Pair of Art Deco Gilbert Rohde for Herman Miller Bird's-Eye Maple Nightstands
View Similar Items
Pair of Art Deco Gilbert Rohde for Herman Miller Bird's-Eye Maple Nightstands
About the Item
- Creator:Gilbert Rohde (Designer),Herman Miller (Manufacturer)
- Dimensions:Height: 27 in (68.58 cm)Width: 16 in (40.64 cm)Depth: 12 in (30.48 cm)
- Sold As:Set of 2
- Style:Art Deco (Of the Period)
- Materials and Techniques:
- Place of Origin:
- Period:
- Date of Manufacture:1930s
- Condition:Wear consistent with age and use.
- Seller Location:Houston, TX
- Reference Number:1stDibs: LU1060612985661
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Rohde boldly informed De Pree that the brand’s furniture had become outdated, which was part of the reason the company was in financial jeopardy.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.
Herman Miller
No other business of its kind did more than the Herman Miller Furniture Company to introduce modern design into American homes. Working with legendary designers such as Charles and Ray Eames, George Nelson and Alexander Girard, the Zeeland, Michigan-based firm fostered some of the boldest expressions of what we now call mid-century modern style. In doing so, Herman Miller produced some of the most beautiful, iconic and, one can even say, noblest furniture ever.
Founded in 1923, Herman Miller was originally known for grand historicist bedroom suites: heavily ornamented wood furniture that appealed to a high-minded, wealthier clientele. The company — named for its chief financial backer — began to suffer in the early 1930s as the Great Depression hit, and D.J. De Pree, the company’s CEO, feared bankruptcy. In 1932, aid came in the form of Gilbert Rohde, a self-taught furniture designer who had traveled widely in Europe, absorbing details of the Art Deco movement and other modernist influences. After persuading De Pree that the growing middle-class required smaller, lighter household furnishings, Rohde set a new course for Herman Miller, creating sleek chairs, tables and cabinetry that were the essence of the Streamline Moderne style.
Rohde died suddenly in 1944. The following year, De Pree turned to George Nelson, an architect who had written widely about modern furniture design. Under Nelson’s leadership, Herman Miller would embrace new technologies and materials and audacious biomorphic forms. Some of the pieces the company produced are now emblems of 20th century American design, including the Eames lounge chair and ottoman and Nelson’s Marshmallow sofa and Coconut chair. As you can see on 1stDibs, such instantly recognizable furnishings have become timeless — staples of a modernist décor; striking, offbeat notes in traditional environments.
- Stunning Custom Scandinavian Modern Small Chest by Norm StoekerBy Norm StoekerLocated in Houston, TXStunning custom Scandinavian modern small chest by norm stoeker. The three exposed Egyptian blue drawers are made with master craftsmanship surrounded by ...Category
2010s American Night Stands
MaterialsMaple
$1,650 Sale Price25% Off - Stunning Custom Contemporary Modern Sideboard with Gustav Klimt Style PaintingBy Gustav Klimt, Reeves Design + ArtLocated in Houston, TXStunning custom contemporary modern sideboard with Gustav Klimt Style Painting. This handmade sideboard was custom made in Houston, Texas in collaboration ...Category
2010s American Modern Sideboards
MaterialsBirch
$5,437 Sale Price20% Off - Stunning Custom Contemporary Modern Sideboard with Frank Trocino PaintingBy Reeves Design + ArtLocated in Houston, TXStunning custom contemporary modern sideboard with light green toned abstract figurative painting. This handmade sideboard was custom mad...Category
2010s American Post-Modern Sideboards
MaterialsOak
$5,625 Sale Price25% Off - "Tail Feathers" Pink and Black Floral Accent ChairLocated in Houston, TXJoy, laughter, and the unexpected are at the heart of Annie Evelyn’s work. Employing a range of materials and processes (tessellating metal pieces to create soft upholstered seating or embedding fresh cut flowers to add aroma), Evelyn uses furniture...Category
2010s American Side Chairs
MaterialsFabric, Wood
$1,537 Sale Price25% Off - Custom Post Modern Brutalist Black and Natural Pyramid Stud SideboardBy Reeves Design + ArtLocated in Houston, TXBrutalist custom designed handmade contemporary sideboard with black studded doors and a grey stained case. The legs are smoothly turned, creating a clean and sleek appearance. One o...Category
2010s American Post-Modern Credenzas
MaterialsOak
$2,880 Sale Price40% Off - Custom Green Dyed French Armchair with Tropical Palm Tree UpholsteryBy Baker Furniture CompanyLocated in Houston, TXBeautiful Louis the XV style green dyed French armchair with custom pink tropical upholstery featuring a floral palm tree design.Category
20th Century French Modern Armchairs
MaterialsWood, Fabric
$1,350 Sale Price25% Off
- Gilbert Rohde for Herman Miller Art Deco Mahogany Nightstands, Newly RefinishedBy Gilbert Rohde, Herman MillerLocated in South Bend, INA gorgeous pair of Art Deco or Mid-Century Modern mahogany nightstands By Gilbert Rohde for Herman Miller USA, 1930s Measures: 18"W x 12"D x 25.5"H. Newly refinished. Ver...Category
Vintage 1930s American Art Deco Night Stands
MaterialsMahogany
- Nightstand by Gilbert Rohde for Herman MillerBy Herman Miller, Gilbert RohdeLocated in Los Angeles, CAModern nightstand by Gilbert Rohde for Herman Miller circa 1930s. Featuring a recessed top, two shelves, and a black drawer. Fully ma...Category
Vintage 1930s American Modern Night Stands
MaterialsWalnut
- 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 Bird's Eye Maple & Walnut Bedside Cabinets, 1930sLocated in Norwich, GBA pair of matching Art Deco bird's eye maple & walnut bedside cabinets. Circa 1930s. The cabinets are veneered in bird's eye maple, with a contrasting veneered walnut front frieze...Category
Vintage 1930s English Art Deco Cabinets
MaterialsBirdseye Maple, Walnut
$1,014 Sale Price / set24% Off - Gilbert Rohde 4140 Full Size Bed for Herman MillerBy Gilbert Rohde, Herman MillerLocated in Hanover, MASleek and handsome full size bed (headboard, footboard and side rails) designed by Gilbert Rohde and produced by Herman Miller circa 1939/1940 as part of their iconic 4140 collection...Category
Vintage 1940s American Art Deco Beds and Bed Frames
MaterialsFaux Leather, Mahogany
- American Bird's-Eye Maple CabinetLocated in Buchanan, MIVery clean and sculptural American bird's-eye maple cabinet finished on all four sides with bone handle, early 19th century.Category
Antique 19th Century American Night Stands
MaterialsBirdseye Maple, Bone
Recently Viewed
View AllRead More
The 21 Most Popular Mid-Century Modern Chairs
You know the designs, now get the stories about how they came to be.
A Guide to Herman Miller’s Most Iconic Furniture
The prolific manufacturer has partnered with many of the world’s top designers since opening its doors in 1923. Here are some of the company’s greatest hits, which helped transform the American home and office.