Mid Century Paul Evans Cityscape Floating Shelf or Console Table Chrome & Brass

About the Item
- Creator:Directional (Manufacturer),Paul Evans (Designer)
- Dimensions:Height: 9 in (22.86 cm)Width: 48 in (121.92 cm)Depth: 12 in (30.48 cm)
- Style:Mid-Century Modern (Of the Period)
- Materials and Techniques:
- Place of Origin:
- Period:
- Date of Manufacture:1970s
- Condition:
- Seller Location:Philadelphia, PA
- Reference Number:1stDibs: LU1273226527982
Paul Evans
A designer and sculptor, Paul Evans was a wild card of late 20th century modernism. A leading light of the American Studio Furniture movement, Evans’s sideboards, credenzas, coffee tables and other work manifests a singular aesthetic sense, as well as a seemingly contradictory appreciation for both folk art forms and for new materials and technologies.
Evans’s primary material was metal, not wood, which was favored by his fellow studio designers, and Bucks County, Pennsylvania, neighbors George Nakashima and Phillip Lloyd Powell. He trained in metallurgy and studied at the Cranbrook Academy of Art, the famed crucible of modern design and art in suburban Detroit. For a time early in his career, Evans also worked at Sturbridge Village, a historical “living museum” in Massachusetts, where he gave demonstrations as a costumed silversmith.
Evans’s earliest work unites these influences. The pieces that made his reputation are known as “sculpted-front” cabinets: wood cases faced with box-like high-relief patinated steel mounts laid out in a grid pattern. Each mount contains a metal emblem, or glyph, and the effect is that of a brawny quilt.
Evans’s later work falls into three distinct style groups. His sculpted-bronze pieces, begun in the mid-1960s, show Evans at his most expressive. He employed a technique in which resin is hand-shaped, and later sprayed with a metal coating, allowing for artistic nuance in the making of chairs, tables and case pieces. Later in the decade and into the 1970s, Evans produced his Argente series for celebrated manufacturer Directional (a brand known to vintage mid-century modern furniture collectors everywhere): consoles and other furniture forms that feature aluminum and pigment-infused metal surfaces welded into abstract organic forms and patterns.
Last, Evans's Cityscape design series — a milestone in the history of brutalist design — meshed perfectly with the sleek, “high tech” sensibility of the later ’70s. Evans constructed boxy forms and faced them with irregular mosaic patterns that mixed rectangular plaques of chromed steel, bronze or burlwood veneer. These, like all of Paul Evans’s designs, are both useful and eye-catching. But their appeal has another, more visceral quality: these pieces have clearly been touched by an artist’s hand.
Find a collection of authentic Paul Evans furniture today on 1stDibs.
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.
Shipping & Returns
- ShippingRetrieving quote...Ships From: Philadelphia, PA
- Return Policy
A return for this item may be initiated within 3 days of delivery.
- Mid Century Paul Evans Cityscape Floating Shelf or Console Table Glass & ChromeBy Paul EvansLocated in Philadelphia, PAAn incredible design, a cityscape wall shelf designed by Paul Evans in the 1970's. The set features fine heavy construction with chrome clad patchwork design. Includes two L shaped w...Category
Vintage 1970s American Mid-Century Modern Shelves and Wall Cabinets
MaterialsChrome
- Mid Century Paul Evans Cityscape Floating Shelf or Console Table Glass & BrassBy Directional, Paul EvansLocated in Philadelphia, PAAn incredible design, a cityscape wall shelf designed by Paul Evans in the 1970's. The set features fine heavy construction with brass clad patchwork design. Includes two L shaped wa...Category
Vintage 1970s American Mid-Century Modern Shelves
MaterialsBrass
- Mid Century Paul Evans Cityscape Wall Mirror & Console Table Shelf in ChromeBy Directional, Paul EvansLocated in Philadelphia, PAAn incredible design combination, a cityscape wall shelf and mirror designed by Paul Evans in the 1970's. The set features fine heavy construction with chrome clad patchwork design. ...Category
Vintage 1970s American Mid-Century Modern Console Tables
MaterialsChrome
- Mid-Century Modern Paul Evans Patchwork Hanging Shelf Console Table & MirrorBy Paul EvansLocated in Philadelphia, PAPaul Evans studio floating shelf and mirror set circa early 1970's. It features copper, bronze and pewter cladding in a patchwork design. Console shelf measures 60 x 13 x 6.5 inches ...Category
Vintage 1970s American Brutalist Console Tables
MaterialsSlate, Bronze, Copper, Pewter
- Mid Century Paul Evans Cityscape Wall Mirror & Console Table Shelf in BrassBy Directional, Paul EvansLocated in Philadelphia, PAAn incredible design combination, a cityscape wall shelf and mirror designed by Paul Evans in the 1970's. The set features fine heavy construction with brass clad patchwork design. I...Category
Vintage 1970s American Mid-Century Modern Shelves
MaterialsBrass
- Mid-Century Italian Post Modern Brass & Glass Console Table or Sofa TableLocated in Philadelphia, PAA sharp line demilune console table or sofa table from Italy circa 1980's. It features a mirror polished brass frame with clear glass top.Category
Vintage 1980s Italian Mid-Century Modern Console Tables
MaterialsBrass
- Paul Evans Cityscape Patchwork Wall Console, SignedBy Paul EvansLocated in Brooklyn, NYThis unique vintage wall mount console makes a unique display shelf in a variety of interiors. Cityscape design makes this patchwork chrome wall shelf...Category
Vintage 1970s American Mid-Century Modern Shelves and Wall Cabinets
MaterialsChrome
$2,800 / item - Paul McCobb Wall-Mounted Floating ConsoleBy Paul McCobbLocated in Culver City, CAThis rare mid-century wall-mounted floating three-tier console was designed by Paul McCobb for Bryce Originals in the 1950s The black enameled steel frame includes a small birch draw...Category
Vintage 1950s Mid-Century Modern Shelves and Wall Cabinets
MaterialsSteel, Cut Steel
- Stylish Milo Baughman Style Burl Chrome Hanging Wall Shelf Console Mid-CenturyBy Milo BaughmanLocated in Pemberton, NJStylish Milo Baughman style burl olivewood hanging wall shelf with chrome frame. We love the 2 pull out drawers with simple chrome pulls along with the chrome frame detail along the ...Category
Vintage 1970s American Mid-Century Modern Console Tables
MaterialsChrome
- Set Paul Evans for Directional Chrome Brass Cityscape Shelf Brackets ConsoleBy Paul EvansLocated in Pemberton, NJStunning set signed Paul Evans for Directional shelf brackets or console tables. The glass is not pictured but is included and is 12" w x 48" l and is brand new. This set is truly fa...Category
Vintage 1970s American Mid-Century Modern Console Tables
MaterialsBrass, Chrome
- Italian Designer, Console or Wall Shelf, Rattan, Italy, 1960sLocated in High Point, NCA rattan shelf designed and produced in Italy, 1960s.Category
Vintage 1960s Italian Mid-Century Modern Shelves and Wall Cabinets
MaterialsRattan
- Paul Evans Console for Directional Brutalist Sculpted Bronze & Glass Wall MountBy Directional, Paul EvansLocated in Dallas, TX1960s sculpted bronze wall mount console designed by Paul Evans and produced by Directional. New glass top. Original wall mount brackets.Category
Mid-20th Century American Brutalist Shelves and Wall Cabinets
MaterialsSteel
Recently Viewed
View MoreThe 1stDibs Promise
Learn MoreExpertly Vetted Sellers
Confidence at Checkout
Price-Match Guarantee
Exceptional Support
Buyer Protection
Trusted Global Delivery