Paul Frankl, Station Wagon Cabinet, Mahogany, Natural Leather Brass Grips, 1945
View Similar Items
Paul Frankl, Station Wagon Cabinet, Mahogany, Natural Leather Brass Grips, 1945
About the Item
- Creator:Paul Frankl (Designer),Johnson Furniture Co. (Maker)
- Dimensions:Height: 30.32 in (77 cm)Width: 48.43 in (123 cm)Depth: 24.41 in (62 cm)
- Style:Mid-Century Modern (Of the Period)
- Materials and Techniques:
- Place of Origin:
- Period:
- Date of Manufacture:1945
- Condition:Minor losses. Wooden frame restored. Leather grips in original working condition. One leather grip without stitching. Could benefit from replacement. A hidden compartment used to feature a small mirror, now removed with screw-holes and marks visible on that detail.
- Seller Location:High Point, NC
- Reference Number:1stDibs: LU322819366213
Paul Frankl
Born in Vienna, Paul Frankl came to the United States in 1914 as part of a wave of Central European design luminaries — among them Kem Weber, Rudolph Schindler, and Richard Neutra — who were drawn by the energy and optimism of the American scene. Prolific and protean, Frankl would go on to design furnishings that are emblematic of nearly every key stylistic chord in American modernism, from the streamlined Art Deco to free-form organic shapes.
Frankl's Skyscraper cabinets, bookcases and more — introduced in 1924 — are his earliest and best-known designs (and the work by which he is most often represented in institutions, such as New York’s Metropolitan Museum of Art). Tall and narrow, the pieces have staggered shelves meant to mimic the setbacks of Manhattan office towers. A later visually expressive line — the Speed chairs and sofas, which have a raked profile suggesting motion — links Frankl to Donald Deskey, Raymond Loewy and other creators of Streamline Moderne design.
Frankl moved to Los Angeles in 1934 and luxuriated in the climate and lifestyle. His designs became lighter and simpler and found an audience among the Hollywood élite. (Katharine Hepburn, Cary Grant and Fred Astaire were clients.) Fascinated by Asian arts, Frankl produced numerous pieces — tabletops with edges that curve upward; sofas, chairs and other seating with rattan frames — inspired by Chinese and Japanese forms and materials. In the 1940s, Frankl became one of the first designers to incorporate free-form, biomorphic shapes in his work, as well as novel upholstery fabrics such as denim and nubby wool.
Frankl biographer Christopher Long argues that the designer’s easy, elegant aesthetic had an enormous influence on movie set design. As the furniture below attests, Paul Frankl’s work is ready for its close-up.
Find vintage Paul Frankl tables, dining chairs, case pieces and storage cabinets on 1stDibs.
Johnson Furniture Co.
Take a medal from the King of Sweden, a splash of the roaring twenties, and a series of talented designers and you get Johnson Furniture Co.’s elegant Art Deco and period-revival furnishings as well as a taste for why the Johnson name prevailed for over a century in American furniture manufacturing.
A wealth of forests rendered Grand Rapids, Michigan, a logging center during the 1800s. It eventually gained recognition for its furniture industry. The city became a destination for woodworkers who hailed from all over the United States as well as Europe, and Johnson Furniture Co. cofounder Carl Johnson, who had been recognized for cabinetmaking by the head of the royal family in his native Sweden, brought his royally acknowledged talents to America with his two brothers, Hjalmar and Axel in 1887. Together, they established Cabinetmakers Co. in Grand Rapids. In 1908, the brothers sold their start-up and founded Johnson Furniture Co.
Tom Handley, of the well-respected English furniture company Waring and Gillow, became an in-house designer with Johnson Furniture Co. in its early days. Handley would stay on as part of both the Johnson label and of Johnson-Handley-Johnson — a companion company that spun off from Johnson in 1922 — until his death in 1926. At the time, archaeological discoveries were all the rage. The greatest influence on Art Deco jewelry, for example, was the excavation of the tomb of King Tut in 1922, and some vintage Tom Handley designs were adaptations of Egyptian furniture. The brand specialized in a range of styles that included Art Deco, Chippendale, Queen Anne and more.
Acclaimed designer David Robertson Smith, who had made furniture in the Arts and Crafts style for the likes of Gustav Stickley, carried the Johnson Furniture Co. creative team into the early 1930s. Grand Rapids had by then become a thriving hub with respect to the mass production of furniture, and Smith’s sophisticated Dynamique line — a collection of coffee tables, cabinets and more in alluring woods such as walnut and mahogany and based on French furniture — was among the first mass-produced modern furniture made in America.
Johnson hired Lorenzo Rutili, a Carnegie Institute graduate who studied design in Europe, to lead the brand’s design division. Rutili oversaw 30 years of successful Johnson Furniture Co. collaborations with other notable designers including Paul Frankl, Eliel Saarinen, Bert England, J. Robert F. Swanson and Pipsam Saarinen Swanson. After wrapping up his tenure at Johnson, Rutili moved on to design furniture at Tomlinson in North Carolina.
During the 1960s, Kipp Stewart and Milo Baughman designed residential furnishings for Directional — a favorite of mid-century modern furniture enthusiasts — and Johnson produced these pieces, becoming the sole manufacturer for the North Carolina brand.
After a merger with Timberline Inc., Johnson Furniture Co. secured contracts for hotels, motels and university dormitories. In 1983, Johnson and Rose Manufacturing became RoseJohnson Inc. It was later purchased by La-Z-Boy.
On 1stDibs, find a collection of vintage Johnson Furniture Co. case pieces and storage cabinets, tables and other furniture.
- Paul Frankl, Cabinet, Mahogany, Brass, Cork, USA, 1950sBy Paul Frankl, Johnson Furniture CompanyLocated in High Point, NCA dark-stained mahogany, brass and cork cabinet, designed by Paul Frankl and produced by Johnson Furniture Company, Grand Rapids, Michigan, USA, c. 1950s.Category
Vintage 1950s American Mid-Century Modern Cabinets
MaterialsBrass
- Paul Frankl, Cabinet, Mahogany, Cork, Brass, USA, 1950sBy Paul Frankl, Johnson Furniture CompanyLocated in High Point, NCA stained mahogany, brass and beige-lacquered cork cabinet, designed by Paul Frankl and produced by Johnson Furniture Company, Grand Rapids Michigan, USA, 1950s.Category
Vintage 1950s American Mid-Century Modern Cabinets
MaterialsBrass
- Paul Frankl, Large Station Wagon Mirror, Maple, Mahogany, USA, 1950sBy Paul Frankl, Johnson Furniture CompanyLocated in High Point, NCA large "Station Wagon" mirror designed by Paul Frankl and produced by Johnson Furniture Company, USA, c. 1950s.Category
Vintage 1950s American Mid-Century Modern Wall Mirrors
MaterialsMahogany, Maple
- Paul Frankl, Cabinet, Oak, USA, 1940sBy Paul Frankl, BarzilayLocated in High Point, NCAn oak cabinet designed by Paul Frankl and produced by Barzilay, USA, 1940s.Category
Vintage 1940s American Mid-Century Modern Cabinets
MaterialsOak
- Paul Frankl, Organic Coffee Table, Cork Top, Mahogany Base, 1950sBy Paul Frankl, Johnson Furniture Co.Located in High Point, NCA very rare cork top coffee table or cocktail table by Paul Frankl for American manufacturer Johnson Furniture Company, circa 1955. The playful cork top features a tear-drop shaped ...Category
Vintage 1950s American Mid-Century Modern Coffee and Cocktail Tables
MaterialsMahogany, Cork
- Paul Frankl, Low Coffee Table, Painted Cork, Stained Mahogany, 1940s AmericaBy Paul Frankl, Johnson Furniture Co.Located in High Point, NCAn all original coffee or cocktail table designed by Paul Frankl and produced by Johnson Furniture Company in the 1940s. An off-white/yellow painted cork-top is mounted on a base in ...Category
Vintage 1940s American Mid-Century Modern Coffee and Cocktail Tables
MaterialsMahogany, Cork
- Pair of Cabinets after Paul Frankl, circa 1940, Made in USABy Paul FranklLocated in Jersey City, NJPair of cabinets both with two doors and matching solid brass pulls. One cabinet opens to reveal four centre drawers flanked by a single shelf on either side. The second opens to a s...Category
Vintage 1940s American Mid-Century Modern Cabinets
MaterialsWood
$2,800 Sale Price / set61% Off - Art Deco Paul Frankl for Johnson Furniture Mahogany and Cork Buffet CabinetBy Paul Frankl, Johnson Furniture Co.Located in Chicago, ILArt Deco Paul Frankl for Johnson Furniture Mahogany and Cork buffet cabinet An exquisite, iconic and truly timeless and unparalleled classic, complete buffet and display case by Paul Frankl for Johnson Furniture Co. The 2 door breakfront cabinet...Category
Vintage 1940s Art Deco Buffets
MaterialsBrass
- Paul Frankl, John Stuart, Rare Station Wagon Dresser, Mahogany, Brass, LeatherBy Johnson Furniture Company, Paul FranklLocated in Stamford, CTMid-Century Modern Paul Frankl / John Stuart Dresser, Sideboard, Bedroom Set Collectors opportunity to own a rare Paul Frankl designed dresser for Johnson Furniture Co. and retailed...Category
Vintage 1940s American Mid-Century Modern Dressers
MaterialsLeather, Mahogany, Maple
- Paul Frankl "Station Wagon" Three-Drawer Chest for Johnson FurnitureBy Johnson Furniture Co., Paul FranklLocated in Hanover, MAGorgeous three-drawer nightstand chest by Paul Frankl from his highly coveted "Station Wagon Group" created in 1945 for Johnson Furniture Company of Grand Rapids. Branded mark in top...Category
Vintage 1940s American Mid-Century Modern Night Stands
MaterialsBrass
- Elegant Mahogany Cabinet by Renzo Rutili in Black LacquerBy Renzo Rutili, Johnson Furniture Co.Located in Atlanta, GARenzo Rutili was a seminal furniture designer of the 20th century who is sometimes overlooked in retrospect. Much of his work is as sophisticated, cutting edge and downright fabulous...Category
Vintage 1960s American Mid-Century Modern Cabinets
MaterialsBrass
- Paul Frankl small display cabinetBy Paul FranklLocated in Westport, CTPaul Frankl creme Cork Mahogany Display CabinetCategory
Vintage 1950s American Mid-Century Modern Cabinets