George Mulhauser Chair & Ottoman for Directional

Reflecting on George Mulhauser’s decades-long career conjures up images of him sitting in his well-known Mr. Chair — a luxurious reclining mid-century modern lounge chair for Plycraft made from a single sheet of plywood — and thinking to himself what mark he would leave on the world of furniture design.

Mulhauser studied industrial design at Pratt Institute in Brooklyn, New York, and graduated in 1953. His early designs were quite venturesome and landed him his first design job in the Manhattan studio of architect, journalist and designer George Nelson, who was the director of design for legendary Michigan furniture manufacturer Herman Miller.

In 1955, Mulhauser designed his now-immediately recognizable Coconut chair. Angular and visually striking, this alluring lounge chair, with its sloping molded plastic shell, was something of a prelude. Soon, Mulhauser would make the acquaintance of American furniture designer Paul McCobb. Mulhauser collaborated with McCobb on concepts for molded fiberglass chairs, and McCobb’s Origami chair for Directional would become a big hit on the mid-20th century market.

Mulhauser kept busy. In his home studio, he sketched out each furniture design on paper and then translated them to handmade scale models. Mulhauser engaged his neighbors and family in trying out his sophisticated seating and gathered feedback for improvements. He designed his Mr. Chair for Plycraft — an adjustable armchair with a seat of tufted leather that yielded a series — and collaborated with many other companies throughout his career, including Directional, Singer, Overman and the Design Institute of America. He also taught furniture design at Pratt Institute, while the Newark School of Fine and Industrial Arts brought him on as an instructor of 3-D design.

On 1stDibs, find a collection of vintage George Mulhauser chairs, lounge chairs and other furniture.

​​A brand known to vintage mid-century modern furniture collectors everywhere, Directional Furniture opened its doors after American furniture designer Paul McCobb created the high-end Directional Modern line of sofas distributed by the New York–based Modernage Company.

In his pivotal introduction of postwar modernism to the mass market, the revered Massachusetts-born McCobb had established several lines, from the affordable and refined Planner Group for Winchendon to the swooping and unexpected arms of the Symmetric Group for Widdicomb, a Shaker-inspired collection that included a sofa and a lounge chair. Like all of McCobb’s designs, the Directional pieces for Modernage are defined by a sleek aesthetic in which the focus is on elegant functionality, frequently using fine materials such as brass and walnut. In 1949, in partnership with New York furniture salesman B.G. Mesberg, McCobb set up the Directional Furniture Company.

The pair’s first pieces were upholstered chairs, intended to harmonize with the modular Multiplex pieces designed by Martin Feinman. McCobb then designed an array of furniture including storage, dining, seating, desks and other pieces with details such as leather tops, wood finishes and Roman Travertine surfaces. While Directional stopped production of McCobb’s work in the early 1960s, it still released numerous pieces by leading designers manufactured by a variety of companies.

Designer Paul Evans led the factory for a time after joining in 1964. His provocative work for the company often reflected his understanding of materials from his early training as a silversmith, such as the popular Cityscape series — a milestone in brutalist design — with its blocky forms accented with brass and chrome. At his shop in Lambertville, New Jersey, he collaborated with a design team to clad furniture pieces in metallic surfaces, like the Argente line that began production in 1968 and involved an acetylene torch to give its aluminum material a textural quality. He also worked on the Sculpted Bronze series with hand-formed resin shaped over plywood or steel that was then coated with atomized bronze.

Other Directional designers included Vladimir Kagan, who contributed biomorphic sofas and swivel chairs; Milo Baughman, who created tables and dressers inspired by Scandinavian modernism; and Jack Lenor Larsen, who covered sofas in dynamically patterned fabric.

Find authentic Directional Furniture seating, tables, case pieces and storage cabinets from top sellers around the world on 1stDibs.