Ward Bennett created everything from interiors and furniture to textiles and flatware. The unsung New York City-born modernist designer drew on the work of Le Corbusier and Auguste Rodin, studied art with the likes of Abstract Expressionist painter Hans Hofmann and counted legendary American luxury house Tiffany & Co. among his clients. For decades, Bennett created and filled spaces that were elegant, minimalist and deeply appealed to everyone who laid eyes on them.
Bennett left home and school at the young age of 13. He found work in Manhattan’s Garment District, and within a few years, Bennett traveled to Europe on behalf of a clothing manufacturer to gather ideas for modern garments. He lived abroad as a young man, and when he returned to New York, during the early 1940s, he assisted fashion entrepreneur Hattie Carnegie as a window dresser.
Bennett would also go on to share a sculpture studio with artist Louise Nevelson. He ventured into the world of jewelry design, creating necklaces, bracelets and other pieces with Richard Pousette-Dart. The Whitney Museum of American Art exhibited his sculptures, and it wouldn’t be long before the Museum of Modern Art included Bennett’s personal adornments with accessories by the likes of Alexander Calder, Harry Bertoia and Anni Albers in its 1946 “Modern Handmade Jewelry” show.
Bennett didn’t take the plunge into interior design work until he was 30 years old — his inaugural project was an apartment in Manhattan and his clients were family members. He had no formal training in architecture or decorating — and would ultimately design a mere handful of houses in his life — so for his inviting leather office chairs, marble-topped tables and sleek storage cabinets, Bennett relied only on what he learned in the fashion world. Soon, every time he redecorated his own home — an elaborate apartment comprising former maids’ quarters in New York City’s magnificent Dakota building — it earned splashy coverage in the newspapers.
Bennett’s client list eventually included David Rockefeller and Chase Manhattan Bank, Tiffany & Co., Sasaki, Italian industrialist Gianni Agnelli, and others, and during the 1970s he became in-house designer for Brickel Associates, a role that would endure for more than two decades. His work is on permanent view at the Museum of Modern Art and the Cooper-Hewitt National Design Museum in New York.
On 1stDibs, find vintage Ward Bennett seating, decorative objects and more.
H 34.5 in W 23.5 in D 27.5 in
Ward Bennett Scissor Chair
By Ward Bennett, Brickel Associates
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Scissor chair by Ward Bennett. This 1982 production of a 1960s design. It features an oak frame with caramel leather upholstery. Dimensions 23.5” width x 27.5” depth x 34.5” height;...
Leather, Oak
H 33 in W 24.5 in D 38 in
Ash Lounge by Ward Bennett for Brickel Associates
By Ward Bennett, Brickel Associates
Located in Sagaponack, NY
A solid ash lounge chair with adjustable recline and original channeled upholstery
Ash, Upholstery
H 31.5 in W 30 in D 30.5 in
1960's Ward Bennett for Brickel Associates 'BANKER' Chairs
By Ward Bennett, Brickel Associates
Located in Dallas, TX
An American designer, artist and sculptor Ward Bennett designed 51 chairs for Brickel Associates. This elegant pair of club chairs, model no. 1423 is from the Bankers series. "Even a...
Mohair, Wood
H 36.5 in W 24.5 in D 36 in
Ward Bennett Scissor Lounge Chair
By Ward Bennett
Located in Middlesex, NJ
Ward Bennett Scissor Lounge Chair
Chrome
H 34.5 in W 24.5 in D 29 in
Ward Bennett for Brickel Black Ash Scissor Lounge Chairs, Red Wool Bouclé, 1984
By Ward Bennett
Located in Brooklyn, NY
Ward Bennett for Brickel Assoc. Black ash scissor lounge chair pair, set of two, red wool bouclé, 1984, New York. Black lacquered ash, red wool upholstery, metal tags to each. Ward Bennett’s story is a remarkable one. His career began at age 13, when he quit school to work in the garment district in New York City. At 15, he designed his first clothing collection; at 16 he left for Europe, where he continued working on fashion design. While in Europe, he attended art schools in Florence and Paris, but he was mostly self-taught, with skills that ranged from illustrating, sculpting, and jewelry-making to furniture, interior, and home design. “I learn from people,” he once said, referencing a long line of influences, including Hattie Carnegie, Hans Hoffman, and Georgia O’Keeffe. Bennett eventually settled back in New York, where his reputation earned him some of the day’s most affluent clients: David Rockefeller and Chase Manhattan Bank, Tiffany & Co., Sasaki, Italian industrialist Gianni Agnelli, Rolling Stone founder Jann Wenner. Another—former President Lyndon Baines Johnson—asked Bennett to design a chair for his presidential library that would be “a cross between a barroom chair and a courtroom chair...
Wool, Ash
H 34.5 in W 24.5 in D 29 in
Ward Bennett for Brickel Black Ash Scissor Lounge Chair, Red Wool Bouclé, 1984
By Ward Bennett
Located in Brooklyn, NY
Ward Bennett for Brickel Assoc. black Ash Scissor Lounge Chair, Red Wool Bouclé, 1984, New York. Black lacquered ash, red wool upholstery, metal tags to each. Ward Bennett’s story is a remarkable one. His career began at age 13, when he quit school to work in the garment district in New York City. At 15, he designed his first clothing collection; at 16 he left for Europe, where he continued working on fashion design. While in Europe, he attended art schools in Florence and Paris, but he was mostly self-taught, with skills that ranged from illustrating, sculpting, and jewelry-making to furniture, interior, and home design. “I learn from people,” he once said, referencing a long line of influences, including Hattie Carnegie, Hans Hoffman, and Georgia O’Keeffe. Bennett eventually settled back in New York, where his reputation earned him some of the day’s most affluent clients: David Rockefeller and Chase Manhattan Bank, Tiffany & Co., Sasaki, Italian industrialist Gianni Agnelli, Rolling Stone founder Jann Wenner. Another—former President Lyndon Baines Johnson—asked Bennett to design a chair for his presidential library that would be “a cross between a barroom chair and a courtroom chair...
Wool, Ash
H 32 in W 32 in D 36 in
Ward Bennett Brickel Red Mohair Upholstered Swivel Tub Lounge Chair With Ottoman
By Brickel Associates, Ward Bennett
Located in Philadelphia, PA
Designed in the 1960s by American icon Ward Bennett, this lounge chair and ottoman was produced by Brickel. This example is quite special, featuring the rarely seen ottoman. Where many other pieces are reupholstered, this chair features its original medium red rose shade...
Mohair, Wood
H 35 in W 24.5 in D 36 in
Ward Bennett Scissor Chrome Lounge Chair in Original Brown Upholstery, c. 1960s
By Ward Bennett
Located in Deland, FL
Designed by Ward Bennett with the perfect attention to angle and line. This Scissor lounge chair is found in original brown upholstery and rests on a striking chrome X base. ---Dime...
Velvet
H 33.5 in W 23 in D 23 in
1 Ward Bennett for Brickel and Associates Leather Desk Chair
By Brickel Associates, Ward Bennett
Located in Pasadena, TX
Ward Bennett for Brickel and Associates Barrel-Back leather desk chair 6 available 4-star anodized bronze base swivel conference room chair...
Steel
H 34.5 in W 24 in D 26 in
Ward Bennett Pair of Scissor Lounge Chairs
By Ward Bennett
Located in Miami, FL
A pair iconic scissor chairs by Ward Bennet. Satin Steel frames with wool upholstery. 2 pairs available.
Steel
Set of Four Oddmund Vad “Convair” Swivel Lounge Chairs, Norway, 1970s
By Oddmund Vad, VAD Trevarefabrikk
Located in Littleton, CO
A striking set of four original “Convair” swivel lounge chairs designed by Oddmund Vad for VAD Trevarefabrikk, crafted in Norway in the 1970s. Rare to find as a complete matching set...
Leather, Beech
Round Chrome Étagère with Smoked Glass Shelves
Located in Littleton, CO
A late Mid-Century tall round étagère with lightly smoked glass shelves. Unknown maker. The 2nd shelf rests at 44.5" high. The 3rd shelf rests at 25" high. The 4th shelf rests at 5....
Chrome
1960s Eero Saarinen for Knoll Tulip Coffee Table in Brazilian Rosewood
By Knoll, Eero Saarinen
Located in Littleton, CO
An Eero Saarinen for Knoll oval tulip coffee table featuring a stunning Brazilian rosewood top and cast aluminum base, and bearing its original Knoll International label listing the ...
Metal, Enamel
Alvino Bagni Lamps for Bagni Ceramiche, Italy 1960s
By Raymor, Alvino Bagni, Bagni Ceramiche
Located in Littleton, CO
A gorgeous pair of mid-century Italian ceramic lamps by Alvino Bagni for Bagni Ceramiche, imported to the U.S. by Raymor. Brilliant reds, greens, yellows and black on a sand ivory pa...
Ceramic
Gerald Thurston Tripod Table Lamp for Lightolier, Brass & Walnut
By Gerald Thurston, Lightolier
Located in Littleton, CO
Elegant and sculptural, this rare tripod table lamp by Gerald Thurston for Lightolier embodies the refined sophistication of the best 1950s–60s American modern design. Its patinated ...
Brass
Mid-Century Globe in a Bronze Stand in the manner of Paul McCobb
By Paul McCobb
Located in Littleton, CO
A striking 1970s Replogle globe on a sleek, minimalist bronze stand, reminiscent of Paul McCobb's timeless design. The bronze base exhibits a beautiful, rich patina that adds under...
Metal, Bronze
