Frances Elkins Benches
About the Item
- Creator:Frances Elkins (Designer)
- Dimensions:Height: 16.25 in (41.28 cm)Width: 23 in (58.42 cm)Depth: 18 in (45.72 cm)
- Sold As:Set of 2
- Style:Mid-Century Modern (Of the Period)
- Materials and Techniques:
- Place of Origin:
- Period:
- Date of Manufacture:circa 1950
- Condition:Wear consistent with age and use. Excellent condition. Wood has recently been refinished and leather has recently been replaced.
- Seller Location:New York, NY
- Reference Number:
Frances Elkins
Although she doesn’t have the name recognition of Syrie Maugham or Elsie de Wolfe (known as “the mother of interior decoration”), American designer Frances Elkins was one of the most prominent grand-dame decorators of the first half of the 20th century, and arguably the most influential on the West Coast.
Born into a prosperous Milwaukee family in the clothing business, Frances Elkins, née Adler, might never have ventured outside of Wisconsin were it not for her older brother David. After graduating from Princeton University, he decided to tour Europe and study architecture there, and he brought his teenage sister along. The experience was life-changing. Adler was deeply inspired by the classical architecture he saw, while his sister was captivated by the future-looking art they encountered.
After three years abroad, Elkins returned to the States. In 1917, she married Felton Broomall Elkins, a wealthy Philadelphia–born playwright and polo player who took her to live by the sea in Monterey, California, where many of their society friends were building houses in nearby Pebble Beach. The couple bought a derelict 19th-century adobe mansion, Casa Amesti, that Elkins planned to renovate with her brother, who had established an architecture practice in Chicago designing stately homes. Elkins insisted it would be the most attractive home in northern California when she and her brother were done.
Adler understood just how to mix architectural languages to create spaces of drama and interest. Elkins, meanwhile, enlivened the rooms with a decorative mélange of French and English period furnishings along with Chinoiserie, all within a brilliant color scheme of yellow, blue and white, and arranged in the symmetrical settings her brother favored. When they were finished, Elkins was proved right — Casa Amesti was unlike any other home in northern California. It was fresh and sophisticated, warm and inviting.
One of Elkins’s first commissions was decorating the Monterey Colonial of her good friend Hester Griffin. For the living room, Elkins selected Chippendale furniture, Queen Anne mirrors and Ming screens in a stylish palette of bone and black. To give the space a contemporary twist, she added very new and daring lamps by Jean-Michel Frank and covered the scoop-back sofa and armchairs with peach corduroy, a material which was plush yet utterly unconventional as a furniture covering. It started a trend.
A savvy businesswoman, Elkins recognized commercial opportunities when she saw them, and so eventually became the first American importer of French country antiques, as well as the sole distributor of the furnishings of Frank and Alberto Giacometti in the States. She collaborated with both of these major talents on several designs.
Throughout the 1920s, Elkins decorated a host of other houses around Pebble Beach. Her local work culminated with her design of what was to become the legendary golf club, Cypress Point. She decorated the clubhouse interior in tones of beige, yellow and melon and furnished the rooms with French Provincial pieces, creating spaces that were gracious yet informal.
Eventually, Elkins opened her own workshop, where a staff of artisans reproduced favorite furnishings, lighting and accessories, in addition to realizing her own designs. Ironically, the Loop chair for which she is best known is an 18th-century design, which she reproduced only twice for the “living porch” of Mrs. Marshall Field on Long Island and the living room of the Wheeler house in the Chicago suburbs.
By the 1930s, Elkins was working frequently in San Francisco, decorating interiors for some of the city’s most prominent families, as well as designing a number of commercial projects, including the Yerba Buena Club for Women. Again, her approach was eclectic and bold. She renewed the club’s waiting room and lounge, by covering the Victorian-style seating in audacious reds and blues. And while she paid tribute to Frank in the design of the minimalist dining room’s staircase, seating and torchieres, she also splashed it with color by covering the walls in yellow velvet.
Sadly, Elkins and her brother both died relatively young in their mid-sixties. Yet not before contributing significantly to what would become cosmopolitan American style.
Find vintage Frances Elkins furniture on 1stDibs.
- ShippingRetrieving quote...Ships From: New York, NY
- Return PolicyThis item cannot be returned.
- "Xanto, " Bronze Benches by Alexandre LogéBy Alexandre LogéLocated in New York, NY"Xanto," bronze benches by Alexandre Logé. Studio-built base of hammered bronze with great details. Hand-applied gold patina. These studio made pieces a...Category
21st Century and Contemporary French Mid-Century Modern Benches
MaterialsBronze
- "Atlante" Sculptural Bronze Bench by Alexandre LogéBy Alexandre LogéLocated in New York, NYMade to order sculptural bench by Alexandre Logé. Cast from bronze and upholstered with customer's own material. Lead time: 20-24 weeks. C.O.M. Fabric: 2 yards. C.O.M. Leather: 1/...Category
21st Century and Contemporary French Mid-Century Modern Benches
MaterialsBronze
- Xanto Bronze Benches by Alexandre LogéBy Alexandre LogéLocated in New York, NYStudio-built base of hammered bronze with great details. Hand-applied gold patina. These studio-made pieces are created individually per order. 20-24 week lead time. C.O.M 1 yard pe...Category
21st Century and Contemporary French Modern Benches
MaterialsBronze
- Gio Ponti BenchesBy Gio PontiLocated in New York, NYPair of upholstered benches by Gio Ponti. Rectangular benches with walnut bases and curled lower portion of tapering legs. Very good condition. Wood has been recently cleaned and pol...Category
Mid-20th Century Italian Mid-Century Modern Benches
MaterialsUpholstery, Walnut
- "Erode, " Bronze Bench by Alexandre LogéBy Alexandre LogéLocated in New York, NYStudio made bench of roughly finished cast bronze legs and supports. Hand worked finish and irregular surfaces. Upholstered seat cushion. Each bench ...Category
21st Century and Contemporary French Mid-Century Modern Benches
MaterialsBronze
- Set of 3 "Xanto" BenchesBy Alexandre LogéLocated in New York, NYStudio-built bases of hammered bronze with great details. Hand-applied gold patina. Created individually per order in France. (BASES ONLY)Category
21st Century and Contemporary Benches
MaterialsBronze
- Pair of Frances Elkins ChairsBy Frances ElkinsLocated in Westport, CTPair of black handmade custom Frances Elkins.Category
Vintage 1940s American Armchairs
- Selection of Frances Elkins Loop ChairsBy Frances ElkinsLocated in Atlanta, GASelection of Frances Elkins loop chairs. The chair pictured on the left in the first listing photo is a Frances Elkins loop chair, American, 1980s. ...Category
Vintage 1980s American Hollywood Regency Armchairs
MaterialsWood, Upholstery
- Brass X Form BenchLocated in Atlanta, GABrass X form bench, American, circa 1950s. This bench has been recently reupholstered in an ivory color boucle fabric. The brass base retains its original...Category
Vintage 1950s American Mid-Century Modern Benches
MaterialsMetal, Brass
- Mid Century Leather BenchLocated in Westwood, NJMid century style leather bench with a top grain brown boxed and tufted leather cushion seat on a simple stainless steel four-leg base. Dimensions: 64" W x 20" D x 18" H Color ...Category
21st Century and Contemporary Asian Mid-Century Modern Benches
MaterialsLeather
- Custom Florence Knoll BenchBy Knoll, Florence KnollLocated in Houston, TXFlorence Knoll Bench USA 2017 leather, steel Measures: 48 W x 19.5 D x 16.75 H inches. Custom sized Florence Knoll bench in a custom flat steel finish with leather upholster...Category
Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Benches
MaterialsSteel
- Hand Sculpted "Dead Bench" Bench, Nicholas Hamilton HolmesBy Hamilton Holmes Woodworking & DesignLocated in Geneve, CHHand sculpted "Dead Bench" bench - Nicholas Hamilton Holmes Dimensions: 60” W x 18” D x 19”H Materials: Blackened ash, black leather upholstery Different sizes and finishes are av...Category
2010s Canadian Organic Modern Stools
MaterialsLeather, Ash
Recently Viewed
View AllRead More
Mid-Century Master Osvaldo Borsani Gets His Due at Donzella
The New York City gallery has devoted its latest show to the work of the modernist Italian designer.
The Ghiró Family Is on the Cutting Edge of Fine Glass Design
Father-and-son team Michele and Domenico Ghiró are setting themselves apart with unexpected techniques and superior craftsmanship.