
Paul Evans for Directional ‘Cityscape’ Pe400 Pair of Cubic Swivel Chairs
View Similar Items
Paul Evans for Directional ‘Cityscape’ Pe400 Pair of Cubic Swivel Chairs
About
Details
- Creator:Directional (Manufacturer),Paul Evans (Designer)
- Dimensions:Height: 27.96 in (71 cm)Width: 32.29 in (82 cm)Depth: 33.27 in (84.5 cm)Seat Height: 16.74 in (42.5 cm)
- Sold As:Set of 2
- Style:Post-Modern (Of the Period)
- Materials and Techniques:
- Place of Origin:
- Period:
- Date of Manufacture:circa 1975
- Condition:Wear consistent with age and use. Every item Morentz offers is checked by our team of 30 craftsmen in our in-house workshop. Special restoration or reupholstery requests can be done. We guarantee a very high-quality standard, ask our design specialists for detailed information.
- Seller Location:Waalwijk, NL
- Reference Number:Seller: 501112591stDibs: LU933132930242
About the Designer
Paul Evans
A designer and sculptor, Paul Evans was a wild card of late 20th century modernism. A leading light of the American Studio Furniture movement, Evans’s sideboards, credenzas, coffee tables and other work manifests a singular aesthetic sense, as well as a seemingly contradictory appreciation for both folk art forms and for new materials and technologies.
Evans’s primary material was metal, not wood, which was favored by his fellow studio designers, and Bucks County, Pennsylvania, neighbors George Nakashima and Phillip Lloyd Powell. He trained in metallurgy and studied at the Cranbrook Academy of Art, the famed crucible of modern design and art in suburban Detroit. For a time early in his career, Evans also worked at Sturbridge Village, a historical “living museum” in Massachusetts, where he gave demonstrations as a costumed silversmith.
Evans’s earliest work unites these influences. The pieces that made his reputation are known as “sculpted-front” cabinets: wood cases faced with box-like high-relief patinated steel mounts laid out in a grid pattern. Each mount contains a metal emblem, or glyph, and the effect is that of a brawny quilt.
Evans’s later work falls into three distinct style groups. His sculpted-bronze pieces, begun in the mid-1960s, show Evans at his most expressive. He employed a technique in which resin is hand-shaped, and later sprayed with a metal coating, allowing for artistic nuance in the making of chairs, tables and case pieces. Later in the decade and into the 1970s, Evans produced his Argente series for celebrated manufacturer Directional (a brand known to vintage mid-century modern furniture collectors everywhere): consoles and other furniture forms that feature aluminum and pigment-infused metal surfaces welded into abstract organic forms and patterns.
Last, Evans's Cityscape design series — a milestone in the history of brutalist design — meshed perfectly with the sleek, “high tech” sensibility of the later ’70s. Evans constructed boxy forms and faced them with irregular mosaic patterns that mixed rectangular plaques of chromed steel, bronze or burlwood veneer. These, like all of Paul Evans’s designs, are both useful and eye-catching. But their appeal has another, more visceral quality: these pieces have clearly been touched by an artist’s hand.
Find a collection of authentic Paul Evans furniture today on 1stDibs.
About the Manufacturer
Directional
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.

Established in 2006, Morentz has a team of approximately 55 restorers, upholsterers, interior advisers and art historians, making it a gallery, workshop and upholstery studio, all in one. Every day, a carefully selected array of 20th-century furniture arrives from all over the world at the firm’s warehouse, where the team thoroughly examines each piece to determine what, if any, work needs to be done. Whether that means new upholstery or a complete restoration, Morentz's aim is always to honor the designer’s intention while fulfilling the wishes of the client. The team is up to any challenge, from restoring a single piece to its original glory to furnishing a large-scale hotel project.
- Paul Evans for Directional 'Cityscape' Pe 200 Side TableBy Paul Evans, DirectionalLocated in Waalwijk, NLPaul Evans for Directional, 'Cityscape' side table, from the PE200 series, chrome-plated steel, brass, glass, United States, circa 1975 This unique side table from the 'Cityscape...Category
Vintage 1970s American Post-Modern Side Tables
MaterialsBrass, Steel, Chrome
- Paul Evans for Directional ‘Cityscape' Pe280 Sideboard in Steel and BrassBy Paul Evans, DirectionalLocated in Waalwijk, NLPaul Evans for Directional, 'Cityscape PE280' sideboard, from the PE200 series, chrome-plated steel, brass, United States, circa 1975 This sideboard from the 'Cityscape' (PE 200)...Category
Vintage 1970s American Post-Modern Sideboards
MaterialsBrass, Steel
- Paul Evans for Directional 'Cityscape' Floor LampsBy Paul Evans, DirectionalLocated in Waalwijk, NLPaul Evans for Directional, 'Cityscape' floor lamps, model PE-4010 from the PE200 series, chrome-plated steel, brass, United States, circa 1975 This unique pair of floor lamps fr...Category
Vintage 1970s American Post-Modern Floor Lamps
MaterialsChrome, Brass, Steel
$9,450 / item - Italian Cubic Lounge Chair in Orange LeatheretteLocated in Waalwijk, NLLounge chair, leatherette, Italy, 1970s This striking lounge chair comes with an eye-catching orange colored faux leather upholstery that gives the room a vibrant and lively touch. ...Category
Vintage 1970s Italian Mid-Century Modern Lounge Chairs
MaterialsFaux Leather
- Gio Ponti for Casa e Giardino Pair of Lounge ChairsBy Gio PontiLocated in Waalwijk, NLGio Ponti for Casa e Giardino, lounge chairs, Zak & Fox fabric, walnut, Italy, circa 1939. This sensuous set of armchairs is designed by...Category
Vintage 1930s American Mid-Century Modern Lounge Chairs
MaterialsFabric, Walnut
$11,800 / set - Vittorio Introini for Saporiti Pair of 'Larissa' Lounge ChairsBy Saporiti, Vittorio IntroiniLocated in Waalwijk, NLVittorio Introini for Saporiti, pair of 'Larissa' lounge chairs, fabric, chrome, acrylic, Italy, 1969 Bulky and sturdy set of two 'La...Category
Vintage 1960s Italian Mid-Century Modern Lounge Chairs
MaterialsFabric, Acrylic
- Pair of Vladimir Kagan Corkscrew Nautilus Swivel Chairs for DirectionalBy Vladimir Kagan, DirectionalLocated in Wayne, NJPair of Vladimir Kagan corkscrew swivel chairs for Directional.Category
1990s American Mid-Century Modern Lounge Chairs
MaterialsFabric
$5,200 Sale Price / set20% Off - Paul McCobb for Directional Model 1322 Lounge ChairBy Directional, Paul McCobbLocated in Bainbridge, NYPaul McCobb for Directional Furniture 1322 lounge chair, loose seat cushion. Circa 1950s. Featuring a Black ebonized Walnut frame, tapered legs and comfortable curved and cushioned b...Category
Vintage 1950s American Mid-Century Modern Lounge Chairs
MaterialsWalnut, Fabric
- Paul McCobb for Directional Lounge Chairs in Bouclé, 1950sBy Paul McCobbLocated in Stamford, CTRare set of lounge chairs designed by Paul McCobb for Directional, circa 1950s. Sculptural walnut framework fully restored, reupholstered in off-white Italian boculé. Other design...Category
Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Lounge Chairs
MaterialsBouclé, Walnut
- Pair of Suede Lounge Chairs by Kipp Stewart Chairs for DirectionalBy Kipp StewartLocated in Stamford, CTA comfortable and sophisticated pair of lounge chairs designed by Kipp Stewart in the 1970s for Directional. The streamlined steel base is chrome plated. The upholstery is off white ...Category
Vintage 1970s American Mid-Century Modern Lounge Chairs
MaterialsSteel, Chrome
- Paul Evans Chrome and Suede Cityscape Lounge Chairs for Directional, 1970By Paul Evans, DirectionalLocated in Chicago, ILA rare pair of Paul Evans Cityscape Patchwork Lounge Chairs, 1970. Upholstery is blue suede all original. Patchwork is constructed of steel plate frames with contrast of polished chr...Category
Vintage 1970s American Mid-Century Modern Lounge Chairs
MaterialsChrome, Steel
- Vintage Brutalist Paul Evans Style Chrome Patchwork Tub Lounge Chairs, PairBy Paul EvansLocated in Chicago, ILVintage Brutalist Paul Evans Style chrome patchwork tub lounge chairs in a grey velvet - pair. Gorgeous Unique and Rare Pair of Vintage Brutalist Style Paul Evans Attributed Polis...Category
Vintage 1970s Brutalist Lounge Chairs
MaterialsMetal, Stainless Steel
Recently Viewed
View MoreRead More

Morentz Writes the Next Chapter for Furniture with a Storied Past
Dutch dealer Matthijs Hoveijn specializes in the best of mid-century modern design, selling it to discerning clients around the world.

Paris Designer Luis Laplace Enlivens Old-World Rooms with Art
The Argentinian-born talent has a knack for helping serious collectors show off their impressive holdings.
The 1stDibs Promise
Learn MoreExpertly Vetted Sellers
Confidence at Checkout
Price-Match Guarantee
Exceptional Support
Buyer Protection
Trusted Global Delivery