
$11,836Sale Price|20% Off
H 29.14 in W 78.94 in D 41.74 in
Travertine and Brass Dinning Table by Willy Rizzo
By Willy Rizzo
Located in Marcq-en-Barœul, Hauts-de-France
This beautiful and very elegant barrel-shaped dining room table is made of a very nice travertine top with brass mesh on the sides of the top as well as on the base. This is a work b...
Travertine, Brass
Art Deco Dinning Table
By De Coene Frères
Located in London, Park Royal
Art Deco table by De Coene Freres made in a striking flame mahogany of spicy brunette and cinnamon red wood tones accentuated by a highly polished lacquer finish, traditional to the ...
Bronze
Willy Guhl Modular Concrete Table, 1960s Switzerland
By Willy Guhl
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Add a brutalist flare to your interior with this piece by Swiss architect Willy Guhl. A sculptural concrete rectangle with a hollow interior and curved edges, this object is incredib...
Concrete
Matthias Biberon Oak Dinning Table 2024
By Matthias Biberon
Located in Santa Gertrudis, Baleares
These Dinning Table is a typical Matthias Biberon work, old oak wood, well seasoned, a wood that has been dried for over 40 years, giving it a special patina. All joints are visible, the artist's signature in the pure Japanese influence of Mingei thought and Wabi Sabi. This is the beauty of the everyday object, one whose details we never tire of rediscovering. Matthias Biberon (Paris, 1977) lives and works in Perche (Normandy / France). He began working with wood in 2019, leaving behind photography and ceramics, which he had practiced successfully for many years. In wood, he finds the pleasure of imagining shapes and building them, with a combination of both naivety and attention to detail, and a freedom that neither conceptualism nor ceramics had given him. His furniture is organic, respecting the original shape of the wood and following its knots and veins. The search for balance and precision is one of the cornerstones of Matthias's work. Carefully sourced, the wood types used - Oak, Elm, Cedar, Walnut - have been dried for decades, giving them an unrivalled patina. His trademark? Visible construction and the blending of materials, with stone a natural addition to his creations; for each of them, he seeks a form of balance, purity and softness, a functionality that is both poetic and sculptural, the simplicity and force of a haiku. Passionate about art, it was while progressing towards Arts & Crafts that he embraced the aesthetics of functionalism, Mingeï and the thinking of William Morris. He is sensitive to the Arte Povera of Jannis Kounellis and Giovanni Anselmo, the Zen influence of John Cage, the freedom of Don Cherry...
Oak
Willy Guhl Adjustable Concrete Planter
By Willy Guhl
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Monumental round planter by Swiss designer Willy Guhl for Eternit, showcasing a magnificent patina. Elevated on its original concrete stand, it creates a commanding sculptural presen...
Cement
Willy Guhl Concrete Drum Table
By Willy Guhl
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Fantastic drum table by Swiss architect Willy Guhl for Eternit. Great scale and unique shape. Suitable for indoor and outdoors. Only one available. New pencil edge glass top. Stunnin...
Cement
Cine Boeri Dinning Table 1970
By Cini Boeri
Located in LU
A 1970 modern dining room in metal and glass by designer Cini Boeri in great condition. Table only.
Metal
Willy Guhl Concrete Cube Side Table, 1960s Switzerland
By Willy Guhl
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Add a brutalist flare to your interior with this piece by Swiss architect Willy Guhl. A sculptural concrete cube with a hollow interior and curved edges, this object would make for a...
Concrete
$6,240Sale Price|20% Off
H 29.5 in W 78.75 in D 39.75 in
Italian Modern Sculptural Travertine Dinning Table
Located in West Palm Beach, FL
Italian Modern Sculptural Travertine Dinning Table Italy, circa 1970s An exceptional example of specimen quality variegated travertine, the subtle design detail of the descending...
Travertine
Willy Guhl Light Up Concrete Side Table, 1960s Switzerland
By Willy Guhl
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Stunning concrete side table with built in lamp by Eternit. Made in Swizterland. Newly rewired. Gorgeous piece of collectible design. Can be used indoors...
Concrete
Elizabethan Style Dinning Table
Located in London, Park Royal
An oak trestle table in Elizabethan style, early 20th century; the rectangular top on twin knopped, lobed, foliate carved and waisted cup-and-cover supports; on trestles linked by a ...
Oak
Short Willy Guhl Off Kilter Planter
By Willy Guhl
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Rare short asymmetrical planter by Swiss designer Willy Guhl, featuring a bold modernist silhouette. A striking sculptural piece that brings architectural character to indoor or outd...
Cement
Square Willy Guhl Planter
By Willy Guhl
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Planters by Swiss designer Willy Guhl for Eternit, showcasing subtle variations in weathered surface and form. The timeless, utilitarian beauty makes them ideal for indoor or outdoor...
Cement
Square Willy Guhl Planter
By Willy Guhl
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Planters by Swiss designer Willy Guhl for Eternit, showcasing subtle variations in weathered surface and form. The timeless, utilitarian beauty makes them ideal for indoor or outdoor...
Cement
1930’s French Marble & bamboo dinning table
By Andre Domin & Marcel Genevriere for Maison Dominique
Located in London, Lambeth
Gorgeous dinning table with bamboo base With a wonderful marble top Cc1930’s French Dimensions 116cm wide 72cm. Deep 73 cm. High
Marble
Flower Planter "Spindel" in Fiberglass by Willy Guhl for Eternit, c. 1960s
By Willy Guhl
Located in New York, NY
This planter is part of the Eternit fiber-cement vase collection, designed by Swiss industrial design pioneer Willy Guhl (1915–2004), who is also known for creating the iconic Loop C...
Fiberglass