Kipp Stewart Desk with Brass Bamboo Form Legs by Directional
View Similar Items
Kipp Stewart Desk with Brass Bamboo Form Legs by Directional
About the Item
- Creator:Kipp Stewart (Designer),Directional (Maker)
- Dimensions:Height: 29.62 in (75.24 cm)Width: 48.12 in (122.23 cm)Depth: 24.25 in (61.6 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. Good original vintage condition.
- Seller Location:Highland, IN
- Reference Number:1stDibs: LU909113471272
Kipp Stewart
The ultimate multi-hyphenate, Kipp Stewart counted painting, photography, architecture and furniture design among his talents. Known to furniture obsessives for the Declaration series he codesigned for North Carolina’s Drexel Furniture, Stewart was actually born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, in 1928 and is most commonly associated with mid-century design movements of his adopted home state of California. There, in 1972, Stewart designed the Ventana Big Sur, a luxury resort near Montecito for which he oversaw architecture, planning, furniture and interior design across 160 acres of land.
By the time Stewart spearheaded the Ventana, he was already well versed in furniture design. After briefly serving in the U.S. Navy as a teenager, Stewart enrolled at the Chouinard Art Institute (present-day CalArts) in Los Angeles.
By the time he graduated, Stewart was steeped in the world of modern seating design, experimenting with new chair models that bridged form and function. Charles and Ray Eames were important influences on his early work, which included a chrome-framed lounge chair whose reclined shape bears a striking resemblance to the Eameses’ iconic lounge.
In the late 1950s, Stewart partnered with another West Coast furniture designer, Stewart MacDougall, on a line of modern furniture for Drexel. (The pair were also producing case pieces and more for Glenn of California.)
Drexel soon unveiled Stewart and McDougall’s Declaration line, which was constructed entirely of natural walnut and featured the choice of white porcelain or brass drawer pulls and cabinet door handles. Although its stylish credenzas and other pieces reflect the kind of slim-lined, low-slung silhouettes for which mid-century design has become known, there are also elements that nod to earlier American and European furniture design, such as the dining chairs whose flattened spindle backs recall Shaker and Windsor chair design, distinguishing them from the modern designs becoming prolific in Scandinavia at the time.
The Declaration pieces were so indicative of a particularly American style, in fact, that several items from the collection were selected by the U.S. government to represent the country at the Brussels World’s Fair in 1958.
While Stewart found success as a painter and with his Ventana hotel project — and had also designed chairs, chests and more for Directional — the Drexel Declaration line is his best-known furniture collection and remains highly sought after by collectors today.
Find a wide range of vintage Kipp Stewart furniture on 1stDibs, including dining room chairs, end tables and more.
Directional
A brand known to vintage mid-century modern furniture collectors everywhere, Directional Furniture opened its doors after American furniture designer Paul McCobb created the high-end Directional Modern line of sofas distributed by the New York–based Modernage Company.
In his pivotal introduction of postwar modernism to the mass market, the revered Massachusetts-born McCobb had established several lines, from the affordable and refined Planner Group for Winchendon to the swooping and unexpected arms of the Symmetric Group for Widdicomb, a Shaker-inspired collection that included a sofa and a lounge chair. Like all of McCobb’s designs, the Directional pieces for Modernage are defined by a sleek aesthetic in which the focus is on elegant functionality, frequently using fine materials such as brass and walnut. In 1949, in partnership with New York furniture salesman B.G. Mesberg, McCobb set up the Directional Furniture Company.
The pair’s first pieces were upholstered chairs, intended to harmonize with the modular Multiplex pieces designed by Martin Feinman. McCobb then designed an array of furniture including storage, dining, seating, desks and other pieces with details such as leather tops, wood finishes and Roman Travertine surfaces. While Directional stopped production of McCobb’s work in the early 1960s, it still released numerous pieces by leading designers manufactured by a variety of companies.
Designer Paul Evans led the factory for a time after joining in 1964. His provocative work for the company often reflected his understanding of materials from his early training as a silversmith, such as the popular Cityscape series — a milestone in brutalist design — with its blocky forms accented with brass and chrome. At his shop in Lambertville, New Jersey, he collaborated with a design team to clad furniture pieces in metallic surfaces, like the Argente line that began production in 1968 and involved an acetylene torch to give its aluminum material a textural quality. He also worked on the Sculpted Bronze series with hand-formed resin shaped over plywood or steel that was then coated with atomized bronze.
Other Directional designers included Vladimir Kagan, who contributed biomorphic sofas and swivel chairs; Milo Baughman, who created tables and dressers inspired by Scandinavian modernism; and Jack Lenor Larsen, who covered sofas in dynamically patterned fabric.
Find authentic Directional Furniture seating, tables, case pieces and storage cabinets from top sellers around the world on 1stDibs.
- Kipp Stewart & Stewart MacDougall Nightstand by DrexelBy Drexel, Kipp Stewart & Stewart MacDougallLocated in Highland, INThis beautifully detailed nightstand in walnut by Kipp Stewart & Stewart MacDougall for their "Declaration" line by Drexel has legs set outside of the case in a manner similar to Nie...Category
Vintage 1950s American Mid-Century Modern Night Stands
MaterialsWalnut
- T.H. Robsjohn-Gibbings Desk by WiddicombBy Widdicomb Furniture Co., T.H. Robsjohn-GibbingsLocated in Highland, INThis desk by T.H. Robsjo-Gibbings for Widdicomb has a strong architectural quality and great minimalist design. The desktop cantilevers from the pedestal and is supported by a single...Category
Vintage 1950s American Mid-Century Modern Desks and Writing Tables
MaterialsWalnut
- Danish Modern Teak Desk by FalsterBy Falster MøbelfabrikLocated in Highland, INThis handsome and incredibly well built Svend Madsen desk by Falster Mobelfabrik has a bank of three shallow drawers on the left and a deep file drawer on the right. The back feature...Category
Vintage 1960s Danish Scandinavian Modern Desks and Writing Tables
MaterialsTeak
Sold$2,400 - Milo Baughman Dining Table by DirectionalBy Milo Baughman, DirectionalLocated in Highland, INThis classic mid-century dining table designed by Milo Baughman for Directional takes a simple, rectilinear form and dresses it up with bands of mixed wood veneers. The 72" long tabl...Category
Vintage 1960s American Mid-Century Modern Dining Room Tables
MaterialsWood
- 1970s Aluminum "Sawhorse" Table or DeskLocated in Highland, INAn ingenious and attractive design. Two Campaign-style aluminum sawhorse forms support a glass top creating a wonderful desk or table. The original glass shows damage– ordering a new...Category
Vintage 1970s American Mid-Century Modern Desks and Writing Tables
MaterialsAluminum
- Elinor McGuire Model 226c Caned DeskBy John and Elinor McGuire, McGuireLocated in Highland, INThis exquisite design by Elinor McGuire for McGuire of San Fransisco is an exercise in subtle beauty and refined detailing. With a body covered in cane, an oak top, slightly splayed ...Category
Vintage 1980s American Modern Desks and Writing Tables
MaterialsBrass
Sold$6,400
- Kipp Stewart American Design Foundation MCM Solid Cherry Corner DeskBy Kipp StewartLocated in Countryside, ILKipp Stewart American Design Foundation Mid Century solid cherry corner desk This desk measures: 47.5 wide x 36.25 deep x 22.25 inches high...Category
Vintage 1970s American Mid-Century Modern Desks
MaterialsCherry
- Kipp Stewart for Drexel Declaration Mid Century Walnut Corner DeskBy Kipp Stewart, DrexelLocated in Countryside, ILKipp Stewart for Drexel declaration mid century walnut corner desk This desk measures: 52.5 wide x 40.25 deep x 31.5 inches high, with a c...Category
Vintage 1970s American Mid-Century Modern Desks
MaterialsWalnut
- 1950s Mid Century Modern Drexel Declaration Kipp Stewart Walnut Writing DeskBy Kipp StewartLocated in Las Vegas, NVLook at this beautiful wood grained Mid century modern writing desk designed by Kipp Stewart for Drexel. Beautiful walnut grain with 2 drawers. Simple lines, sculpted legs, curved ed...Category
Vintage 1950s American Mid-Century Modern Desks and Writing Tables
MaterialsWalnut
- Marble Desk with Brass LegsLocated in Chicago, ILA marble top desk featuring a bamboo formed brass plated base with adjustable feet. A fantastic work desk option or dining table, USA, 1970s.Category
Vintage 1970s American Mid-Century Modern Dining Room Tables
MaterialsMarble, Brass
- Kipp Stewart Midcentury Walnut Dining TableBy Directional, Kipp StewartLocated in Atlanta, GAOutstanding midcentury walnut dining table, designed by Kipp Stewart for Directional, American, circa 1960s. Beautiful grained walnut throughout. It expands from a compact ovaled squ...Category
Vintage 1960s American Mid-Century Modern Dining Room Tables
MaterialsMetal
- 1970s, Paul Evans Studio for Directional Cityscape Executive DeskBy Paul Evans, DirectionalLocated in Miami, FLVintage 1970s Paul Evans Studio for Directional, Cityscape executive desk in maple burl veneer, chrome plated steel and a rare bullno...Category
Vintage 1970s American Mid-Century Modern Desks and Writing Tables
MaterialsSteel, Chrome