10-Drawer Dresser by Paul McCobb for Calvin
View Similar Items
10-Drawer Dresser by Paul McCobb for Calvin
About the Item
- Creator:Calvin Furniture (Manufacturer),Paul McCobb (Designer)
- Dimensions:Height: 34.25 in (87 cm)Width: 66 in (167.64 cm)Depth: 18 in (45.72 cm)
- Style:Mid-Century Modern (Of the Period)
- Materials and Techniques:
- Place of Origin:
- Period:
- Date of Manufacture:1950s
- Condition:Wear consistent with age and use. Expertly refinished.
- Seller Location:Dorchester, MA
- Reference Number:1stDibs: LU83783069542
Paul McCobb
The single aesthetic attribute of vintage Paul McCobb furniture is that the designer completely forsook ornament — his pieces have no flourishes. And yet, because they are honest — McCobb’s chairs, desks and dining tables are made of solid wood, usually maple or birch, often paired with frames and legs of wrought iron; the cabinets are traditionally scaled; the seating pieces have historic antecedents such as the Windsor chair — his mid-century modern work has warmth and presence.
You could call the Massachusetts-born McCobb a man of parts. As a furniture designer, his work combined the attributes of many of his now better-known peers.
Like the work of Bauhaus designers such as Ludwig Mies van der Rohe and Marcel Breuer, McCobb's furniture had purity of form and line. Like the designs of Florence Knoll and George Nelson and his associates, McCobb’s work was efficient and purposeful. And even like George Nakashima, he was adept at interpreting traditional forms, in particular those of chairs, for the 20th century.
More than any other designer besides Russel Wright, with his ubiquitous ceramic tableware, McCobb was arguably responsible for the introduction of modern design into middle-class American households — if for no other reason than that he designed the 1952 set for the original Today show.
McCobb, a repeat recipient of the Good Design Award from the Museum of Modern Art, also designed cohesive lines of furnishings, such as his best-known Planner Group, that gave homes an instant “look.” He designed for several companies, most notably Directional, which was home to McCobb’s Origami chair.
In 1949, in partnership with New York furniture salesman B.G. Mesberg, McCobb set up the Directional Furniture Company, a brand known to vintage mid-century modern furniture collectors everywhere. Directional opened its doors after McCobb created the high-end Directional Modern line of sofas distributed by the New York-based Modernage Company. Directional also produced designs by other legends such as Paul Evans and Vladimir Kagan.
As you can see from the offerings on 1stDibs, McCobb designs are the pin-striped suit, or the little black dress, of a decor: an essential.
Find vintage Paul McCobb credenzas, bookcases, nightstands and other furniture on 1stDibs.
Calvin Furniture
The Grand Rapids, Michigan-based company Calvin Furniture opened its doors in 1953 and became a sought-after contract manufacturer for the day’s top furniture designers and brands. Its appealing mid-century modern and Hollywood Regency offerings — nightstands, dressers and more — graced the showrooms of department stores all over North America during the 1950s and 1960s.
Calvin’s relationship with the work of Massachusetts-born designer Paul McCobb is well known to enthusiasts of mid-century modern furniture. McCobb, whose unadorned and efficient storage pieces, seating and desks drew on Shaker simplicity and Bauhaus minimalism, wasn’t exactly a designer for Calvin — in partnership with New York furniture salesman B.G. Mesberg, McCobb set up the Directional Furniture Company in Manhattan in 1949, and Calvin was one of the manufacturers contracted to produce the furniture he designed for Directional (and later, for pieces designed under his own name).
Among McCobb’s most acclaimed lines made by Calvin Furniture were the Calvin Group and the Irwin Collection. The travertine-topped sideboards and mahogany nightstands of those lines as well as the other Calvin-produced dressers, bookcases and chests of drawers designed by McCobb were elegant and spare, free of unnecessary embellishments.
Calvin also manufactured the very popular American Design Foundation line of furniture that Kipp Stewart and Stewart MacDougall designed. The Pennsylvania-born, California-raised MacDougall enjoyed a postwar collaboration with West Coast native Stewart that resulted in great success with manufacturers such as Glenn of California and Drexel Furniture. The duo’s celebrated Declaration line for the latter featured streamlined credenzas, dressers and more made in walnut with comely porcelain hardware. The dining chairs, tables and coffee tables manufactured by Calvin flaunt the pair’s signature clean lines, gentle curves and organic shapes.
In the late 1950s and early ‘60s, Calvin Furniture continued its business relationship with B.G. Mesberg National Sales and Directional Furniture. Calvin finally closed their doors during the early 1970s, but their legacy can be found in enduring pieces of modern furniture that remain popular today.
On 1stDibs, find a selection of vintage Calvin Furniture tables, credenzas, chairs and more.
- Four-Drawer Walnut Dresser by Paul McCobb for Calvin FurnitureBy Paul McCobbLocated in Dorchester, MADesigned by Paul McCobb and manufactured by Calvin Furniture, this four-drawer dresser features aluminum accents and slender drawer pulls that emphasize its clean lines and beautiful...Category
Vintage 1950s American Mid-Century Modern Dressers
MaterialsAluminum
- Six-Drawer Walnut Dresser by Paul McCobb for Calvin FurnitureBy Paul McCobb, Calvin FurnitureLocated in Dorchester, MADesigned by Paul McCobb and manufactured by Calvin Furniture, this mid-century six-drawer dresser features aluminum accents and slender drawer pulls that emphasize its clean lines an...Category
Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Dressers
MaterialsAluminum
- Irwin Group Walnut Dining Table by Paul McCobb for CalvinBy Paul McCobb, Calvin FurnitureLocated in Dorchester, MAPaul McCobb designed this striking dining table as part of his Irwin Group Collection for Calvin Furniture. The walnut top perches on slim angled aluminium...Category
Vintage 1950s American Mid-Century Modern Dining Room Tables
MaterialsAluminum
- Planner Group Three-Drawer Chest on Low Table by Paul McCobb for WinchendonBy Paul McCobb, Planner GroupLocated in Dorchester, MADesigned by Paul McCobb for Winchendon Furniture's Planner Group line, this chest comprises a three-drawer maple case piece that sits atop a low detached maple table that could also ...Category
Vintage 1950s American Mid-Century Modern Commodes and Chests of Drawers
MaterialsAluminum
- Low Oak Dresser by Raymond Loewy for MengelBy Mengel Furniture Co., Raymond LoewyLocated in Dorchester, MARaymond Loewy designed this clean-lined dresser for the Mengel Furniture Company. Solidly constructed of a handsomely grained oak, it has four dr...Category
Vintage 1950s American Mid-Century Modern Commodes and Chests of Drawers
MaterialsAluminum
- Teak Gentleman's Dresser with Mirror by Peter Hvidt and Orla Mølgaard-NielsenBy Peter Hvidt, Orla Mølgaard-NielsenLocated in Dorchester, MAPeter Hvidt and Orla Mølgaard-Nielsen designed this handsome gentleman's dresser for J. Jacobsen and Sonner; it was imported from Denmark by John Stuart, whose mark appears underneat...Category
Vintage 1950s Danish Scandinavian Modern Dressers
MaterialsTeak
- Pair of Paul McCobb for Calvin DressersBy Paul McCobbLocated in Chicago, ILPair of Paul McCobb for Calvin Dressers, the linear group, oiled walnut with stainless steel pulls and accent details. One case has 4 drawers, the other has 3 with open storage. La...Category
Vintage 1950s American Mid-Century Modern Commodes and Chests of Drawers
MaterialsStainless Steel
$6,825 / set - Pair of Paul McCobb for Calvin Four Drawer DressersBy Calvin Furniture, Paul McCobbLocated in Chicago, ILPair of Paul McCobb for Calvin Four Drawer Dressers, Oiled walnut with vertical aluminum edge accents and beveled aluminum pulls.Category
Vintage 1950s American Mid-Century Modern Dressers
MaterialsAluminum
- Paul McCobb Dresser for Calvin FurnitureBy Calvin Furniture, Paul McCobbLocated in Brooklyn, NYThis stunning vintage modern dresser was designed by Paul McCobb for Calvin Furniture. Sleek compact design with eight large drawers, unique metal pulls, and metal trim on the fronts...Category
Mid-20th Century North American Mid-Century Modern Dressers
MaterialsWalnut
- Paul McCobb Gentlemans High Chest Dresser Calvin Furniture Irwin Collection MintBy Calvin Furniture, Paul McCobbLocated in Rockaway, NJPaul McCobb Gentlemans high chest dresser Calvin Furniture Irwin Collection MINTCategory
20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Dressers
MaterialsBrass
- Paul McCobb for Calvin Furniture Eight Drawer Marble Top DresserBy Calvin Furniture, Paul McCobbLocated in Brooklyn, NYEarly Paul McCobb designed "Irwin" Collection dresser made by Calvin Furniture of Grand Rapids, MI. Robust walnut construction conceals eight large pull-out drawers behind a pair of ...Category
Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Dressers
MaterialsStone, Marble, Brass
- Paul McCobb for Calvin Concealed Mahogany DresserBy Calvin Furniture, Paul McCobbLocated in Brooklyn, NYMid-Century Modern, streamlined, mahogany dresser by Paul McCobb for Calvin Furniture: The Irwin Collection features bi-fold doors that open to reveal four 5 inch height drawers that...Category
Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Dressers
MaterialsBrass