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Important Rare Paul Evans, Cylindrical Console, Wavy Front Credenza C. 1980's
About the Item
Calling all serious collectors and lovers of glam—this is not just a credenza; it’s a showstopper, a one-of-a-kind, super rare prototype straight from the genius mind of Paul Evans. Let’s get one thing clear: this piece isn’t just furniture; it’s a statement, a mood, a literal golden wave of fabulousness.
Originally owned by the legendary Todd Merrill (yes, that Todd Merrill—master of modern design and author of Modern Americana), this baby was snapped up by a private collector before making its way to us. And let me tell you, it’s dripping in glam from top to bottom.
This Cylindrical Console (measuring a jaw-dropping 96” long, 32” tall, and 26” deep) was a prototype floor model from Evans' final design studio in NYC—his post-Pennsylvania chapter, when he was at the height of his boundary-pushing creativity. This is 1980s excess at its absolute finest. Picture it: brass-plated steel shimmering like a pool of liquid gold, with a wavy, undulating front—three connected cylinders flowing together in a perfectly elegant squiggle. It’s not just a visual feast; it’s a party for your living room.
Each cylinder pulls open (hello, semi-circles!) to reveal luxuriously upholstered tan suede shelves inside. That’s right—three shelves per cylinder, giving you all the storage you could dream of, but with a touch of decadence. Oh, and did we mention the wheels? Yes, each cylinder moves like a dream. There are also 3 laminated, moveable shelves on the inside so you can store as much as you'd like. The top? Clad in crisp white plexiglass for that extra hit of 80s glam.
This credenza was the final visual iteration of Evans’ experimental genius. It’s more than a piece of furniture; it’s history, art, and design all rolled into one. And because it’s a prototype, you won’t find another like it anywhere. This is the Paul Evans piece for the collector who already has everything—except this.
A little on Evans --
Paul Evans—an iconic American designer who’s often associated with the Studio Craft movement—wasn’t just creating furniture; he was crafting art. Known for his sculptural, metallic designs, Evans blurred the line between function and form with his unique metalworking techniques, often blending bronze, copper, and steel into futuristic, brutalist shapes. He was constantly innovating, and this Cylindrical Console is a perfect example of his creative genius.
Evans worked alongside Philip Lloyd Powell and was just down the street from the legendary George Nakashima in New Hope, Pennsylvania. Both Evans and Powell created some of the most groundbreaking and collectible furniture of the 20th century. While Powell leaned into the organic, hand-carved wood aesthetic, Evans went full throttle with high-gloss metals, merging craftsmanship with avant-garde artistry.
By the time this prototype was made in the 1980s, Evans had moved to New York City, leaving his Pennsylvania roots behind and embracing a new, highly reflective, glamorous aesthetic. His partnership with Directional Furniture solidified his place as a master of bold, modern design. His pieces, like this one, have become legendary in the world of design collecting—fetching top-tier prices for their rarity and unmistakable style.
About Todd Merrill
Todd Merrill, a tastemaker in his own right, has spent decades curating some of the finest examples of 20th-century American furniture and Studio Craft. He’s known for representing top-tier designers and artists, both contemporary and classic, in his New York gallery, Todd Merrill Studio. His influence extends into the world of rare and custom furniture, often showcasing unique, one-of-a-kind pieces much like this stunning Paul Evans prototype. Todd Merrill is a legend in our (antique dealers) industry. The man was writing Modern Americana while I was sitting in Comm Theory class in college.
With this piece you’re not just buying a credenza—you’re investing in an unforgettable slice of design history. Glam, bold, and just oozing with charisma, this Paul Evans prototype is not just sexy—it’s the conversation piece that will have your guests swooning. This piece is currently in our gallery alongside a Gabriella Crespi coffee table, a DeSede DS600 and a Vladimir Kagan Cloud sofa, and not only does this console make a statement; it steals the show. It's like the other designers weren't even trying.
- Creator:Paul Evans (Designer)
- Dimensions:Height: 32 in (81.28 cm)Width: 96 in (243.84 cm)Depth: 26 in (66.04 cm)
- Style:Mid-Century Modern (In the Style Of)
- Materials and Techniques:
- Place of Origin:
- Period:1980-1989
- Date of Manufacture:1980's
- Condition:Wear consistent with age and use. There is some wear on the top inside the cabinets where it's been rubbed opening and closing that can be seen only when the doors are opened. Minimal wear consistent with age and use. One small tiny ding on front of middle door.
- Seller Location:Culver City, CA
- Reference Number:1stDibs: LU1139241995552
Paul Evans
A designer and sculptor, Paul Evans was a wild card of late 20th century modernism. A leading light of the American Studio Furniture movement, Evans’s sideboards, credenzas, coffee tables and other work manifests a singular aesthetic sense, as well as a seemingly contradictory appreciation for both folk art forms and for new materials and technologies.
Evans’s primary material was metal, not wood, which was favored by his fellow studio designers, and Bucks County, Pennsylvania, neighbors George Nakashima and Phillip Lloyd Powell. He trained in metallurgy and studied at the Cranbrook Academy of Art, the famed crucible of modern design and art in suburban Detroit. For a time early in his career, Evans also worked at Sturbridge Village, a historical “living museum” in Massachusetts, where he gave demonstrations as a costumed silversmith.
Evans’s earliest work unites these influences. The pieces that made his reputation are known as “sculpted-front” cabinets: wood cases faced with box-like high-relief patinated steel mounts laid out in a grid pattern. Each mount contains a metal emblem, or glyph, and the effect is that of a brawny quilt.
Evans’s later work falls into three distinct style groups. His sculpted-bronze pieces, begun in the mid-1960s, show Evans at his most expressive. He employed a technique in which resin is hand-shaped, and later sprayed with a metal coating, allowing for artistic nuance in the making of chairs, tables and case pieces. Later in the decade and into the 1970s, Evans produced his Argente series for celebrated manufacturer Directional (a brand known to vintage mid-century modern furniture collectors everywhere): consoles and other furniture forms that feature aluminum and pigment-infused metal surfaces welded into abstract organic forms and patterns.
Last, Evans's Cityscape design series — a milestone in the history of brutalist design — meshed perfectly with the sleek, “high tech” sensibility of the later ’70s. Evans constructed boxy forms and faced them with irregular mosaic patterns that mixed rectangular plaques of chromed steel, bronze or burlwood veneer. These, like all of Paul Evans’s designs, are both useful and eye-catching. But their appeal has another, more visceral quality: these pieces have clearly been touched by an artist’s hand.
Find a collection of authentic Paul Evans furniture today on 1stDibs.
About the Seller
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