Harvey Probber, Pair of side tables, USA, c. 1960
View Similar Items
Harvey Probber, Pair of side tables, USA, c. 1960
About the Item
- Creator:Harvey Probber (Designer)
- Dimensions:Height: 17.25 in (43.82 cm)Width: 16 in (40.64 cm)Depth: 16 in (40.64 cm)
- Materials and Techniques:
- Place of Origin:
- Period:
- Date of Manufacture:circa 1960
- Condition:
- Seller Location:New York, NY
- Reference Number:Seller: TBL 1451stDibs: LU78132876482
Harvey Probber
A popular designer who had his heyday from the late 1940s into the 1970s, Harvey Probber is one of the post-war American creative spirits whose work has been recently rediscovered by collectors. His designs are by-and-large simple and elegant, but his signal achievement was to pioneer one of the key innovations of mid-20th century furniture: sectional, or modular, seating.
Even as a teenager, the Brooklyn-born Probber was making sketches of furniture designs — and selling them to Manhattan furniture companies. He began working as a designer for an upholsterer once he finished high school and, apart from a few evening classes he took as an adult at Pratt Institute, he was self-taught about design and furniture making.
After wartime service — and a stint as a lounge singer — Probber founded his own company in the late 1940s. A lifelong familiarity with the needs of New York–apartment dwellers doubtless sparked his most noteworthy creation: a line of seating pieces in basic geometric shapes — wedges, squares, half-circles — that could be arranged and combined as needed. Modular furniture remained the core idea of Probber’s business throughout his career.
As a self-trained designer, Probber was never wed to any particular aesthetic. He preferred the simple lines now associated with mid-century modernism for their inherent practicality, but often used hardware to enliven the look of his pieces, or added elements — such as a ceramic insert in the center of a round dining table — that was visually interesting and could serve as a trivet. He gravitated toward bright fabrics with attractive, touchable textures that might be satin-like or nubbly. Above all, Probber insisted that the sofas, case goods and other products that came out of his Fall River, Massachusetts, factory be built to last.
“The quality of aging gracefully,” Probber once told an interviewer, is “design's fourth dimension.” This quality he realized: Probber furniture is just as useful and alluring now as it was when made — and maybe even more stylish.
Find a collection of vintage Harvey Probber side tables, sectional sofas, chairs and other furniture on 1stDibs.
- Maison Leleu, Pair of Lacquered Side Tables, France, C. 1958By Maison LeleuLocated in New York, NYA pair of side tables with original Beka lacquer by Saïn et Tambuté This model was displayed in the 1958 exhibition, Japanese Art in the Leleu showroom in Paris. For an illustration of this model, see Siriex, Françoise. The House of Leleu. New York: Hudson Hills...Category
20th Century French Side Tables
MaterialsLacquer
- Zelouf + Bell, "Monarch" Pair of End Tables, Ireland, 2015By Zelouf + BellLocated in New York, NYEdition of 16 + AP. Made of solid walnut with a satin lacquer finish, these sleek, cantilevered side tables by the Irish furniture making team Zelouf + Bell feature an inlay of dyed timber (sapphire ripple sycamore...Category
21st Century and Contemporary French End Tables
MaterialsWalnut, Sycamore
Price Upon Request - Zelouf + Bell, "Monarch", Side Tables, Ireland, 2020By Zelouf + BellLocated in New York, NYZelouf + Bell's end tables are delicate-looking, yet surprisingly strong and stabile. Graphic fragments of butterfly wings created with marquetry using pressure-dyed timbers inlaid i...Category
2010s Irish Side Tables
MaterialsOak, Teak
Price Upon Request - Zelouf + Bell, "Monarch", Side Tables, Ireland, 2020By Zelouf + BellLocated in New York, NYZelouf + Bell's end tables are delicate-looking, yet surprisingly strong and stabile. Graphic fragments of butterfly wings created with marquetry using pressure-dyed timbers inlaid i...Category
2010s Irish Side Tables
MaterialsOak, Birdseye Maple
Price Upon Request - Zelouf + Bell, "Monarch", Side Tables, Ireland, 2016By Zelouf + BellLocated in New York, NYZelouf & Bell are masters of creating refined, sophisticated custom pieces reflecting the unique needs and bespoke tastes of collectors and clients around the world. Made of smoke...Category
2010s Irish Side Tables
MaterialsOak, Wood
Price Upon Request - Achille Salvagni, "Emerald" Oak Side Table, Italy, 2013By Achille SalvagniLocated in New York, NYEmerald, Achille Salvagni’s multifaceted side table, is an incredibly functional, ultra-chic accompaniment to any seating arrangement. It is available in a number of finishes and med...Category
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Side Tables
MaterialsOak
$22,000 / item
- Harvey Probber Mid Century Square Side TableBy Harvey ProbberLocated in Countryside, ILHarvey Probber mid century square side table The table measures: 30 wide x 30 deep x 16 inches high All pieces of furniture c...Category
Vintage 1970s American Mid-Century Modern Side Tables
MaterialsWood
- Harvey Probber Teak and Mahogany Side TableBy Harvey ProbberLocated in Brooklyn, NYAmerican, the rectangular teak top on dark stained mahogany curved slat X-base, with brass pin hardware, circa 1960. Model 1216 in the Harvey Probber catalog.Category
Vintage 1960s American Mid-Century Modern Side Tables
MaterialsMahogany, Teak
- Pair of Mid Century Tables by Harvey ProbberBy Harvey ProbberLocated in Redding, CTPair of Mid Century tables by Harvey Probber. Hexagonal in shape with an inlaid glass . Made of Teak Wood. Some separation at some sea...Category
Vintage 1960s Mid-Century Modern End Tables
MaterialsGlass, Wood
$1,200 Sale Price / set45% Off - Stunning Pair of Harvey Probber Brass Inlaid Terrazzo Top Side Tables MidcenturyBy Harvey ProbberLocated in Pemberton, NJWonderful pair of three-legged Harvey Probber side or end tables with original hexagonal terrazzo top with inlaid brass. Sculpted bleached mahogany legs with bleached mahogany suppor...Category
Vintage 1960s American Mid-Century Modern Side Tables
MaterialsTerrazzo, Mahogany
- Harvey Probber Blue Enameled Copper and Espresso Mahogany Side Tables 1960sBy Harvey ProbberLocated in Dallas, TXRare pair of 1960s Harvey Probber solid mahogany side tables finished in a dark espresso stain with a satin lacquer clear coat. The tops are ...Category
Vintage 1960s American Mid-Century Modern Side Tables
MaterialsEnamel
- Harvey Probber Pair of Circular Side Tables Walnut With Marble Tops Mid CenturyBy Harvey ProbberLocated in Philadelphia, PAClassic Harvey Probber, this walnut undulating base is a signature Probber design married with a Carrara marble top, these tables are showstoppers!Category
Mid-20th Century North American Mid-Century Modern End Tables
MaterialsMarble
$3,510 Sale Price35% Off
Recently Viewed
View AllRead More
Harvey Probber Was the Godfather of Modern Modular Seating
The forward-thinking designer is finally getting his due.
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.