Art Deco Kidney Paldao Wood w/ Leather Brass Studded Base Desk by Gilbert Rhode
View Similar Items
Art Deco Kidney Paldao Wood w/ Leather Brass Studded Base Desk by Gilbert Rhode
About the Item
- Creator:Gilbert Rohde (Designer)
- Dimensions:Height: 29 in (73.66 cm)Width: 56 in (142.24 cm)Depth: 28.75 in (73.03 cm)
- Style:Art Deco (Of the Period)
- Materials and Techniques:
- Place of Origin:
- Period:
- Date of Manufacture:circa 1941
- Condition:Reupholstered. Refinished.
- Seller Location:New York, NY
- Reference Number:1stDibs: LU793433427952
Gilbert Rohde
Pioneering self-taught industrial designer, writer and teacher Gilbert Rohde helped define the earliest phase of modernism in the United States. He is one of the most influential figures of 20th-century design and is credited with helping legendary mid-century modern furniture manufacturer Herman Miller avert financial disaster during the Great Depression.
Born in New York City, Rohde studied painting at the Art Students League after high school. He found lucrative employment, first as a political cartoonist and then as a catalog illustrator for American department stores. He was particularly enthralled with drawing furnished interiors.
Rohde began to design furniture in his spare time. He traveled to the Bauhaus school in Germany and the International Exhibition of Modern Decorative and Industrial Arts in Paris, and drew on the Art Deco movement and the work of designers such as Émile-Jacques Ruhlmann in his early pieces. Rohde opened his own studio in 1929 and secured private and commercial commissions. His clients would come to include formidable furniture makers Heywood-Wakefield and Troy Sunshade, and his innovative bentwood furnishings for them were practical and intended for the modern consumer.
In 1930, Rohde met Herman Miller founder D.J. De Pree in the company’s Michigan showroom during a business trip. By then, Rohde had a long list of prominent clients and his furniture had been exhibited in museums and galleries. Herman Miller was weathering a devastating slowdown in business, and the American furniture industry had generally been hit hard by the Great Depression.
Rohde boldly informed De Pree that the brand’s furniture had become outdated, which was part of the reason the company was in financial jeopardy. Homes had become smaller and could no longer accommodate the large Gothic– and Victorian–style furnishings and traditional reproductions of period bedroom suites that Herman Miller was offering at the time, Rohde explained.
Rohde secured a contract to design for the Michigan manufacturer. He championed the use of exotic woods and tubular steel, and created streamlined, unadorned bedroom furniture for Herman Miller — collections that included convenient vanities, which were unconventional pieces for De Pree’s company back then.
In 1933, Rohde oversaw the design of two bedrooms featuring sleek Herman Miller furniture — including innovative storage pieces he designed — as part of an International–style exhibit at the 1933 Chicago World’s Fair. The installation garnered acclaim for De Pree’s brand all over the world and afforded Rohde the opportunity to execute on his visionary ideas in front of a global audience. Rohde later designed lighting, seating and more for Herman Miller and was extensively involved in the company's marketing strategy and other areas of the business.
In 1942, Herman Miller, anticipating a postwar economic boom, began to produce office furniture for the first time, but its legacy is in the home. Working with legendary designers such as Ray and Charles Eames, Isamu Noguchi and Alexander Girard, the manufacturer fostered some of the boldest expressions of what we now call mid-century modern style.
Find vintage Gilbert Rohde coffee tables, lounge chairs, table lamps and other items on 1stDibs.
- Art Deco Secretary Cabinet Desk in Book Matched Walnut by Gilbert RohdeBy Gilbert RohdeLocated in New York, NYThis rare and captivating Art Deco Drop Front Secreter Desk in Book-matched Hand-Rubbed Walnut is by the esteemed furniture designer Gilbert Rohde and originates from the United Stat...Category
Vintage 1940s American Art Deco Desks
MaterialsWalnut
- Art Deco Gilbert Rohde Chair in Holly Hunt Leather w/ Tufted Back & Walnut LegsBy Gilbert RohdeLocated in New York, NYThis elegant Art Deco Machine age side/desk chair was designed by the early modernist legend Gilbert Rohde in the United States circa 1935. It features four rectangular walnut legs- ...Category
Vintage 1930s American Art Deco Chairs
MaterialsLeather, Walnut
- Art Deco Handrubbed Burled Walnut Nightstand by Gilbert Rohde for Herman MillerBy Herman Miller, Gilbert RohdeLocated in New York, NYThis elegant and understated nightstand was realized by Gilbert Rohde, one of the most celebrated and influential designers of the 20th century in the United States- in 1936. Handcra...Category
Vintage 1930s American Art Deco Night Stands
MaterialsWalnut
- Pair of Art Deco Walnut & Holly Hunt Upholstery Lounge Chairs by Gilbert RohdeBy Gilbert RohdeLocated in New York, NYThis bold and refined pair of Art Deco Slipper/Lounge Chairs in Walnut and Holly Hunt Upholstery were created by the esteemed designer Gilbert Rohde and originate from the United Sta...Category
Vintage 1940s American Art Deco Lounge Chairs
MaterialsFabric, Walnut
- Art Deco Directoire Mahogany Style Display / Jewelry Case with Brass CastorsLocated in New York, NYThis elegant Art Deco Directoire style display case was realized in France, circa 1930. It features a rectilinear body with tapered legs in fine Mahogany sitting on brass castors. Ad...Category
Vintage 1930s French Art Deco Cabinets
MaterialsBrass
- Art Deco East Indian Laurel Bookcase by Gilbert Rohde for Herman Miller No. 344By Gilbert Rohde, Herman MillerLocated in New York, NYThis well composed and materially stunning Art Deco Bookcase/Cabinet by Gilbert Rohde in East Indian Laurel for the Herman Miller Company- Model No. 344 originates from the United St...Category
Vintage 1940s American Art Deco Bookcases
MaterialsWood
- Kidney Desk by Fred Rigby StudioLocated in Geneve, CHKidney desk by Fred Rigby Studio. Dimensions: L 174.5 x W 100 x H 75 cm. Materials: solid oak wood. Taking inspiration from the simplicity of a ...Category
2010s French Modern Tables
MaterialsOak
$6,819 / item - Sensational Leather Clad French Art Deco DeskLocated in Atlanta, GAA very sensational French Art Deco desk clad in wonderful leather. Very chic and wonderful design with three drawers.Category
Early 20th Century French Desks and Writing Tables
MaterialsLeather
- Mid-Century Post Modern Black & Brass Desk after Gilbert Rohde in Art Deco FormBy Gilbert RohdeLocated in Philadelphia, PAA simple modern nod to the art deco period. This desk features glossy black laminate with brass accents. Probably Italian circa 1980's. Nice clean original condition.Category
Vintage 1980s Italian Mid-Century Modern Desks and Writing Tables
MaterialsBrass
- Art Deco Curved Mahogany DeskLocated in Brooklyn, NYArt Deco curved mahogany desk. Restored.Category
20th Century French Desks and Writing Tables
MaterialsLeather, Mahogany
- Art Deco Table or Writing Desk in Maple Wood with Ebonized Accents, circa 1930Located in Detroit, MIThis lovely Art Deco table or writing desk circa 1930 is expertly handcrafted from maple wood and features a rectangular tabletop with curved edges and tall apron, a trestle base and...Category
Early 20th Century Unknown Art Deco Desks and Writing Tables
MaterialsMaple, Wood
- Fine Quality Victorian Kidney-Shaped Desk in Richly Figured Walnut by GillowsBy Gillows of Lancaster & LondonLocated in Lymington, HampshireA fine quality Victorian kidney-shaped desk in richly figured burr walnut by Gillows, the leather-inset top, above three drawers in the frieze and four graduated drawers in each pede...Category
Antique 1850s English Victorian Desks and Writing Tables
MaterialsWalnut