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Phillip Lloyd Powell Pair of 'New Hope' Lounge Chairs in American Walnut

Name: Phillip Lloyd Powell Pair of 'New Hope' Lounge Chairs in American Walnut
Brand: Phillip Lloyd Powell
Price: 38500 USD
Availability: InStock

About the Item

Philip Lloyd Powell, lounge chairs ‘New Hope’, walnut, reupholstered in "Astara" Vert by Pierre Frey, United States, 1960s Often described as a “Mid-Century Modernist”, American designer Phillip Lloyd Powell (1920-2008) created pieces that transcended the Modernist style in both form and application. Instead of using Industrial methods and techniques for production, the designer practiced hand carving as a way to bring out the natural form of the wood through careful manipulation. One of the most important properties of this armchair is the wooden framework: executed in this buttery, beautifully grained American walnut. The name 'New Hope' refers to the place where Powell opened his workshop in 1953. Th chair has a soft, sensuous, biomorphic frame. The organic armrests are beautifully carved by hand and form a sculptural contrast to the boomerang shaped seating. Lovely details are seen in the round wood-joints with a black stripe on the side of the frame and the points of the frame show small indentations. The cross connections on the back are a nice compromise between the organic and straight lines. Phillip Lloyd Powell (1919-2008) is one of the essential members of the American Studio Craft Movement. Born in Germantown, Pennsylvania, in 1919, he discovered his love for furniture design at a young age. He already began crafting his own furniture and custom furniture for family and friends in his adolescent years. He studied engineering at Drexel university but was drafted to serve in the Army Air Corps during the Second World War. After his return from the army, he settled in New Hope, Pennsylvania, a place that was crowded with craftspeople such as Paul Evans. It was during this period that he met Evans and throughout the 1950s and 1960s the two men shared a studio. Therefore, they often collaborated, creating some of the most important furniture of the Midcentury Studio Furniture Movement. Together, they shared a love for materials and a passion for handcrafted pieces. Therefore, all his pieces are handmade from high quality, grained woods that often recall their natural shape and form. Another natural material that he often used was slate, the deep grey material was often utilized for table or credenza tops. Over the span of slightly more than half a century, Powell's production yielded just around 1000 pieces. The designer stands in stark contrast to the prolific output of contemporaries such as the renowned furniture designer George Nakashima, who is estimated to have created well over 10,000 objects. It was in fact Nakashima who urged Powell to begin designing for himself in the first place. Today, Powell’s well-known carved wooden cabinets, consoles, chairs and dining tables are one of the most sought-after pieces from that era. Please note that these chairs are newly upholstered in our in-house atelier and are ready to be enjoyed for many years. Kindly be advised that the chairs slightly differ in height (+/- 2.5 cm). For further details, we encourage you to reach out to our team of design specialists. The listed price is per item.

Creator:

Phillip Lloyd Powell (Designer)

Dimensions:

Height: 27.56 in (70 cm)Width: 29.53 in (75 cm)Depth: 31.3 in (79.5 cm)Seat Height: 10.24 in (26 cm)

Style:

Mid-Century Modern (Of the Period)

Materials and Techniques:

Fabric,Walnut

Place of Origin:

United States

Period:

1960-1969

Date of Manufacture:

1960s

Condition:

Wear consistent with age and use. Every item Morentz offers is checked by our team of 30 craftspeople in our in-house workshop. Special restoration or reupholstery requests can be done. Check ‘About the item’ or ask our design specialists for detailed information on the condition.

Seller Location:

Waalwijk, NL

Reference Number:

Seller: 50114197 + 501141961stDibs: LU933138855062

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Shop All Phillip Lloyd Powell

Phillip Lloyd Powell

An American woodworker known for a wide range of furniture that is sensuous, sculptural and imbued with character, Phillip Lloyd Powell is an iconic figure in design. His organic style transcended the conventions of popular mid-century modern furniture and is best reflected in the vintage cabinets and tables for which he is renowned.

“I am an artist working with furniture,” Powell once said. But the self-taught furniture maker wore a number of different hats throughout his lifetime. He crafted handmade furniture as a teenager at his boyhood home and went on to study engineering at what is now Drexel University. Powell served in the Army Air Corps during World War II, and, on his return, he established his first showroom in New Hope, in his home state of Pennsylvania, stocking furniture from Knoll, Herman Miller and Isamu Noguchi.

In New Hope, Powell encountered fellow furniture designers Paul Evans and George Nakashima. The latter, a master woodworker who preferred a personal approach to design over industrial methods and materials, encouraged Powell to concentrate on making his own furniture. When Powell did so, he’d experiment with Nakashima’s unused stock of wood, drawing on natural world forms for seating and shapely coffee tables.

Evans, who moved to New Hope in 1955, was invited to share Powell’s studio space. Powell’s furniture design practice really took off and a collaboration with Evans put into motion the 1960s American Studio Craft Movement, which came to include furniture designers Wharton Esherick and Sam Maloof. The decade-long partnership between Evans and Powell yielded stone-topped tables, walnut chests with sculptured metal exteriors and more.

Powell was inspired by Evans’s artistry as a jewelry designer — he was a skilled welder whose Cityscape pieces are milestones of brutalism. Powell, in turn, encouraged him to turn his sculptures into furniture. Like Evans, Powell incorporated a range of materials into his work, rendering the interiors of his hand-carved cabinets alluring and distinctive with applications of silver leaf and fabrics.

The sinewy arms of Powell’s famous New Hope lounge chair are representative of his broad expertise with wood and his ability to make graceful yet functional furniture. He worked slowly, and the influence of the natural world remained a driving force in his designs. Powell produced approximately 1,000 pieces while he lived and worked in New Hope until his death in 2008.

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