1960s Willy Guhl Concrete Chairs for Eternit
View Similar Items
1960s Willy Guhl Concrete Chairs for Eternit
About the Item
- Creator:Willy Guhl (Designer)
- Dimensions:Height: 27 in (68.58 cm)Width: 27 in (68.58 cm)Depth: 21 in (53.34 cm)
- Sold As:Set of 3
- Style:Brutalist (In the Style Of)
- Materials and Techniques:Concrete,Cast
- Place of Origin:
- Period:
- Date of Manufacture:1960
- Condition:Wear consistent with age and use.
- Seller Location:Surrey, CA
- Reference Number:1stDibs: LU901815147392
Willy Guhl
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.
- 1960s Prescolite 'Saturn' Ring Pendant LightBy PrescoliteLocated in Surrey, BCMatched pair of Mid-Century Modern pendant lights by Prescolite. The Minimalist design features three tiers of 'Saturn' style concentric metal rings. Re-wired and CSA approved to cur...Category
Vintage 1960s American Mid-Century Modern Chandeliers and Pendants
MaterialsMetal
$1,650 / set - 1960 holophane industrial pendant lightsBy HolophaneLocated in Surrey, BCA nice set of holophane pendant lights in rare 12” diameter ribbed glass shade. These are in excellent condition currently on 20 inch pipe … can be adjusted to desired lenght .Category
Vintage 1950s Canadian Industrial Chandeliers and Pendants
MaterialsMetal
$595 / item - 1960 brass holophane pendant lightsBy HolophaneLocated in Surrey, BCUnique set of 4 Holophane lights with brass detail salvaged from a pub in eastern USA. They are very good quality glass , fully functional and are ready for install . Rewired and ...Category
Vintage 1960s American Industrial Chandeliers and Pendants
MaterialsBrass
$895 / item - Lennart Bender "Corona" Leather Couch Sweden 1960By Lennart BenderLocated in Surrey, BCSwedish Mid-Century Modern rare sofa by Lennart Bender for Ulferts, Denmark , model Corona. Original leather with great patina. A great looking piece 1960 Original Cognag co...Category
Vintage 1960s Swedish Mid-Century Modern Loveseats
MaterialsLeather, Teak
$4,225 Sale Price35% Off - J Hayward Kinetics Modernist-Style Bent Plywood ChairsBy R.J. Hayward 1Located in Surrey, BCThese unusual Kinetics bent plywood chairs were made in the 1980s, although their look is Mid-Century Modern. The iron legs have a locking mechanis...Category
Vintage 1980s Canadian Mid-Century Modern Chairs
MaterialsMetal
$175 Sale Price / item53% Off - 1960 light up three feathers whiskey sign by SchenleyLocated in Surrey, BCA great mcm advertising working whiskey sign light up box . A great piece of advertising in original condition . Three Feathers Blended Whiskey is a v...Category
Vintage 1960s American Mid-Century Modern Signs
MaterialsMetal
- Willy Guhl for Eternit, Loop ChairBy Willy GuhlLocated in Sao Paulo, SPArmchair "Loop Chair" in cement made by Swiss designer Willy Guhl at the end of the 1950's. In Brazil, these chairs were made by "Eternit". Nowadays they are cultuated worldwide beca...Category
Mid-20th Century Brazilian Modern Patio and Garden Furniture
MaterialsCement
$3,000 Sale Price / item25% Off - Willy Guhl Concrete Pod Chair, 1960s SwitzerlandBy Willy GuhlLocated in Los Angeles, CAStunning concrete pod chair designed by Swiss Architect Willy Guhl. Hand made in Switzerland by Eternit in the 1960s. Gorgeous patina. Factory drill...Category
Vintage 1960s Swiss Patio and Garden Furniture
MaterialsCement
- Willy Guhl Concrete Pod Chair, 1960s SwitzerlandBy Willy GuhlLocated in Los Angeles, CAStunning concrete pod chair designed by Swiss Architect Willy Guhl. Hand made in Switzerland by Eternit in the 1960s. Gorgeous patina. Factory drill...Category
Vintage 1960s Swiss Patio and Garden Furniture
MaterialsCement
- Willy Guhl for Eternit 'Diablo' Concrete Hourglass Planters, c 1968By Eternit, Willy GuhlLocated in Los Angeles, CAIncredibly gorgeous 31" tall and 18" diameter 'Diablo' concrete spindel planters by Swiss architect Willy Guhl for Eternit, circa 1968, Switzerland. These sculptural hourglass shaped concrete planters have a grey exterior finish, one darker grey and the other two are light grey. Three available, priced individually. If you are purchasing less than all three, please message us with which one(s) you wish us to ship. We have a large collection of Willy Guhl for Eternit pots, planters, garden objects, jardinières, and patio furniture. We always have inventory in Diablo's, Tilted and Cone Planters, box and rectangular Guhl...Category
Vintage 1960s Swiss Modern Planters and Jardinieres
MaterialsConcrete
$2,050 Sale Price / item29% Off - Willy Guhl for Eternit Modernist Concrete Garden Chairs Switzerland 1974, SignedBy Willy Guhl, EternitLocated in Mortsel, BEIntroducing an extraordinary trio of Modernist concrete garden chairs with the accompanying table by the renowned Willy Guhl for Eternit. These pieces proudly bear the distinct Etern...Category
Vintage 1970s Swiss Mid-Century Modern Patio and Garden Furniture
MaterialsConcrete
- Vintage Willy Guhl Concrete Loop Chairs, 1960s, SwitzerlandBy Willy GuhlLocated in Los Angeles, CAIconic pair of concrete loop chairs by Willy Guhl. This pair of chairs were designed by Willy Guhl in 1954 after Guhl watched as the Eternit fiber ...Category
Vintage 1960s Swiss Patio and Garden Furniture
MaterialsCement