Unusual Triple-Stepped Wood and Woven Rush Chair

Sculptural Arthur Umanoff chair with signature rush back, slatted wood seat, and iron legs. Metal frame in a vintage adobe finish. Rare design. Floating ...

Mid-century designers were eager to break free from the aesthetics of the past and experiment with new forms, and techniques. At the same time, especially in Europe, the modernist design movement was often based on traditional styles and techniques, such as turned chairs. Turned chairs — sometimes called thrown chairs or spindle chairs — represent a style of Elizabethan or Jacobean turned furniture that had a vogue in the late 16th and early 17th century. The technique was carried on to the 20th century and was widespread in Europe as well, where craftsmen created durable pieces for various interiors and purposes. In turned furniture, the individual wooden spindles of the piece were made by shaping them with chisels and gouges while they were being spun, or turned between the centre points of a lathe. The construction of this pair is evocative of the more robust Arts and Crafts Movement, featuring subtle decorative elements such as the finials atop the backs. The sphere-shaped finials aren’t the only ornamentations on the design; the shape of the two splats on the back, the carved stretchers and carving on the feet are all decorative features that make this pair visually arresting. In later turned chairs, like this pair, rush seats were common. Here, the seats are woven around the frames with a light colour that beautifully contrasts to the dark, patinated wood. The partnership of the two natural materials is very effective as well; the wood and rush pair...

Early sculptural chairs by Arthur Umanoff. Chairs with signature rush back, slatted wood seat, and iron legs. Floating backrest. Look great from all angles. Good vintage condition. T...

Sculptural Arthur Umanoff chairs with signature rush back, slatted wood seat, and iron legs. Floating backrest. Look great from all angles. Good vintage condition. Five available. Pr...

Beautiful carved wood chair from France, 1940s. Intricate carved wood legs and wood frame with lovely sea shell detail. Original woven rush seat and original wood finish shows nice a...

Beautiful carved wood chair from France, 1940s. Original woven rush back and seat. Intricate carved wood detail on legs and wood frame with medium stain. Original finish shows great ...