Lawrence Peabody for Selig Fiber Glass Wingback Chair

Lawrence “Larry” Peabody was an architect, interior designer, and furniture designer. While Peabody was an American born in Haverhill, Massachusetts, his distinctive designs were often influenced by his Scandinavian roots.

Peabody studied at the Royal Academy of Fine Arts in Copenhagen, Denmark, and at the Rhode Island School of Design. His early career with Selig Mfg. Co. was prolific and helped put both himself and Selig on the map for modern furniture. He then started Lawrence Peabody & Associates in 1955, a design firm in Boston that included a vast client list (Sears, Roebuck & Co., Kohler, Regal Rugs, Boyd Lighting, Chapman Lamps, and Richardson Brothers).

In 1961, Peabody won a Citation for Merit for his Peabody Collection for Richardson/ Nemschoff. Winner of the 1962 International A.I.D. Design Award for his wood frame rattan cradle chair, he also received the Walnut Classic Award for his outstanding established collection of furniture executed in walnut. Craft Associates Furniture is honored to have acquired the rights to produce licensed Lawrence Peabody–designed furniture.

Find vintage Lawrence Peabody chairs, sofas, tables and other furniture on 1stDibs.

(Biography provided by The Swanky Abode)

As an importer and producer, the Selig furniture company helped popularize timeless and elegant postwar designs in the United States.

Selig created Danish-inspired chairs, sofas and other furnishings for the home that were cutting-edge, contemporary and airy. The brand was also among the first to introduce Scandinavian and European modern styles to Americans in the 1950s and 60s. The company imported and manufactured furniture known for its extraordinary design and style using high-quality, enduring and seductive materials.

Selig was founded in 1931 by Mandell Selig and Samuel Wexler. The pair started the business during the challenging economic times of the Great Depression prior to World War II. By the 1960s, under the leadership of Wexler's son, Robert, Selig peaked with manufacturing factories in five American cities.

Selig’s importing business had a meaningful impact on Italian furniture manufacturers. Wexler, the junior, had a hand in advancing and growing the manufacturing sector of the country’s Udine region. Due to this contribution, the Italian government saw fit to knight Robert Wexler with the title of “Cavaliere.”

After nearly four decades of influencing seating and lounging preferences in the United States with sophisticated mid-century modern and Scandinavian modern furniture — including its own chrome rocking chairs and leather club chairs — Selig sold to Simmons, the mattress company, in 1970, thus dissolving. Much of what they produced and imported is still available despite no longer being manufactured, and many collectors seek original Selig furniture.

On 1stDibs, find an array of vintage Selig furniture that includes lounge chairs, armchairs, tables and more.