Art Deco Credenza Bar Server by Gilbert Rohde for Herman Miller
View Similar Items
Art Deco Credenza Bar Server by Gilbert Rohde for Herman Miller
About the Item
- Creator:Gilbert Rohde (Designer),Herman Miller (Manufacturer)
- Dimensions:Height: 30.5 in (77.47 cm)Width: 48 in (121.92 cm)Depth: 16.5 in (41.91 cm)
- Style:Art Deco (Of the Period)
- Materials and Techniques:
- Place of Origin:
- Period:
- Date of Manufacture:circa 1930
- Condition:Refinished. Wear consistent with age and use. Lightly restored.
- Seller Location:Port Jervis, NY
- Reference Number:1stDibs: LU958623063762
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Rohde boldly informed De Pree that the brand’s furniture had become outdated, which was part of the reason the company was in financial jeopardy.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.
- Art Deco Server Étagère by Gilbert Rohde for Herman MillerBy Gilbert Rohde, Herman MillerLocated in Port Jervis, NYFabulous and hard to find server/étagère cabinet by Gilbert Rohde for Herman Miller. C1930 early days of Gilbert and Herman Miller collaboration. Two drawers stacked alongside two doors with two large open shelves...Category
Vintage 1930s American Art Deco Sideboards
MaterialsAluminum
- Art Deco Pink Champagne Glass Mantel Clock Gilbert RohdeBy Gilbert RohdeLocated in Port Jervis, NYArt Deco mantel clock in the style of Gilbert Rohde. Clock works excellent and is in excellent vintage condition. Sound wiring. Can be parcel posted safely.Category
Vintage 1940s American Art Deco Mantel Clocks
MaterialsSteel
- Pair of Mid-Century Modern Art Deco Cloud Tables Attributed to Gilbert RohdeBy Gilbert RohdeLocated in Port Jervis, NYFabulous pair of Mid-Century Modern sculptural "Cloud" form tables in the style of Gilbert Rohde. Tapered and reeded legs in a dark stained walnut with an organic cloud form glass to...Category
Vintage 1940s American Modern End Tables
MaterialsBrass
- Mid-Century Modern Bar Cart Edward Wormley for Dunbar C1953By Edward Wormley, Dunbar FurnitureLocated in Port Jervis, NYFabulous bar cart/server with a drop down top which is 27 inches and 54 when raised, shelves for bottles, cupboard for glasses and other necessities. Model # 5433 created out of waln...Category
Vintage 1950s American Mid-Century Modern Dry Bars
MaterialsBrass
- Mid-Century Modern Mahogany w Glass Dresser Credenza by Paul McCobb for CalvinBy Paul McCobb, Calvin FurnitureLocated in Port Jervis, NYSimple and elegant 5-drawer credenza with large storage compartment which features a shelf. Refinished in the original stain, waxed and polished. White milk glass top is excellent, m...Category
Vintage 1950s American Mid-Century Modern Credenzas
MaterialsBrass, Nickel
- Mid-Century Modern Brutalist Credenza Dresser by Bert England for John StuartBy John StuartLocated in Port Jervis, NYFabulous brutalist credenza or long dresser by Bert England for John Stuart. Bi fold doors open to reveal 8 total drawers and a shelf. Walnut mosaic panels which are framed. Marble top on 90 % front edge is walnut. Brass tubular base with walnut sabots. A true quality piece. Signed John Stuart. Has been refinished. All doors...Category
Vintage 1960s American Brutalist Dressers
MaterialsCarrara Marble, Brass
- Gilbert Rohde Streamline Art Deco Cabinet Credenza ServerBy Gilbert RohdeLocated in Rockaway, NJMid-Century Modern compact art deco two door credenza server cabinet by Gilbert Rhode. Burl wood front doors mahogany case.Category
20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Cabinets
MaterialsMahogany, Burl
- 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
- Gilbert Rohde for Herman Miller ShelfBy Gilbert Rohde, Herman MillerLocated in Philadelphia, PAGilbert Rohde for Herman Miller Open Display or Bookshelf. Newly refinished and ready to go! Perfect for your amazing collection! Pe...Category
Vintage 1930s American Art Deco Shelves
MaterialsMahogany
- Rare East Indian Laurel Art Deco, Machine Age Cabinet by Gilbert RohdeBy Gilbert Rohde, Herman MillerLocated in Buffalo, NYRare East Indian Laurel Art Deco, Machine Age cabinet by Gilbert Rohde, stunning design and proportion, exceptional quality, wonderful use of richly gr...Category
Vintage 1930s American Art Deco Cabinets
MaterialsNickel
- Gilbert Rohde 4140 Vanity for Herman MillerBy Gilbert Rohde, Herman MillerLocated in Hanover, MABeautifully refinished mahogany vanity/coiffeuse by Gilbert Rohde for Herman Miller with original off-white "leather cloth" (Fabrikoid) top and padded drawers. Kneehole: 26" high x 22" wide x 17.5" deep See our separate listings for other pieces from this same collection. See pages from original 1941 Herman Miller catalog.Category
Vintage 1940s American Art Deco Vanities
MaterialsFaux Leather, Mahogany
- Pr Art Deco Art Moderne Dressers by Gilbert Rohde for Herman Miller c 1930'sBy Gilbert Rohde, Herman MillerLocated in New York, NYChic pair of streamline Art Moderne dressers designed by Gilbert Rohde, for Herman Miller c 1936. The dressers feature opposing right and left c...Category
Vintage 1930s American Art Deco Dressers
MaterialsBirdseye Maple, Walnut
Recently Viewed
View AllRead More
The 21 Most Popular Mid-Century Modern Chairs
You know the designs, now get the stories about how they came to be.
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.