Gilbert Rohde Paldao Secretary Display Case for Herman Miller

About the Item
- Creator:Gilbert Rohde (Designer),Herman Miller (Manufacturer)
- Dimensions:Height: 49.75 in (126.37 cm)Width: 60 in (152.4 cm)Depth: 17 in (43.18 cm)
- Style:Art Deco (Of the Period)
- Materials and Techniques:
- Place of Origin:
- Period:
- Date of Manufacture:1941
- Condition:Wear consistent with age and use. Great original condition. Wood finish is excellent and the unit is complete. There are a few small veneer losses on the bottom side edge.
- Seller Location:Brooklyn, NY
- Reference Number:1stDibs: LU800212039123
Gilbert Rohde
Pioneering self-taught industrial designer, writer and teacher Gilbert Rohde helped define the earliest phase of modernism in the United States. He is one of the most influential figures of 20th-century design and is credited with helping legendary mid-century modern furniture manufacturer Herman Miller avert financial disaster during the Great Depression.
Born in New York City, Rohde studied painting at the Art Students League after high school. He found lucrative employment, first as a political cartoonist and then as a catalog illustrator for American department stores. He was particularly enthralled with drawing furnished interiors.
Rohde began to design furniture in his spare time. He traveled to the Bauhaus school in Germany and the International Exhibition of Modern Decorative and Industrial Arts in Paris, and drew on the Art Deco movement and the work of designers such as Émile-Jacques Ruhlmann in his early pieces. Rohde opened his own studio in 1929 and secured private and commercial commissions. His clients would come to include formidable furniture makers Heywood-Wakefield and Troy Sunshade, and his innovative bentwood furnishings for them were practical and intended for the modern consumer.
In 1930, Rohde met Herman Miller founder D.J. De Pree in the company’s Michigan showroom during a business trip. By then, Rohde had a long list of prominent clients and his furniture had been exhibited in museums and galleries. Herman Miller was weathering a devastating slowdown in business, and the American furniture industry had generally been hit hard by the Great Depression.
Rohde boldly informed De Pree that the brand’s furniture had become outdated, which was part of the reason the company was in financial jeopardy. Homes had become smaller and could no longer accommodate the large Gothic– and Victorian–style furnishings and traditional reproductions of period bedroom suites that Herman Miller was offering at the time, Rohde explained.
Rohde secured a contract to design for the Michigan manufacturer. He championed the use of exotic woods and tubular steel, and created streamlined, unadorned bedroom furniture for Herman Miller — collections that included convenient vanities, which were unconventional pieces for De Pree’s company back then.
In 1933, Rohde oversaw the design of two bedrooms featuring sleek Herman Miller furniture — including innovative storage pieces he designed — as part of an International–style exhibit at the 1933 Chicago World’s Fair. The installation garnered acclaim for De Pree’s brand all over the world and afforded Rohde the opportunity to execute on his visionary ideas in front of a global audience. Rohde later designed lighting, seating and more for Herman Miller and was extensively involved in the company's marketing strategy and other areas of the business.
In 1942, Herman Miller, anticipating a postwar economic boom, began to produce office furniture for the first time, but its legacy is in the home. Working with legendary designers such as Ray and Charles Eames, Isamu Noguchi and Alexander Girard, the manufacturer fostered some of the boldest expressions of what we now call mid-century modern style.
Find vintage Gilbert Rohde coffee tables, lounge chairs, table lamps and other items on 1stDibs.
Herman Miller
No other business of its kind did more than the Herman Miller Furniture Company to introduce modern design into American homes. Working with legendary designers such as Charles and Ray Eames, George Nelson and Alexander Girard, the Zeeland, Michigan-based firm fostered some of the boldest expressions of what we now call mid-century modern style. In doing so, Herman Miller produced some of the most beautiful, iconic and, one can even say, noblest furniture ever.
Founded in 1923, Herman Miller was originally known for grand historicist bedroom suites: heavily ornamented wood furniture that appealed to a high-minded, wealthier clientele. The company — named for its chief financial backer — began to suffer in the early 1930s as the Great Depression hit, and D.J. De Pree, the company’s CEO, feared bankruptcy. In 1932, aid came in the form of Gilbert Rohde, a self-taught furniture designer who had traveled widely in Europe, absorbing details of the Art Deco movement and other modernist influences. After persuading De Pree that the growing middle-class required smaller, lighter household furnishings, Rohde set a new course for Herman Miller, creating sleek chairs, tables and cabinetry that were the essence of the Streamline Moderne style.
Rohde died suddenly in 1944. The following year, De Pree turned to George Nelson, an architect who had written widely about modern furniture design. Under Nelson’s leadership, Herman Miller would embrace new technologies and materials and audacious biomorphic forms. Some of the pieces the company produced are now emblems of 20th century American design, including the Eames lounge chair and ottoman and Nelson’s Marshmallow sofa and Coconut chair. As you can see on 1stDibs, such instantly recognizable furnishings have become timeless — staples of a modernist décor; striking, offbeat notes in traditional environments.
- ShippingRetrieving quote...Ships From: Brooklyn, NY
- Return Policy
This item cannot be returned.
- Gilbert Rohde 'Paldao Group' Modular Bookcase SystemBy Herman Miller, Gilbert RohdeLocated in Brooklyn, NYRare 3-piece storage system, one of the earliest modular furniture designs, veneered in exotic Paldao burl door-fronts and figured Paldao sides. The dark stain finish is original and beautiful, with a rich rosewood color. The drop-down secretary door is set with an elegantly cast brass knob, and opens to a hidden desk...Category
Vintage 1940s American Art Deco Bookcases
MaterialsBrass
- Gilbert Rohde Model # 3770 NightstandBy Herman Miller, Gilbert RohdeLocated in Brooklyn, NYRarely seen nightstand by Gilbert Rohde in beautifully figured burled rosewood with thin steel pulls. Features one drawer and a larger lower compartment. Model # 3770 for Herman Miller.Category
Vintage 1930s American Art Deco Night Stands
MaterialsSteel
- Early Gilbert Rohde ConsoleBy Gilbert Rohde, Herman MillerLocated in Brooklyn, NYFantastic example of early American Modern Age design. Chromed steel base, with demilune cork and mahogany top is the epitome of jazz-age experim...Category
Vintage 1930s American Demi-lune Tables
MaterialsCork
- Rare Pair Gilbert Rohde #3770 Six-Drawer DressersBy Herman Miller, Gilbert RohdeLocated in Brooklyn, NYThis rare design for Herman Miller features a curved case in opulent tropical wood veneer with sold hardwood handles, in a masculine streamlined design, with the surprising addition ...Category
Vintage 1930s American Art Deco Commodes and Chests of Drawers
MaterialsStainless Steel
- Peter & Molgaard Hvidt Rosewood SecretaryBy Soborg Mobler, Peter HvidtLocated in Brooklyn, NYHandsome, masculine 6-drawer dresser with recessed pulls, topped with drop-front desk fitted with drawer and storage cubicles. On enameled metal legs with rosewood block feet. Retain...Category
Vintage 1950s Danish Mid-Century Modern Secretaires
MaterialsSteel
- Finn Juhl Wall Shelving for BakerBy Baker Furniture Company, Finn JuhlLocated in Brooklyn, NYRare modular shelving system. Six birch open front cabinets and two cabinets with teak sliding doors. Dovetail construction. Cabinets easily hang f...Category
Vintage 1950s Danish Shelves
MaterialsBirch
- Gilbert Rohde 'Paldao' Desk Series for Herman MillerBy Gilbert RohdeLocated in Oakland, CAThis Gilbert Rohde paldao desk was manufactured between 1935-1940 by the Herman Miller Company. It is in original condition showing only the ...Category
Vintage 1930s American Art Deco Desks
MaterialsFaux Leather, Wood
- Gilbert Rohde for Herman Miller Paldao Group Bookcases, Newly RefinishedBy Gilbert Rohde, Herman MillerLocated in South Bend, INAn extremely rare and exceptional pair of Mid-Century Modern bookcase cabinets Designed by Gilbert Rohde for Herman Miller "Paldao Group" USA, 1940s Exotic book-matched pald...Category
Vintage 1940s American Mid-Century Modern Bookcases
MaterialsGlass, Paldao
- Gilbert Rohde Paldao Cabinet for Herman MillerBy Gilbert Rohde, Herman MillerLocated in Hanover, MAGilbert Rohde designed this chest for Herman Miller as part of his 1941 Paldao Line of streamline modernist and modular furniture in exotic veneer. This is model no. 4103, two-door c...Category
Vintage 1940s American Mid-Century Modern Commodes and Chests of Drawers
MaterialsMahogany
- Three Pc. Set of Art Deco Paldao Line Rohde for Herman MillerBy Gilbert Rohde, Herman MillerLocated in New York, NYIncredible suite of Gilbert Rohde design Paldao line, circa 1940's made by Herman Miller. This set has been professionally refinished, and is in virtually immaculate condition. Rare ...Category
Vintage 1940s American Art Deco Bookcases
MaterialsWood, Burl
- Gilbert Rohde 'Paldao' Desk for Herman MillerBy Gilbert RohdeLocated in Middlesex, NJGilbert Rohde 'Paldao' desk for Herman Miller.Category
Early 20th Century American Art Deco Desks
- Gilbert Rohde Cabinet for Herman MillerBy Gilbert Rohde, Herman MillerLocated in Philadelphia, PAGilbert Rohde Cabinet from the Mahogany Series dating to the late 1930's. Refinished about 10 years ago in a Satin Black Finish. Still presents pretty well but not perfect. Retains O...Category
Vintage 1930s American Art Deco Cabinets
MaterialsMetal
Recently Viewed
View AllRead More

A Guide to Herman Miller’s Most Iconic Furniture
The prolific manufacturer has partnered with many of the world’s top designers since opening its doors in 1923. Here are some of the company’s greatest hits, which helped transform the American home and office.

The 16 Most Popular Mid-Century Modern Chairs
You know the designs, now get the stories about to how they came to be.
The 1stDibs Promise
Learn MoreExpertly Vetted Sellers
Confidence at Checkout
Price-Match Guarantee
Exceptional Support
Buyer Protection
Trusted Global Delivery