Willy Guhl Garden Stool Eternit AG, Switzerland, 1950
View Similar Items
Willy Guhl Garden Stool Eternit AG, Switzerland, 1950
About the Item
- Creator:Willy Guhl (Designer)
- Dimensions:Height: 19.69 in (50 cm)Width: 19.3 in (49 cm)Depth: 18.9 in (48 cm)Seat Height: 19.69 in (50 cm)
- Style:Mid-Century Modern (In the Style Of)
- Materials and Techniques:
- Place of Origin:
- Period:
- Date of Manufacture:1950
- Condition:Wear consistent with age and use.
- Seller Location:Roosendaal, NL
- Reference Number:1stDibs: LU93307709233
Willy Guhl
Decades prior to the mass popularity of neo-industrial cement floors and furniture taking shape, there was Willy Guhl. The Swiss creative is considered one of the first “industrial” designers in his home country. He pioneered a rugged, organic style of modern furniture and decor — stylish planters, shapely seating and lots more — that remains widely coveted by many today.
Guhl was born in 1915 in Stein am Rhein and worked as a carpenter before beginning studies at the Zurich School of Applied Arts (known today as the Zurich University of the Arts), where he would go on to teach for nearly 40 years.
While Guhl is well-known for his range of provocative garden elements as well as his patio and outdoor furniture, today’s legion of mid-century modern enthusiasts are likely familiar with the designer’s iconic Loop chair (introduced in 1954). For this sculptural seat and other furnishings, Guhl tended toward industrial materials, which he bent and shaped into organic forms for a striking juxtaposition. Much of his work is crafted from either concrete or Eternit, a mixture of cement and asbestos developed by the Belgian company Etex, which, in the 1950s, commissioned Guhl and his students at the School of Applied Arts to conceive planters in the material. The resulting vessels — some hourglass-shaped, some in the form of handkerchiefs, all suitable for indoors or exteriors — remain some of Guhl’s most collectible pieces.
Guhl’s affiliation with the Swiss “neo-functional” movement centered on the idea of simplifying design without sacrificing form. According to Guhl, his mission was “achieving the most with the minimum of effort.”
In addition to his work as a designer, Guhl left his mark on subsequent creatives through his 39-year tenure at his alma mater, where he was instructor to the likes of Robert Haussmann, Kurt Thut and Bruno Rey. Modern-day shoppers at IKEA owe Guhl a debt of gratitude too. He was an early advocate of flat-pack furniture, championing its ability to make good design more widely accessible.
At its core, though, Guhl’s work was inherently human-centric: “At the center of my efforts, I put people and their living requirements,” he once said. “My products must be useful to people.” Guhl died in 2004 at the age of 89.
Find a range of vintage Willy Guhl furniture and decorative objects on 1stDibs.
- Willy Guhl Sandbox Planter Eternit AG, Switzerland, 1960By Eternit, Willy GuhlLocated in Roosendaal, Noord BrabantRare sandbox flower pot designed by Willy Guhl and manufactured by Eternit AG, Switzerland 1960. This piece can be used as a sandbox or storage box, but als...Category
Vintage 1960s Swiss Mid-Century Modern Planters and Jardinieres
MaterialsConcrete
- Willy Guhl Handkerchief Planter Pair Eternit AG Switzerland, 1960By Willy GuhlLocated in Roosendaal, Noord BrabantHighly decorative and very large pair of outdoor handkerchief shaped planters designed by Willy Guhl, and manufactured by Eternit AG, Switzerland 1960. These planters are made of cel...Category
Vintage 1960s Swiss Mid-Century Modern Planters and Jardinieres
MaterialsConcrete
- Metal and Wicker Bucket Stools Austria 1950By Herta-maria WitzemannLocated in Roosendaal, Noord BrabantUncommon shaped pair of so called bucket bar stools, made in Austria in the 1950s. These stools have a black painted solid metal frame which is very s...Category
Vintage 1950s Austrian Mid-Century Modern Stools
MaterialsMetal
$3,200 / set - Pair of Rattan Stools Made in Spain 1950By Franco AlbiniLocated in Roosendaal, Noord BrabantInteresting pair of stools in rattan, made in spain ca 1950. The condition is very good, no signs of heavy usage or weakened parts of framework. These ...Category
Vintage 1950s Spanish Mid-Century Modern Stools
MaterialsRattan
$1,139 / set - José Zanine Caldas trunk stool Brazil 1979By José Zanine CaldasLocated in Roosendaal, Noord BrabantA stool made of a hollow trunk designed by José Zanine Caldas, manufactured in his own workshop in Nova Vicosa, Brazil 1979. Made from a solid hardwood trunk with a stunning original patina. Finished with transparent lacquer. It can also serve as a side table. The sculpted conical shape is created by hollowing out a log, making it an interesting and versatile piece of furniture. Comes with Caldas certificate. The Denuncia series by José Zanine Caldas, to which the trunk stool...Category
Vintage 1970s Brazilian Mid-Century Modern Stools
MaterialsHardwood
- Dutch Modernist Bar Stools in Cane, Holland, 1970By Dirk Van SliedregtLocated in Roosendaal, Noord BrabantVery nice set of 3 modernist bar stools made by unknown designer or manufacturer, Holland, 1970. The stools have a solid metal frame, black painted. And the seats are covered with ca...Category
Vintage 1970s Dutch Mid-Century Modern Stools
MaterialsMetal
- Modular Side Tables by Willy Guhl for Eternit AG, Switzerland, 1954By Eternit, Willy GuhlLocated in Antwerp, BEWilly Guhl's modular cubic side tables for Eternit AG, handmade in Switzerland in 1954. Each piece is a testament to Guhl's innovative design ethos, handcrafted with precision from f...Category
Vintage 1950s Swiss Brutalist Side Tables
MaterialsConcrete, Cement
- Willy Guhl Concrete Cube Side Table, 1960s SwitzerlandBy Willy GuhlLocated in Los Angeles, CASculptural concrete cube side table by Swiss architect Willy Guhl. Handmade in Switzerland in the early 1960s. Produced by Eternit. Age and weather has given this piece an inimitable...Category
Vintage 1960s Swiss Bookcases
MaterialsConcrete
- Willy Guhl Light Up Concrete Side Table, 1960s SwitzerlandBy Willy GuhlLocated in Los Angeles, CAStunning concrete side table with built in lamp by Eternit. Made in Swizterland. Newly rewired. Gorgeous piece of collectible design. Can be used indoors...Category
Vintage 1960s Swiss Side Tables
MaterialsConcrete
- Willy Guhl Loop TableBy Willy GuhlLocated in Los Angeles, CAThe Willy Guhl Loop table is an icon of Swiss modernist furniture design. The Loop Table (also known as the Beach Table) was designed by Swiss in...Category
Early 2000s Swiss End Tables
MaterialsCement
$3,200 - Willy Guhl Concrete Loop TableBy Willy GuhlLocated in Los Angeles, CAThe Willy Guhl loop table is an icon of Swiss modernist furniture design. The loop table (also known as the beach table) was designed by Swiss in...Category
2010s Swiss Patio and Garden Furniture
MaterialsConcrete
$1,800 / item - Chinese Double Coin Garden StoolLocated in Chicago, ILThis unusually proportioned ceramic table is a modern interpretation of the classic Chinese drum-form garden stool. Cloaked in a pristine, monochrome white glaze, the wide stool is d...Category
20th Century Chinese Qing Stools
MaterialsCeramic