Beautiful Paul Frankl Double Dresser in Bone Lacquer with Nickel Pulls, 1950s
View Similar Items
Beautiful Paul Frankl Double Dresser in Bone Lacquer with Nickel Pulls, 1950s
About the Item
- Creator:
- Dimensions:Height: 32.25 in (81.92 cm)Width: 72.5 in (184.15 cm)Depth: 22.25 in (56.52 cm)
- Style:Mid-Century Modern (Of the Period)
- Materials and Techniques:
- Place of Origin:
- Period:
- Date of Manufacture:1950s
- Condition:
- Seller Location:Southampton, NJ
- Reference Number:Seller: Jessica1stDibs: LU156624175693
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.
- Mid-Century White Diamond Front 8-Drawer Gentleman's Chest Dresser By UnitedBy United Furniture CorporationLocated in Southampton, NJA stunning mid-century modern 8-drawer gentleman’s chest having sculptural convex diamond front top drawers with brass pulls and 2 flat wide bottom drawers raised on a base with four...Category
Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Dressers
MaterialsBrass
$1,400 Sale Price20% Off - Mid-Century White Diamond Front 9-Drawer Dresser By United Furniture Co.By United Furniture CorporationLocated in Southampton, NJA stunning mid-century modern 9-drawer dresser having sculptural convex diamond front with brass pulls raised on a base with four tapered legs. In outstanding vintage condition. Clea...Category
Mid-20th Century Mid-Century Modern Dressers
MaterialsBrass
$2,200 Sale Price20% Off - 20th Century Vintage Coastal Woven Rattan DresserBy Ficks Reed, McGuireLocated in Southampton, NJA vintage Coastal six drawer dresser of woven rattan panels, carved bamboo trim & custom glass top. A single matching nightstand can be viewed in our separate listing: "20th Century Vintage Coastal Woven Rattan Nightstand".Category
20th Century Taiwanese Organic Modern Dressers
MaterialsBamboo, Rattan
- Midcentury Brazilian Rosewood Triple Dresser After Arne Vodder, Canada, Ca 1970By Inter-Continental-Design LimitedLocated in Southampton, NJA stunning Brazilian Rosewood 9-drawer triple dresser in the manner of Arne Vodder by Inter-Continental-Design Limited of Canada circa 1970. Stunning grain throughout. All drawer f...Category
Mid-20th Century Canadian Scandinavian Modern Dressers
MaterialsRosewood, Pine
- Danish Rosewood Arne Wahl Iverson Mid Century Gentlemen's ChestBy Arne Wahl Iversen, Vinde MøbelfabrikLocated in Southampton, NJTwo available. One of the most attractive works by Vinde Møbelfabrik. Made in Denmark and designed by Arne Wahl Iversen, circa 1970s. Scandinavian inspired minimalism at its best. T...Category
Vintage 1970s Danish Mid-Century Modern Dressers
MaterialsBeech, Rosewood
- 1980's Campaign Style Bachelor Chest of Six DrawersBy Hickory Chair Furniture Company, Heritage Furniture, Henkel HarrisLocated in Southampton, NJCampaign style dresser with cock beading to six dovetailed drawers boasting fiery Mahogany grains. A well designed mid size chest of drawers with generous storage. Matching pieces ca...Category
20th Century American Campaign Dressers
MaterialsBrass
- Ten Drawer Dresser by Paul Frankl, C. 1950sBy Johnson Furniture Co., Paul FranklLocated in Westport, CTA meticulously restored Paul Frankl Dresser from Johnson Furniture, a mid-century masterpiece circa 1950s. This vintage gem, designed by the iconic Paul Frankl, features 10 drawers a...Category
Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Dressers
MaterialsNickel
- 1950s Paul Frankl Moroccan Red Lacquered Double Dresser / Chest of DrawersBy Paul FranklLocated in Saint Louis, MOIconic Paul Frankl 10-drawer chest with freshly polished brass X pulls, refinished and shown in Moroccan Red Lacquer from Frankl's Debonair Collection for Johnson Furniture. Pair Available. Please note buyer has the option to select any color for professional refinishing to match the desired interior. Certainly one of Paul Frankl's most celebrated designs, the chest is timeless and pairs well with contemporary, eclectic and mid century decor. Paul Frankl was known in the Art Deco period for his architectural skyscraper...Category
Mid-20th Century Mid-Century Modern Commodes and Chests of Drawers
MaterialsLacquer
- Paul Frankl Dresser and Nightstand for Johnson Furniture, 1950sBy Johnson Furniture Company, John Stuart, Paul FranklLocated in Los Angeles, CAThis fantastic 1950s ten-drawer double dresser and nightstand was designed by Paul Frankl for Johnson Furniture and retailed by John Stuart duri...Category
Vintage 1950s American Mid-Century Modern Dressers
MaterialsMetal
$5,700 Sale Price / set39% Off - Paul Frankl Walnut Dresser with Brass Buckle Pulls and Feet 1950s 'Signed'By Johnson Furniture Company, Paul FranklLocated in Brooklyn, NYBeautifully crafted walnut dresser with 8 drawers designed by Paul Frankl for Johnson Furniture (1950s). Accented by solid brass buckle style pulls and feet. Signed in drawer (“Johns...Category
Vintage 1950s American Mid-Century Modern Dressers
MaterialsBrass
- Mid-Century Modern Black Lacquer Paul Frankl Stamped John Stuart Double DresserBy John Stuart, Paul FranklLocated in Stamford, CTMid-Century Modern Black Lacquer Paul Frankl Stamped John Stuart Double Dresser A spectacular dresser designed by Paul Frankl for John Stuart, recently ...Category
Vintage 1940s American Mid-Century Modern Dressers
MaterialsLacquer
- Paul Frankl, John Stuart, Mid-Century Modern, Dresser, Walnut, Brass, USA, 1950sBy Johnson Furniture Company, John Stuart, Paul FranklLocated in Stamford, CTPaul Frankl, John Stuart, Mid-Century Modern, Dresser, Walnut, Brass, USA, 1950s Fully refinished dresser designed by Paul Frankl for John Stuart. This cabinet has 8 drawers in tota...Category
Mid-20th Century American Dressers
MaterialsBrass