Karl Springer, Brancusi-Style Table, United States, circa 1981
View Similar Items
Karl Springer, Brancusi-Style Table, United States, circa 1981
About the Item
- Creator:Karl Springer (Designer)
- Dimensions:Height: 22 in (55.88 cm)Diameter: 22 in (55.88 cm)
- Materials and Techniques:
- Place of Origin:
- Period:1980-1989
- Date of Manufacture:circa 1981
- Condition:Wear consistent with age and use.
- Seller Location:New York, NY
- Reference Number:Seller: SPRING 101stDibs: LU781317602772
Karl Springer
The Berlin-born, New York–based designer Karl Springer brought a chic, high-fashion sensibility to furnishings. During his heyday in the 1970s, Springer’s work was a favorite of the glamour set, who enjoyed the novelty of pieces finished in rich and striking materials that ranged from exotic hides and skins to lacquer and chromed metal. In a sense, Springer was a pre-postmodernist. Much as the dull, safe, corporate sameness of late 20th-century modernism prompted Ettore Sottsass, Michael Graves and others to explore new and provocative structures and materials in design and architecture, so, too, was Springer driven to enliven his creations with fresh and alluring energy and sleekness.
Springer came to New York in the late 1950s and found work arranging window displays at the department store Lord & Taylor. He had studied bookbinding in Germany, and, using his meticulous skills, he began crafting desk accessories wrapped in leather as a sideline. These pieces were sold in luxury stores like Bergdorf Goodman, and drew a sophisticated clientele that included the Duchess of Windsor. By 1965, he had established his own Manhattan atelier, and at his death he had showrooms as far afield as Los Angeles, Tokyo and Munich.
The chairs, tables, credenzas and other furniture forms Springer created are generally simple, but substantial, and often have robust, rounded lines. The appeal of his work lies in Springer's insistence on exacting construction and, above all, his eye for unusual materials and finishes. He employed Lucite, brass, and gunmetal along with chromed and polished steel, and revived exquisite finishes rarely seen since the days of Art Deco masters such as Émile-Jacques Ruhlmann and Jean-Michel Frank: shagreen (a type of sharkskin), python, goatskin, bone, horn, and lacquered parchment, as well as fabrics that include batik prints. Made of such materials, Springer’s work is by its very nature flamboyant and eye-catching: a suite of pieces will astonish, and an artfully placed side table in exotic hide will add a surprising spark.
Find a collection of vintage Karl Springer furniture today on 1stDibs.
- Karl Springer, Freeform Coffee Table, United States, 1994By Karl SpringerLocated in New York, NYKarl Springer's voracious appetite for design knowledge can be seen in his work, which is influenced by a wide variety of aesthetics, from the more contemporary Bauhaus, to those of ...Category
1990s American Art Deco Coffee and Cocktail Tables
MaterialsSteel
- Sandra Nunnerley, "Luna Brone, " Side Table, United States, 2018By Sandra NunnerleyLocated in New York, NYThis set of nesting occasional tables, made of a silky smooth, laminated Corian, play with the contrast of night with day, of light with dark...Category
21st Century and Contemporary American Side Tables
MaterialsBronze
- Mathew Driscoll for Bellboy, "Tarr, " Occasional Table, United States, 2017By Mat DriscollLocated in New York, NYEach of these black, geometric side tables features a high finish, two stanchions, and impeccably smooth, beveled edges. Two versions (parallel over a vertical plane) can be made.Category
2010s American Minimalist Side Tables
MaterialsPaper
- Douglas Fanning, Hillock Un, Contemporary Cocktail Table, United States, 2019By Douglas FanningLocated in New York, NYThis geometric, cantilevered side table, an industrial arrangement of right angles in bronze and cold blackened steel, is adorned by a playful top reminiscent of a section of parched earth. Master metalsmith Douglas Fanning's extra long console...Category
2010s American Side Tables
MaterialsBronze, Steel
- Mario Dal Fabbro, Wood Sculpture, United States, 1981By Mario Dal FabbroLocated in New York, NYOne of the more figural of dal Fabbro's oeuvre, this sculpture conjures images of a bird perched on a branch, ready to take flight. In the artist's classic style, however, the carvin...Category
20th Century American Abstract Sculptures
MaterialsWood
- Mario Dal Fabbro, "Image of Penguin #2" Sculpture, United States circa 1980-1981By Mario Dal FabbroLocated in New York, NYSigned: Mario Dal Fabbro Image of Penguin #2 Marked: I. 7 Typical of the sculptural output of dal Fabbro, the lines of this piece shift rhythmically depending on the viewer's pos...Category
20th Century American Abstract Sculptures
MaterialsWood
- Karl Springer Style End TablesBy Karl SpringerLocated in Highland, INThis pair of handsome side tables are very similar to the designs of Karl Springer. They are wrapped in a textured fabric, painted a warm ivory color, and have sculpted corners/ legs...Category
Vintage 1970s American Hollywood Regency End Tables
MaterialsWood
$3,600 / set - Karl Springer Style Faux Goatskin End TablesBy Karl SpringerLocated in Southampton, NJAn especially unique pair of faux painted goat skin, glass and brass end tables in the manner of Karl Springer. Striking display in very nice original condition.Category
Vintage 1970s North American Modern End Tables
MaterialsBrass
$2,560 Sale Price / set20% Off - Karl Springer Python TableBy Karl SpringerLocated in West Palm Beach, FLVersatile table 30“ x 30“ x 23“ tall…Covered in a faux python parchment.. shades of brown and black … a Classic design..Excellent condition signed.Category
Vintage 1980s Mid-Century Modern End Tables
MaterialsWood
- Pair of Goatskin Karl Springer Style Side TablesBy Karl SpringerLocated in Locust Valley, NYA pair of side tables in Karl Springer, Mid-Century Modern style square shape tables of lacquered goatskin with recessed panel surrounding top and Asian Style hoof feet. The neutral ...Category
Mid-20th Century Mid-Century Modern Side Tables
MaterialsGoatskin, Wood
$7,440 / set - Karl Springer Style Goatskin Side Table with DrawerBy Karl SpringerLocated in Locust Valley, NYVintage Karl Springer style goatskin side table with a single drawer and shelf. A chic Mid-Century Modern table in pale yellow colorCategory
Mid-20th Century Mid-Century Modern Side Tables
MaterialsGoatskin
- Karl Springer Style Art Deco Parchment Side TableBy Karl SpringerLocated in Los Angeles, CAHandsome unique side table. Art Deco parchment wrapped table with steel/iron base. Nickel hardware. Condition consistent with age. Does have an area of torn parchment and pitting on...Category
Antique Early 19th Century Italian Art Deco Side Tables
MaterialsSteel
$5,100 Sale Price25% Off
Recently Viewed
View AllRead More
These 1970s Chairs Have Attracted Fans as Diverse as Jackie O. and Jocelyn Wildenstein
Karl Springer’s opulent disco-era designs maintain their polished allure.
These Accomplished Female Makers Have a Penchant for Offbeat Organic Designs
Daring shapes and soft curves define the impressive output of five women furniture designers around the globe — in Ireland, Ukraine, Israel, Denmark and France.