Paul McCobb Secretary or Cabinet
View Similar Items
Paul McCobb Secretary or Cabinet
About the Item
- Creator:Paul McCobb (Designer)
- Dimensions:Height: 77 in (195.58 cm)Width: 38 in (96.52 cm)Depth: 18 in (45.72 cm)
- Style:Mid-Century Modern (Of the Period)
- Materials and Techniques:
- Place of Origin:
- Period:
- Date of Manufacture:1960s
- Condition:Wear consistent with age and use. Piece has been restored.
- Seller Location:North Miami, FL
- Reference Number:1stDibs: LU78627538653
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.
More From This Seller
View All1990s Collectible Jewelry
Silver
Vintage 1950s American Mid-Century Modern Serving Bowls
Brass
Mid-20th Century British Mid-Century Modern Paintings
Canvas
Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Collectible Jewelry
Stone, Gold
Vintage 1930s Swedish Mid-Century Modern Wall Lights and Sconces
Steel
Vintage 1950s Finnish Mid-Century Modern Tea Sets
Porcelain
You May Also Like
Mid-20th Century Danish Mid-Century Modern Secretaires
Wood
Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Secretaires
Brass
Vintage 1930s Hungarian Modern Secretaires
Walnut, Rosewood
Vintage 1960s Italian Mid-Century Modern Secretaires
Brass
Vintage 1960s Swedish Mid-Century Modern Secretaires
Brass
Antique 18th Century Unknown Baltic Secretaires
Brass
