As its name suggests, the playful silhouette of the Molar chair can be attributed to an unmistakable visual inspiration: the curves and cusps that characterize the clusters of large teeth tucked in the back corners of our mouths. Kansas-born furniture maker and educator Wendell Castle (1932–2018) began to create his singular series of Molar sofas and more in 1968, when he designed his biomorphic Molar chair.
Moved by the experiments that Danish designer Verner Panton and others had been conducting with synthetic materials, Castle’s “back tooth” seat and other early designs for the collection were comprised of glass-reinforced polyester and gel-coated plastics, but his fascination with organic forms began years earlier — with wood.
A major figure of the American Studio movement, Castle boldly bridged art and furnishings like no one before him. He attended the University of Kansas for industrial design and eventually earned his MFA in sculpture in the late 1950s. In his years as a student, Castle longed to create seating and other furniture that could also be considered art, even when an instructor told him he should return to sculpture upon reviewing a cabinet he designed. His whimsical Stool Sculpture in 1959, which earned him critical acclaim and later gained a place in international exhibitions, tested the boundaries between function and fine art, while his college-era sketchbooks full of abstract designs would inform his woodworking in the years that followed.
Castle found inspiration from woodworkers such as Wharton Esherick and George Nakashima, and utilized the stack-laminate technique — in which thin sheets of wood are layered in stacks, glued together and then smoothed and cut into desired shapes before carving. This allowed him to add mass and depth to his ambiguous and venturesome work. By the mid-1960s, however, while teaching woodworking at the Rochester Institute of Technology, he temporarily tired of wood and instead wanted to introduce color and delve into the potential that other materials could afford.
Castle’s Molar chair as well as the other biomorphic seating he designed at the time emphasized playfulness and an experimental sensibility. “I’m trying to get furniture off its legs and to be itself,” Castle told Newsweek. Before he would return to wood in the 1970s following a liberating period of working with synthetics, “the father of the art furniture movement” produced cloud-shaped shelves, cabinets that resembled starfish and several hundred other fascinating pieces.
Post Modern Molded Fiberglass Molar Sofa by Wendell Castle
By Wendell Castle
Located in New York, NY
Iconic Postmodern Molar sofa, by Wendell Castle, executed in saturated red molded fiberglass. This example is in good condition, however does have a repaired flaw at the front of one...
Fiberglass
$8,200Sale Price|25% Off
'Molar' Gel-Coated Fiberglass Loveseat Sofa by Wendell Castle, c. 1969
By Wendell Castle
Located in Los Angeles, CA
This rare early production collectors piece is a circa 1969 'Molar' settee by Wendell Castle (American, 1932-2018) made from gel-coated white fiberglass with molded white rubber foot...
Fiberglass, Rubber
Wendell Castle "Castle Chair" Fiberglass Lounge Chair / Sculpture
By Wendell Castle
Located in Buffalo, NY
Wendell Castle Red Fiberglass "Castle Chair" red fiberglass,, aRT / sCULPTURE Iconic fiberglass chair from Wendell Castle's Molar Series in very desirable red color. Original condit...
Fiberglass
Molar Settee by Wendell Castle
By Wendell Castle
Located in Atlanta, GA
A molar settee or loveseat designed by Wendell Castle and manufactured by Beylerian, circa 1970s. The molar series is a playful design from Wendell Castle...
Fiberglass
1960s Wendell Castle Molar Sofa Green Fiberglass Organic Mid Century Modern
By Wendell Castle
Located in Monrovia, CA
Vintage 1960s Green Wendell Castle Fiberglass Molar Sofa, Organic Mid Century The Structure Is Sound. Excellent Vintage Condition. 1960s Vint...
Fiberglass
$5,910Sale Price|40% Off
Molar Settee by Wendell Castle
By Wendell Castle
Located in Los Angeles, CA
A rare molar settee designed by Wendell Castle and manufactured by Beylerian, circa 1970s.
Fiberglass
1960s Vintage Wendell Castle Molar Sofa White Fiberglass Organic Mid-Century
By Wendell Castle
Located in Monrovia, CA
1960s Vintage Wendell castle molar sofa white fiberglass organic midcentury Beautiful fiberglass molded settee by Wendell castle from the 1960s. ...
Fiberglass
$4,322Sale Price|33% Off
H 22 in W 64 in D 32 in
Alberto Rosselli Saporiti Italia Post Modern Confidential Lounge Sofa Couch MCM
By Alberto Rosselli Saporiti
Located in Dayton, OH
Iconic Fratelli Saporiti Italian Confidential lounge, library or club sofa / couch by Alberto Rosselli, circa 1970s. One of the first modular club chairs with a puzzle like cushion c...
Cotton
Danish Midcentury Settee by Frits Henningsen
By Frits Henningsen
Located in Bridgeport, CT
Elegant Danish settee or loveseat from circa 1950s by Master Furniture Maker, Frits Henningsen Solid and sturdy small piece with a strong presence and charming demeanor. Coil springs...
Wool, Beech
Antique Wicker Loveseat by Larkin & Co., Arts and Crafts Style, USA
By Larkin & Co.
Located in Southampton, NJ
American Victorian natural wicker woven roll design high back loveseat with spindles and bobbins on the back and apron and cane seat. The settee fea...
Brass
$2,850
H 30.5 in W 48.5 in D 33.5 in
1950s Paul McCobb for Planner Group Mid-Century Modern Loveseat Settee or Sofa
By Paul McCobb
Located in St. Louis, MO
Paul McCobb for Planner Group loveseat, settee or sofa. Upholstery needs to be updated as it has stains, foam is good. Price includes refinishing of legs. Measures: Seat 16" H, arm 1...
Upholstery, Wood
$8,600
H 33.5 in W 57 in D 32 in
Finn Juhl Attributed Danish Loveseat Model 188 by Slagelse Mobelvaerk, 1950s DN
By Slagelse Mobelvaerk, Finn Juhl
Located in Bridgeport, CT
Superbly elegant Finn Juhl attributed sofa or settee made by Slagelse Mobelvaerk, Denmark sometime in the 1940s as Model Number 188. The lines and proportions of this design are just...
Wool, Beech
$3,750
H 32.5 in W 57 in D 27.5 in
Danish 1950s Settee with Wooden Armrest by Orla Mølgaard Amber Colored Frame
By Orla Mølgaard-Nielsen
Located in Bridgeport, CT
Beautiful and very elegant Danish 1950s settee raised on a amber colored beech frame and legs. Attributed to Orla Mølgaard-Nielsen. We love how the armrests continue into the front l...
Wool, Beech
Mid-Century Modern Peter Hvidt Style Sofa
By Peter Hvidt
Located in Brooklyn, NY
This unique midcentury sofa features stylish curved armrests, original studded upholstery, and a unique finish. Please confirm item location (NY or ...
Upholstery
$10,900Sale Price|22% Off
H 28 in W 54 in D 28 in
PK-31 Settee by Poul Kjærholm for E. Kold Christensen, 1960s Denmark, Signed
By E. Kold Christensen, Poul Kjærholm
Located in Los Angeles, CA
This highly collected early production original of the PK-31 loveseat sofa by Poul Kjærholm for E. Kold Christensen has beautifully aged black leather and patinated steel. Designed...
Steel
Mid-Century Post Modern Loveseat or Sofa Produced by Preview Furniture
By Preview
Located in Philadelphia, PA
A sculptural base with floating front sofa made by Preview circa 1992. It features the original tweed fabric in good condition. Could use cleaning before use.
Fabric
$19,900Sale Price|28% Off
H 32 in W 48 in D 30 in
Rare Settee by Gio Ponti for Cassina, Refinished and Reupholstered, Italy 1950s
By Cassina, Gio Ponti
Located in Los Angeles, CA
An exceptionally rare and coveted settee by Gio Ponti for Cassina, circa 1950s, with reupholstered white bouclé fabric cushions, refinished elm frames with incredible wood grain, sig...
Bouclé, Elm
Danish 1940's Settee attributed To Ole Wanscher
By Frits Henningsen, Kaare Klint, Ole Wanscher
Located in Bridgeport, CT
Beautiful and unique settee that seem to draw on famous designs from Kaare Klint and Frits Henningsen. The settee is most likely by Ole Wanscher who made...
Wool, Mahogany
Vintage Settee Loveseat by Ralph Lauren
By Ralph Lauren
Located in Lake Worth, FL
For FULL item description click on More Details below. Shipping Quote Information The shipping quote stated in the listing was from 1st Dibs and they normally set all the costs and handle all the shipping details. However, if you let us know what 1st Dibs is quoting you and give us your zip code, we can sometimes ship it for less and get it to you faster. For a shipping quote, click on "ASK THE SELLER" under the purchase button and provide your zip code. Offering One Of Our Recent Palm Beach Estate Fine Furniture Acquisitions Of A Vintage Settee...
Cotton
Double Molar Settee, 1960s, U.S.A
By Wendell Castle
Located in Las Vegas, NV
Double Molar settee in rare and vibrant green. Made of fiberglass. Missing rubber lining.
Resin, Fiberglass
Sold
H 28.5 in W 56.25 in D 48 in
'Molar' by Wendell Castle, Gel-Coated Fiberglass Dining Table c. 1969
By Wendell Castle
Located in Los Angeles, CA
This rare early production collectors piece is a circa 1969 'Molar' dining table by Wendell Castle (American, 1932-2018) made from gel-coated white fiberglass with black rubber footi...
Fiberglass, Rubber
Sold
H 26 in W 52 in D 28 in
Wendell Castle Molar Settee and Pair of Chairs, Original Black Gel Coat Finish
By Wendell Castle
Located in Kansas City, MO
Rare, original, molar settee / loveseat and pair of molar chairs designed by Wendell Castle and manufactured by Beylerian, circa 1970s. All pieces retain ...
Plastic, Fiberglass, Rubber
