Double Pedestal Tanker Desk, Refinished
About the Item
- Creator:Steelcase (Manufacturer)
- Similar to:Steel Age (Manufacturer)Mcdowell-Craig (Manufacturer)
- Dimensions:Height: 29 in (73.66 cm)Width: 60 in (152.4 cm)Depth: 28 in (71.12 cm)
- Style:Mid-Century Modern (Of the Period)
- Materials and Techniques:
- Place of Origin:
- Period:
- Date of Manufacture:Mid-Century
- Condition:Wear consistent with age and use.
- Seller Location:Alhambra, CA
- Reference Number:1stDibs: LU94431180382
Steelcase
The Michigan-based furniture maker Steelcase has a long and distinguished history, but collectors focus on its vintage office furniture and desk chairs from the 1950s to the ’70s, when, along with such companies as Knoll and Herman Miller, the firm helped define the aesthetics of American mid-century modernism.
Steelcase was founded in Grand Rapids in 1912 as the Metal Office Furniture Company, promoting steel desks and other furnishings as safer, fireproof alternatives to wooden pieces at a time when smoking in the workplace was common. Boston’s first skyscraper — the 32-story Customs House — was furnished by the company in 1915. Frank Lloyd Wright, an American architect and furniture designer whose work had a profound influence on the shape of modern life, turned to the firm in 1937 to fabricate the enameled metal chairs and desks for his Johnson Wax Headquarters in Racine, Wisconsin.
In the 1950s, when Steelcase formally adopted the name it still uses today, the company developed a sleek and functional style employing rectilinear chrome frames for glass-topped tables and upholstered seating pieces. The look is similar to that of the minimal, Bauhaus-inspired designs of Florence Knoll, another icon of furniture design who helped shape the ethos of the postwar business world.
By the 1970s, Steelcase had enlivened its styling, offering such pieces as chairs and side tables designed by Gardner Leaver, with circular bases and curving supports. As you will see on these pages, Steelcase designs offer a perfect foundation for a modernist decor, with a touch of flair.
Find vintage Steelcase furniture on 1stDibs.
You May Also Like
Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Desks and Writing Tables
Steel
Vintage 1970s Italian Mid-Century Modern Desks and Writing Tables
Marble
Antique Late 19th Century English Victorian Desks
Mahogany
21st Century and Contemporary British Edwardian Desks and Writing Tables
Brass
Vintage 1960s Mid-Century Modern Desks and Writing Tables
Glass, Wood
Vintage 1950s American Mid-Century Modern Desks and Writing Tables
Steel
Vintage 1970s American Mid-Century Modern Desks
Walnut
Vintage 1970s American Mid-Century Modern Dining Room Tables
Glass, Mirror, Lucite
20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Desks and Writing Tables
Brass
20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Desks and Writing Tables
Walnut
