Mid-Century Modern Walnut Button Back Arm Chair by Robsjohn-Gibbings
About the Item
- Creator:T.H. Robsjohn-Gibbings (Designer)
- Dimensions:Height: 31.5 in (80.01 cm)Width: 26 in (66.04 cm)Depth: 31 in (78.74 cm)Seat Height: 21 in (53.34 cm)
- Style:Mid-Century Modern (Of the Period)
- Materials and Techniques:
- Place of Origin:
- Period:
- Date of Manufacture:circa 1950
- Condition:Reupholstered.
- Seller Location:New York, NY
- Reference Number:1stDibs: LU793429284752
T.H. Robsjohn-Gibbings
British-born designer, interior decorator and author T.H. Robsjohn-Gibbings (1905–76) was one of the great American tastemakers in the middle decades of the 20th century. Much like Edward Wormley, Robsjohn-Gibbings was a design classicist by education and inclination, but he would come to create some of the most gracious and livable modern furnishings of the era.
Robsjohn-Gibbings studied architecture at the University of London, then held various jobs that included designing décors for passenger liners and working as the art director of a film studio. In the early 1930s, while employed by the upper-crust interior designer Charles J. Duveen, Robsjohn-Gibbings experienced an epiphany during a visit to the British Museum. Examining the furniture depicted on ancient Greek ceramics — lithe stools and klismos chairs — he realized that he had found a design touchstone. By 1936, he had moved to New York and set up a showroom on Madison Avenue for his modern reinterpretations of classic Greek designs. Aided by contacts he’d developed while working with Duveen, he quickly established a clientele that included Elizabeth Arden, Doris Duke and Thelma Chrysler Foy.
Through his writings for magazines and books, Robsjohn-Gibbings earned a public following and was established as an urbane arbiter of taste. From 1943 to 1956, he produced an understated line of modernist furnishings for Widdicomb, which included one of the icons of the period: the tiered, biomorphic Mesa coffee table (1951). Robsjohn-Gibbings moved to Athens, Greece, in 1966, and created a new line of antiquity-inspired pieces for the firm Saridis. The series turned out to be his swan song.
Collectors’ interest in Robsjohn-Gibbings was reignited in the 1980s, when the 200-plus pieces from his 1936–38 commission for the Bel-Air estate of Los Angeles socialite Hilda Boldt Weber — pared-down neoclassical pieces rendered in blond wood (with the occasional flourish) — came on the market. (Up until then, the collection had remained in the house, despite its having changed hands several times.)
But his work for Widdicomb remains his most widely known, appreciated for its elegance and generous proportions. Robsjohn-Gibbings despised the stern aesthetic associated with his Bauhaus contemporaries, and a keynote of his modernist pieces is that they have no sharp angles. His chair and sofa frames, table legs and even many cabinets feature softly contoured edges. In whatever styled he designed, Robsjohn-Gibbings was guided by simplicity and timelessness. He wanted his furniture to be lived with happily.
- ShippingRetrieving quote...Ships From: New York, NY
- Return PolicyA return for this item may be initiated within 3 days of delivery.
- Mid-Century Modern Polished Chrome Rail Back Lounge/ Arm ChairLocated in New York, NYThis stunning and sculptural lounge/arm chair designed in the manner of the esteemed American designer Milo Baughman in the United States circa 1970. It features a rail back...Category
Vintage 1970s American Mid-Century Modern Lounge Chairs
MaterialsChrome
- Mid-Century Modern Cutout Barrel Back Chair in Pearl Holly Hunt Ecriture VelvetLocated in New York, NYThis graphic and sculptural arm chair was realized in the United States circa 1950. It features a barrel back with two rectangular forms cut out of the back; cylindrical tapered ebon...Category
Vintage 1950s American Mid-Century Modern Armchairs
MaterialsWalnut, Velvet
- Pair of Mid-Century Modern Button Back Swivel Arm Chairs in Holly Hunt VelvetLocated in New York, NYThis stunning and sculptural pair of button back swivel arm/ lounge chairs were realized in the United States circa 1970. They feature circular bases bisected by a convex rectangular...Category
Vintage 1970s American Mid-Century Modern Swivel Chairs
MaterialsChrome
- Mid-Century Modern Paddle Armed Lounge Chair by Adrian Pearsall 2291-C ChairBy Adrian PearsallLocated in New York, NYThis iconic Mid-Century Modern 2291-C lounge chair was realized by the legendary designer Adrian Pearsall in the United States circa 1960. It features subtly angular front legs and d...Category
Vintage 1960s American Mid-Century Modern Armchairs
MaterialsWalnut
- Mid Century Modern Walnut, Brass & Rattan Dresser by T.H. Robsjohn GibbingsBy T.H. Robsjohn-GibbingsLocated in New York, NYThis refined and elegant Mid Century Modern dresser was designed by the celebrated T.H. Robsjohn Gibbings and handmade in Grand Rapids, Michigan circa 1950. Sitting on conical brass ...Category
Vintage 1950s American Mid-Century Modern Dressers
MaterialsBrass
- Mid-Century Modern Cerused Walnut Side Table by T.H. Robsjohn-GibbingsBy T.H. Robsjohn-GibbingsLocated in New York, NYThis elegant Mid-Century Modern occasional table was designed by the illustrious T.H. Robsjohn- Gibbings for the Widdicomb Co. in the United States circa 1950. Executed in a beautifu...Category
Vintage 1950s American Mid-Century Modern Side Tables
MaterialsWalnut
- Pair of Mid-Century Robsjohn Gibbings Style Lounge ChairsBy T.H. Robsjohn-GibbingsLocated in Brooklyn, NYThis oversized pair of vintage modern lounge chairs feature a two-tone design with green vinyl and decorative fabric. An attractive pair of arm chairs with removable cushions and tap...Category
Vintage 1970s Mid-Century Modern Lounge Chairs
MaterialsUpholstery, Faux Leather, Wood
- Robsjohn Gibbings Widdicomb Lounge ChairBy Widdicomb Furniture Co., T.H. Robsjohn-GibbingsLocated in New York, NYElegant, sexy and sophisticated lounge chair by style master T.H. Robsjohn Gibbings, for Widdicomb Furniture Company. This example is struct...Category
Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Lounge Chairs
MaterialsUpholstery
- Robsjohn-Gibbings Style Mid-Century Modern Sculpted Walnut Lounge ChairBy T.H. Robsjohn-GibbingsLocated in South Bend, INA gorgeous mid-century modern lounge chair In the manner of T.H. Robsjohn-Gibbings or Paul McCobb USA, Circa 1950s Sculpted walnut frame, with upholstered seat and back cush...Category
Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Lounge Chairs
MaterialsUpholstery, Walnut
- Mid-Century Modern Walnut Open Arm Rocking ChairLocated in Wilmington, DEMid-Century Modern walnut open arm rocking chair Offered is a rare Mid-Century Modern Walnut Open Arm Rocking Chair. It was made (circa 1960s). It is good structurally sound cond...Category
Mid-20th Century Unknown Mid-Century Modern Armchairs
MaterialsWalnut
- Midcentury Upholstered Wood Lounge Chair by Robsjohn-Gibbings for WiddicombBy Widdicomb Furniture Co., T.H. Robsjohn-GibbingsLocated in Detroit, MIThis beautiful vintage Mid-Century Modern arm chair was designed by T.H. Robsjohn-Gibbings (English, 1905-1976) for Widdicomb circa 1950. The unique and elegant design features clean, Minimalist lines and gentle curves. The chair is impeccably constructed with a solid wood frame, angled legs and sculptural...Category
Vintage 1950s American Mid-Century Modern Lounge Chairs
MaterialsUpholstery, Wood
- Mid-Century Modern Walnut High Back Lounge ChairLocated in North Hollywood, CAFabulous Mid-Century Modern lounge chair, manufactured in the United States, circa 1950s. This chair features a solid walnut stained oak frame with sculptural armrests...Category
Vintage 1950s American Mid-Century Modern Armchairs
MaterialsFabric, Walnut
Recently Viewed
View AllRead More
1970s Corporate America Has Never Looked So Chic
Photographer Susan Ressler revisits the office life of decades past, whose style still resonates.
20th-Century Design Shines at the High Style Deco Auction
New York furniture dealer Howard Williams not only has an eye for top-notch pieces from a range of eras but also meticulously restores them to their original glory.