Shovel Chairs by Paul McCobb

You could call Paul McCobb a man of parts. As a furniture designer, his work combined the attributes of many of his now better-known peers. Like Bauhaus designers such as Ludwig Mies van der Rohe and Marcel Breuer, McCobb's furniture had purity of form and line. Like the designs of Florence Knoll and George Nelson and his associates, McCobb’s work was efficient and purposeful. And even like George Nakashima, he was adept at interpreting traditional forms, in particular those of chairs, for the 20th century.

More than any other designer beside Russel Wright, with his ubiquitous ceramic tableware, McCobb was arguably responsible for the introduction of modern design into middle-class American households — if for no other reason than that he designed the 1952 set for the original Today show. McCobb also designed cohesive lines of furnishings, such as his best-known Planner Group, that gave homes an instant “look.” McCobb designed for several companies, most notably Directional, the New York firm that also produced designs by other legends, such as Paul Evans and Vladimir Kagan. 

The signal aesthetic attribute of McCobb designs is that he completely forsook ornament — his pieces have no flourishes. And yet, because they are honest — the chairs, desks and tables are made of solid wood, usually maple or birch, often paired with frames and legs of wrought iron; the cabinets are traditionally scaled; the seating pieces have historic antecedents such as the Windsor chair — McCobb’s mid-century modern work has warmth and presence.

As you can see from the offerings on 1stDibs, vintage Paul McCobb designs are the pin-striped suit, or the little black dress, of a décor: an essential.

Brilliant self-trained American designer Paul McCobb collaborated with New York salesman B.G. Mesberg to create what is now a widely revered collection of mid-century modern furniture called the Planner Group. Produced by renowned manufacturer Winchendon Furniture Company, vintage Planner Group dressers, credenzas, chairs and other pieces bring honesty and heritage into any interior.

More than any other designer beside Russel Wright, the Massachusetts-born McCobb was arguably responsible for the introduction of modern design into middle-class American households — if for no other reason than that he designed the 1952 set for the original Today show. Of McCobb’s cohesive lines of furnishings, his best-known Planner Group gave homes an instant “look.” McCobb designed for several companies, most notably Directional, the New York firm he cofounded with Mesberg that also produced designs by other legends such as Paul Evans and Vladimir Kagan.

Known for their superior quality and affordable prices aimed at new homeowners, vintage Winchendon case furniture, side tables and desks were must-have staples for middle-class Americans in the postwar years. McCobb and Mesberg’s Planner Group for the manufacturer boasts a wide range of furnishings created in woods such as walnut and maple.

McCobb drew on the simplicity of Shaker furniture and Windsor chairs and was an advocate for modular furniture. A new homeowner could plan for properly furnishing each room with the Planner collection — a brochure touted its versatility — beginning with a couple of pieces from the series and gradually introducing more seating, cabinets and tables, stacking and combining as needed.

McCobb shared the limelight with the likes of celebrated American designers Charles and Ray Eames and was supposed to appear in a 1961 issue of Playboy magazine — a mid-century tastemaker of sorts — alongside other designers such as Eero Saarienen, Harry Bertoia, Jens Risom and Edward Wormley. A social and charismatic figure, McCobb can be found in photos from a party that took place the night before, but he was too hungover the next day to join the photo shoot.

For more than a decade beginning in 1950, the Planner designs comprised the best-selling furniture suite in the United States.

Find vintage pieces from Paul McCobb’s Planner Group series on 1stDibs.