Iconic Airline Lounge Chair by Kem Weber, 1930's
View Similar Items
Iconic Airline Lounge Chair by Kem Weber, 1930's
About the Item
- Creator:Kem Weber (Designer)
- Dimensions:Height: 30 in (76.2 cm)Width: 25 in (63.5 cm)Depth: 35 in (88.9 cm)Seat Height: 17 in (43.18 cm)
- Style:Mid-Century Modern (Of the Period)
- Materials and Techniques:
- Place of Origin:
- Period:
- Date of Manufacture:1930’s
- Condition:Wear consistent with age and use.
- Seller Location:Phoenix, AZ
- Reference Number:1stDibs: LU853235412592
Kem Weber
Architect and designer Kem Weber arrived in the United States in the vanguard of a wave of progressive Central European talents — among them, Rudolph Schindler, Richard Neutra, Paul T. Frankl and Ilonka Karascz — who would profoundly affect the course of modernism in the United States. In his new home, Weber created a wholly American form of modern design that is sleek and stylish, yet comfortable and practical.
Karl Emanuel Martin Weber — “Kem” was his self-styled nom d’usage — was born and trained in Berlin. In 1914, he became an accidental immigrant to the U.S.. Sent to San Francisco by his teacher-turned-employer, architect Bruno Paul, to oversee an installation at a global design expo, Weber was marooned by the outbreak of World War I. But he quickly grew to love California, even if his early years there were difficult. When design commissions were hard to find, he took jobs as a lumberjack, chicken farmer and art school teacher. (He gained U.S. citizenship in 1924.)
In the mid-1920s, while working for the Los Angeles–based Barker Bros. department store — the largest furniture retailer in the country at the time — Weber regularly traveled around the nation to deliver lectures on modernism. His reputation as a champion of a new, clean and elegant style earned him architectural commissions and contracts to design furniture and items such silverware, coffee services and cocktail shakers. His masterpiece is the Airline lounge chair, designed 1934-1935. With its raked, gently angular frame and cantilevered seat, the chair suggests movement, speed and forward progress. Though it seemed perfect for mass production, Weber was never able to convince a major manufacturer to take it on. In the end, fewer than 300 Airline chairs were made. Today, those may be the rarest examples of Weber’s work, but are always worth looking out for. As you will see on these pages, his designs are both intelligent and stylish. They deserve to be a part of any serious collection of American modernism.
- Walnut & Bouclé Lounge Chairs by Henry Glass, 1960sBy Henry GlassLocated in Phoenix, AZPair of Henry Glass 1960s 'Intimate Island' walnut and upholstered bouclé lounge chairs. This pair has been expertly refinished and upholstered in a white Turkish bouclé. Red Modern also has an accompanying Intimate Island sofa...Category
Vintage 1960s American Mid-Century Modern Lounge Chairs
MaterialsBouclé, Walnut
$12,000 / set - La Fonda Chairs by Eames for Herman Miller with Peter Max FabricBy Herman MillerLocated in Phoenix, AZPair of La Fonda chairs by Charles & Ray Eames for Herman Miller circa mid 1960s. These seldom seen examples have white powder coated La Fonda bases and have been upholstered in a playful psychedelic dead stock Peter Max fabric...Category
Vintage 1960s North American Mid-Century Modern Chairs
MaterialsSteel
- Robert Whitton Turquoise Architectural One-Off ChairBy Robert WhittonLocated in Phoenix, AZRobert Whitton one off aluminium chair, circa late 1980s. This architectural example has been newly powder coated in a bright turquoise.Category
Vintage 1980s American Mid-Century Modern Chairs
MaterialsAluminum
- Robert Whitton Architectural One-Off Chair in GreenBy Robert WhittonLocated in Phoenix, AZRobert Whitton one off aluminum chair circa late 1980s. This example has been newly powder coated in green and features a bar on the front of the chair that spins to ease getting in ...Category
Vintage 1980s American Mid-Century Modern Chairs
MaterialsAluminum
- Mastercraft 1970s Burl Wood Dining Chairs, set of 4By MastercraftLocated in Phoenix, AZ4 Burl wood dining chairs by Mastercraft, circa mid 1970s. These all-original examples have stunning grain and cut velvet upholstery. Chairs are priced at $4,000 for set of 4.Category
Vintage 1970s American Mid-Century Modern Dining Room Chairs
MaterialsBurl
- Black Drafting Stool by Architect Robert Whitton, 1980'sBy Robert WhittonLocated in Phoenix, AZRobert Whitton one off aluminum drafting stool circa late 1980s. This architectural example has been newly powder coated in matte black.Category
Vintage 1980s American Mid-Century Modern Chairs
MaterialsAluminum
- KEM Weber Airline ChairsBy Kem WeberLocated in San Francisco, CAExtremely rare KEM Weber "Airline" armchair. Weber's most famous work, the "Airline" chair of 1934, exemplified the clean, streamlined style of the age. ...Category
Vintage 1930s American Streamlined Moderne Lounge Chairs
MaterialsBirch
$30,000 / item - Cory Grosser 009 Airline Chair, After Famed 1934 Airline Chair by Kem WeberBy Kem Weber, Cory GrosserLocated in Buffalo, NYCory Grosser 009 airline chair, based on the 1934 chair Walt Disney commissioned for his animation studio, check out this beauty from the past to the pre...Category
2010s American Art Deco Armchairs
MaterialsMetal
- Kem Weber for Lloyd Furniture Pair of ChairsBy lloyd manufacturing co., Kem WeberLocated in Philadelphia, PAPair of hard to find Lloyd Chrome Chairs from the 1930's. Designed by Kem Weber. Couple repairs as seen in photos that discolored the chrome a bit...Category
Vintage 1930s American Machine Age Chairs
MaterialsChrome
- 1950's Chrome Chairs Manner of KEM Weber A PairBy Kem WeberLocated in Fulton, CAA pair of polished chrome armchairs in the manner of Kem Weber. Circa. 1950's.Category
Mid-20th Century American Bauhaus Chairs
MaterialsChrome
$1,150 / set - Art Deco Cantilever Chairs Kem Weber for Lloyd’s Style Newly Upholstered - PairBy Kem Weber, lloyd manufacturing co.Located in Chicago, ILArt Deco Cantilever Chairs Attributed to Kem Weber for Lloyd’s Manufacturing Newly Upholstered in Holly Hunt Teal Metallic Full Grain Leather with White Trim - Pair Enhance your li...Category
Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Chairs
MaterialsChrome
- Streamline Art Deco Cantilever Chair Chrome & Red Vinyl Attr Kem Webber-LloydsBy lloyd manufacturing co., Kem WeberLocated in Topeka, KSFabulous streamline modern cantilever chair comprised of chrome frame and tomato red vinyl faux leather upholstery attributed to KEM Weber for Lloyd’s Manufacturing. Beautiful condition with wear as you would expect with a vintage piece. This one looks like it was seldom used! Please see photos, Circa Mid Century. WOW!!!! What a gorgeous tomato red streamline modern cantilever chair!!!! Attributed to KEM Weber for Lloyd’s Manufacturing and categorized in many design styles; Art Deco, Machine Age, Streamline Modern, Art Moderne, and Bauhaus. Too many awesome styles to choose just one… So, you pick!! This chair is comprised of a tubular chrome cantilever frame and is upholstered in a bright and beautiful red vinyl faux leather that demands attention. This piece has no tag or markings but is done in the style of the era’s greats: Gilbert Rohde, Wolfgang Hoffman, Warren McArthur, Donald Desky, Alfons Bach, Gilbert Rhode, Marcel Breuer, and from online searches attributed to KEM Weber for Lloyd’s Manufacturing. It doesn’t get much better than that!! You could use this fabulous chair in your living room, bedroom, sitting room, or kitchen. It would be a wonderful chair at a vanity or a stylish place to sit to take off your shoes in the entry way. The possibilities are truly endless. KEM Weber (1889-1963) was a German-born architect and furniture designer. His birth name was Karl Emanuel Martin Weber but in 1914, he changed his first name to a less German sounding, 'Kem' when he became stranded in the USA after the outbreak of the First World War. Kem Architecture was part of the West Coast Modernist movement in America. His designs included many projects and products in Streamline Modern, a form of Art Deco design and architecture that was extremely popular in the USA and Europe in the 1930s. This style emphasized curved forms and long horizontal lines; it was the epitome of sophistication and modernity in that era. Streamline Modern was used for everything from stainless steel cocktail shakers...Category
Mid-20th Century American Streamlined Moderne Chairs
MaterialsChrome
