Paul McCobb for Widdicomb Symmetric Group Mid-Century Modern Lounge Chair
About the Item
- Creator:Widdicomb Furniture Co. (Manufacturer),Paul McCobb (Designer)
- Dimensions:Height: 35.5 in (90.17 cm)Width: 28.5 in (72.39 cm)Depth: 32.5 in (82.55 cm)Seat Height: 18 in (45.72 cm)
- Style:Mid-Century Modern (Of the Period)
- Materials and Techniques:
- Place of Origin:
- Period:
- Date of Manufacture:Circa 1950s
- Condition:Reupholstered. Very good vintage condition. Recently reupholstered. Apparently unmarked. Minor wear expected from age. Shows beautifully. Ready for immediate use.
- Seller Location:South Bend, IN
- Reference Number:
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.
Widdicomb Furniture Co.
Admirers of vintage mid-century modern furnishings likely recognize the Widdicomb Furniture Company name for the fruitful partnerships it forged with iconic designers such as Frank Lloyd Wright, T.H. Robsjohn-Gibbings and Mario Buatta. But there is more to the Widdicomb story than the albeit quite covetable sofas and bedroom furniture it produced during the middle of the 20th century.
A wealth of pine and oak forests rendered Grand Rapids, Michigan, a logging center during the 1800s, and it eventually gained recognition for its furniture industry. The American city became a destination for furniture makers who hailed from across the United States and beyond. Furniture maker George Widdicomb emigrated from England to the United States in 1845, eventually setting up a cabinet shop in Syracuse, New York, before moving west to Grand Rapids. There, he opened a shop with his four sons, including John Widdicomb, whose name would help carry the family legacy into the 20th century.
The Widdicomb shop in Grand Rapids prospered, as the patriarch’s formal English training allowed him to produce pieces with superior craftsmanship compared to those of his competitors. Although the Civil War halted business and took the life of one of the Widdicomb brothers, the family’s survivors would start anew as Widdicomb Brothers and Richards, soon renamed the Widdicomb Furniture Company.
John Widdicomb, however, split from the family business in 1897 to create the John Widdicomb Company, where he would go on to focus on Louis XV- and French Provincial-style furnishings. Chairs made in these styles have distinct characteristics, such as floral motifs carved in the frames and gently angled backrests. John's company also remained a family affair: The founder’s son, Harry, assumed control of the company when his father died in 1910, while John's nephew Ralph Widdicombe — who retained the English spelling of his last name and joined the John Widdicomb Company at its start — designed every single piece of the offerings at his uncle's manufacturing outfit until he retired in 1951. Ralph was an internationally distinguished furniture designer whose modern mahogany bedroom suite won first prize at the Paris Exposition in 1900.
The original iteration of Widdicomb, which was helmed by John's older brother William while John ran his own brand, had shifted from making period revival styles of furniture, such as Georgian and Chippendale, to manufacturing modern pieces in the late 1920s. Today vintage Widdicomb seating, tables and other pieces produced during the postwar years are particularly sought after by collectors of mid-20th-century furniture.
In 1959, master woodworker George Nakashima created his Origins collection for Widdicomb when the firm merged with Mueller Furniture Corporation and was known, for around 10 years, as Widdicomb-Mueller. Origins, a revered Shaker-influenced group of nightstands, upholstered lounge chairs, dining-room tables and more, saw Nakashima working with woods like Carpathian elm and laurel in his Pennsylvania studio.
Eventually, the two Widdicomb companies would combine in 1970, operating under the name John Widdicomb Co.
In 2002, the business closed after more than a century of operations, and its assets were acquired by Stickley Furniture. Interestingly, it was not the first time Widdicomb and Stickley overlapped: In the final years of the 19th century, the companies opened a shared storehouse in London, while John Widdicomb and Albert Stickley would travel Europe together for the purposes of research.
Find vintage Widdicomb coffee tables, case pieces, dining chairs and more on 1stDibs.
- ShippingRetrieving quote...Ships From: South Bend, IN
- Return PolicyA return for this item may be initiated within 1 day of delivery.
- Paul McCobb Planner Group Mid-Century Modern Spindle Back Dining Chairs, PairBy Paul McCobb, Planner GroupLocated in South Bend, INAn exceptional pair of iconic mid-century modern solid maple spindle back dining chairs By Paul McCobb for Winchendon Furniture, "Planner Group" USA, 1950s Measures: 19.5"W x 19.5...Category
Vintage 1950s American Mid-Century Modern Dining Room Chairs
MaterialsMaple
- Paul McCobb Planner Group Mid-Century Modern Bachelor Chests, Newly RefinishedBy Planner Group, Paul McCobbLocated in South Bend, INAn iconic pair of Mid-Century Modern bachelor chests or large beside chests By Paul McCobb for Winchendon Furniture, "Planner Group" USA,...Category
Vintage 1950s American Mid-Century Modern Commodes and Chests of Drawers
MaterialsBrass
- Paul McCobb Planner Group Mid-Century Modern Writing Desk, Newly RefinishedBy Planner Group, Paul McCobbLocated in South Bend, INAn exceptional minimalist Mid-Century Modern writing desk By Paul McCobb for Winchendon Furniture, "Planner Group" USA, 1950s Black lacquered solid maple, with original bras...Category
Vintage 1950s American Mid-Century Modern Desks and Writing Tables
MaterialsBrass
- Paul McCobb Planner Group Mid-Century Modern Solid Maple Nightstand, 1950sBy Paul McCobb, Planner GroupLocated in South Bend, INA sleek and stylish Mid-Century Modern nightstand or side table By Paul McCobb for Winchendon Furniture "Planner Group" USA, 1950s Solid maple, with original brass drawer pu...Category
Vintage 1950s American Mid-Century Modern Night Stands
MaterialsBrass
- Paul McCobb Mid-Century Modern Fiberglass Origami Chair, 1950sBy Paul McCobbLocated in South Bend, INA rare Mid-Century Modern molded fiberglass "origami" chair By Paul McCobb for St. John Seating Corporation USA, 1950s Measures: 21" W x 22.5" D x 32.5" H. Seat height 18". ...Category
Vintage 1950s American Mid-Century Modern Side Chairs
MaterialsSteel
- Paul McCobb Planner Group Mid-Century Modern Black Lacquered Dining Table, 1950sBy Paul McCobb, Planner GroupLocated in South Bend, INA sleek and stylish Mid-Century Modern extension drop leaf dining table By Paul McCobb for Winchendon Furniture "Planner Group" USA, 1950s Solid maple construction with blac...Category
Vintage 1950s American Mid-Century Modern Dining Room Tables
MaterialsMaple, Lacquer
- Paul McCobb for Widdicomb Lounge ChairBy Widdicomb Furniture Co., Paul McCobbLocated in San Francisco, CAA Rounded Back lounge chair From the Symmetric Series by Widdicomb Furniture. Manufactured for just a short time in 1960 and 1961. Redone in a...Category
Vintage 1960s American Modern Lounge Chairs
MaterialsWool, Walnut
- Rare Paul McCobb Symmetric Group Sofa for WiddicombBy Widdicomb Furniture Co., Paul McCobbLocated in Pawtucket, RIOne of Paul McCobb's final designs, this graceful floating sofa features a symmetrical silhouette on walnut legs. Manufactured by Widdicomb as part of the Symmetric Group. Recently e...Category
Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Sofas
MaterialsTextile, Walnut
- Rare Walnut Lounge Chairs by Paul McCobb for WiddicombBy Widdicomb Furniture Co., Paul McCobbLocated in North Hollywood, CAMid-century walnut lounge chairs designed by Paul McCobb for Widdicomb, in the United States, circa 1960s. These fabulous chairs have been carefully refinished and reupholstered, giv...Category
Vintage 1960s American Mid-Century Modern Lounge Chairs
MaterialsLeather, Fabric, Walnut
- Paul McCobb for Planner Group Mid Century Lounge ChairBy Planner Group, Paul McCobbLocated in Countryside, ILPaul McCobb for Planner Group Mid Century Lounge Chair This lounge chair measures: 30 wide x 33 deep x 31 high, with a seat height of 16 and arm height/chair clearance 21 inches Al...Category
Vintage 1970s American Mid-Century Modern Lounge Chairs
MaterialsUpholstery, Wood
- Pair of Paul McCobb Cane-Backed Lounge Chairs for WiddicombBy Widdicomb Furniture Co., Paul McCobbLocated in Chicago, ILPair of Paul McCobb Cane-Backed lounge chairs for Widdicomb, From the 800 series. Mahogany frames with upholstered seats on boucle. Set designed to pair ...Category
Vintage 1950s American Mid-Century Modern Lounge Chairs
MaterialsMahogany
- Mid Century Modern Lounge Chair by Paul McCobbBy Paul McCobbLocated in Brooklyn, NYComfort and Mid-Century Modern style meet in this timeless lounge chair by Paul McCobb. Sturdy walnut base with tapered legs supports simple modern seat with ample space for comforta...Category
Vintage 1960s American Mid-Century Modern Lounge Chairs
MaterialsUpholstery