Rare Norman Cherner Marble and Iron Tripod Table, 1950s
View Similar Items
Rare Norman Cherner Marble and Iron Tripod Table, 1950s
About the Item
- Creator:Norman Cherner (Designer)
- Dimensions:Height: 20 in (50.8 cm)Diameter: 28 in (71.12 cm)
- Style:Mid-Century Modern (Of the Period)
- Materials and Techniques:
- Place of Origin:
- Period:
- Date of Manufacture:circa 1950s
- Condition:
- Seller Location:Berkeley, CA
- Reference Number:1stDibs: LU91443540912
Norman Cherner
Norman Cherner was an influential designer who explored postwar technological innovations and how to incorporate them into furniture production and architecture. And while its history is complicated, his Cherner chair is one of the most successful examples of mid-century modern molded plywood seating.
Born in New York City, Cherner was an architect and a prolific designer who taught at Columbia University’s Teachers College. An enthusiast of the Bauhaus, he gave lectures in the late 1940s on the principles of the legendary German design school at the Museum of Modern Art.
Cherner was fascinated with the concept of cost-efficient design, and this extended into his pioneering ideas for prefabricated housing. His philosophy was that a modular home should be a complete design concept that included economical furniture and lighting. He published several DIY books, such as How to Build a House for $6,000. Cherner caught the interest of a housing cooperative in upstate New York and was contracted to design and oversee the construction of prefabricated housing in the town of Ramapo. The U.S. Department of Housing assembled a pre-built Cherner home for exhibition in Vienna.
But he is best known for his chair.
In the 1950s, one of George Nelson’s designers, John F. Pile, created the Pretzel chair. It had structural problems and proved too costly to make at Herman Miller, where Nelson was director of design. Production was subcontracted to Massachusetts company Plycraft, but the agreement didn’t last long owing to a dispute between the furniture manufacturers. Based on a recommendation from Nelson, Plycraft sought out Cherner to redesign the chair so that it would be durable and affordable to produce.
Cherner submitted his redesign only to be told that Plycraft had shelved the project. However, Plycraft secretly began producing what would become the Cherner chair under a different name — and Cherner later stumbled across his seat in New York. Cherner sued Plycraft and won. The chair became instantly popular after being featured in a Norman Rockwell illustration for a Saturday Evening Post cover in September of 1961.
Other noteworthy Cherner designs include his Konwiser furniture line, Multiflex storage units and tube lighting. The Museum of Modern Art praised his Konwiser collection as “some of the most progressive furniture designs available to the American public.”
In 1972, Plycraft discontinued production of his chair, and Cherner died in 1987. In 1999, his two sons founded the Cherner Chair Company and began making furniture based on their father's original designs for armchairs, chairs — including the Cherner chair — tables and credenzas.
Find vintage Norman Cherner furniture on 1stDibs today.
- Table by Norman Cherner for Konwiser MOMA Exhibit Good Design Mid-Century ModernBy Norman ChernerLocated in Hyattsville, MDRare petite side table, awarded MoMA's Good Design distinction. Tabletop surface and edge has been restored. There is a very shallow small indention on the...Category
Vintage 1950s American Mid-Century Modern Side Tables
MaterialsIron
$838 Sale Price49% Off - Cherner Side TableBy Norman Cherner, The Cherner Chair CompanyLocated in Berkeley, CAThe new side table is a versatile small scale table for living, bedroom or lounge areas. The veneered top is made from 1-1/8? thick cross-ply plywood with an exposed profiled edge. T...Category
21st Century and Contemporary American Mid-Century Modern Side Tables
MaterialsWalnut
$419 / item - Cherner Bedside TableBy Norman Cherner, The Cherner Chair CompanyLocated in Berkeley, CAPerfectly scaled storage with a single drawer. The new bedside tables are built entirely from laminated, molded and cross-ply plywood. American Waln...Category
21st Century and Contemporary American Mid-Century Modern Side Tables
MaterialsWalnut
$1,559 / item - 1950s, Spanish Wrought Iron and Pink Marble Side TablesLocated in Isle Sur La Sorgue, VaucluseBaroque pair of side tables with wrought-iron bases, painted glossy black and pinky-yellow marble tops.Category
Mid-20th Century Spanish Baroque Side Tables
MaterialsMarble, Wrought Iron
- Set of 3 Wrought-Iron & Marble Nesting Tables - France, 1950sLocated in Isle Sur La Sorgue, VaucluseFun set of three stacking tables with wrought-iron curule bases and red marble tops. Dimensions provided below are for the largest table.Category
Vintage 1950s French Mid-Century Modern Nesting Tables and Stacking Tables
- Bakelite, Brass and Iron 1950s Side TablesLocated in Isle Sur La Sorgue, VaucluseChic set of three low tables with tubular iron bases, laquered in black paint and ending in brass sabots. The tabletops are black bakelite, with brass surrounds. Heavy, very nice ...Category
Mid-20th Century French Mid-Century Modern Sofa Tables
MaterialsBrass, Iron
$7,031 / set