Pair of Art Deco Walnut & Holly Hunt Upholstery Lounge Chairs by Gilbert Rohde
About the Item
- Creator:Gilbert Rohde (Maker)
- Dimensions:Height: 29 in (73.66 cm)Width: 34 in (86.36 cm)Depth: 28 in (71.12 cm)Seat Height: 16 in (40.64 cm)
- Sold As:Set of 2
- Style:Art Deco (Of the Period)
- Materials and Techniques:
- Place of Origin:
- Period:
- Date of Manufacture:circa 1940
- Condition:Reupholstered. Refinished.
- Seller Location:New York, NY
- Reference Number:1stDibs: LU793436816672
Gilbert Rohde
Pioneering self-taught industrial designer, writer and teacher Gilbert Rohde helped define the earliest phase of modernism in the United States. He is one of the most influential figures of 20th-century design and is credited with helping legendary mid-century modern furniture manufacturer Herman Miller avert financial disaster during the Great Depression.
Born in New York City, Rohde studied painting at the Art Students League after high school. He found lucrative employment, first as a political cartoonist and then as a catalog illustrator for American department stores. He was particularly enthralled with drawing furnished interiors.
Rohde began to design furniture in his spare time. He traveled to the Bauhaus school in Germany and the International Exhibition of Modern Decorative and Industrial Arts in Paris, and drew on the Art Deco movement and the work of designers such as Émile-Jacques Ruhlmann in his early pieces. Rohde opened his own studio in 1929 and secured private and commercial commissions. His clients would come to include formidable furniture makers Heywood-Wakefield and Troy Sunshade, and his innovative bentwood furnishings for them were practical and intended for the modern consumer.
In 1930, Rohde met Herman Miller founder D.J. De Pree in the company’s Michigan showroom during a business trip. By then, Rohde had a long list of prominent clients and his furniture had been exhibited in museums and galleries. Herman Miller was weathering a devastating slowdown in business, and the American furniture industry had generally been hit hard by the Great Depression.
Rohde boldly informed De Pree that the brand’s furniture had become outdated, which was part of the reason the company was in financial jeopardy. Homes had become smaller and could no longer accommodate the large Gothic– and Victorian–style furnishings and traditional reproductions of period bedroom suites that Herman Miller was offering at the time, Rohde explained.
Rohde secured a contract to design for the Michigan manufacturer. He championed the use of exotic woods and tubular steel, and created streamlined, unadorned bedroom furniture for Herman Miller — collections that included convenient vanities, which were unconventional pieces for De Pree’s company back then.
In 1933, Rohde oversaw the design of two bedrooms featuring sleek Herman Miller furniture — including innovative storage pieces he designed — as part of an International–style exhibit at the 1933 Chicago World’s Fair. The installation garnered acclaim for De Pree’s brand all over the world and afforded Rohde the opportunity to execute on his visionary ideas in front of a global audience. Rohde later designed lighting, seating and more for Herman Miller and was extensively involved in the company's marketing strategy and other areas of the business.
In 1942, Herman Miller, anticipating a postwar economic boom, began to produce office furniture for the first time, but its legacy is in the home. Working with legendary designers such as Ray and Charles Eames, Isamu Noguchi and Alexander Girard, the manufacturer fostered some of the boldest expressions of what we now call mid-century modern style.
Find vintage Gilbert Rohde coffee tables, lounge chairs, table lamps and other items on 1stDibs.
- ShippingRetrieving quote...Ships From: New York, NY
- Return PolicyA return for this item may be initiated within 3 days of delivery.
- Art Deco Gilbert Rohde Chair in Holly Hunt Leather w/ Tufted Back & Walnut LegsBy Gilbert RohdeLocated in New York, NYThis elegant Art Deco Machine age side/desk chair was designed by the early modernist legend Gilbert Rohde in the United States circa 1935. It features four rectangular walnut legs- ...Category
Vintage 1930s American Art Deco Chairs
MaterialsLeather, Walnut
- Pair of Mid-Century Swivel Lounge Chairs with Chrome Bases & Holly Hunt FabricLocated in New York, NYThis sophisticated Pair of Mid-Century Modernist Swivel Lounge Chairs originates from the United States Circa 1970. Featuring beautifully curved backs leading to arm rests newly uph...Category
Vintage 1970s American Mid-Century Modern Lounge Chairs
MaterialsChrome
- Mid-Century Lounge Chairs in Holly Hunt Fabric & Tapered Hand-Rubbed Walnut LegsLocated in New York, NYThis pair of striking Mid-Century Modernist Lounge Chairs date back to 1960, originating from Denmark. The chairs are beautifully upholstered in a textured silver holly hunt fabric t...Category
Vintage 1960s Danish Mid-Century Modern Lounge Chairs
MaterialsFabric, Walnut
- Art Deco Club/Lounge Chairs in Walnut with Rare Clarence House UpholsteryLocated in New York, NYThis Pair of Art Deco Club Chairs in Walnut with Rare Clarence House Upholstery originate from France, Circa 1930. Featuring wide arm rests in curving sculptural gleaming walnut, the...Category
Vintage 1930s French Art Deco Lounge Chairs
MaterialsFabric, Walnut
- Art Deco Handrubbed Burled Walnut Nightstand by Gilbert Rohde for Herman MillerBy Gilbert Rohde, Herman MillerLocated in New York, NYThis elegant and understated nightstand was realized by Gilbert Rohde, one of the most celebrated and influential designers of the 20th century in the United States- in 1936. Handcra...Category
Vintage 1930s American Art Deco Night Stands
MaterialsWalnut
- Art Deco Secretary Cabinet Desk in Book Matched Walnut by Gilbert RohdeBy Gilbert RohdeLocated in New York, NYThis rare and captivating Art Deco Drop Front Secreter Desk in Book-matched Hand-Rubbed Walnut is by the esteemed furniture designer Gilbert Rohde and originates from the United Stat...Category
Vintage 1940s American Art Deco Desks
MaterialsWalnut
- Pair of Lounge/ Office Chairs by Gilbert RohdeBy Gilbert RohdeLocated in Surrey, BCBeautiful solid set of chairs by Rohde in original untouched condition. A very important American designer who was instrumental in the making of the Herman Miller co.Category
Vintage 1950s American Industrial Lounge Chairs
MaterialsChrome
- Art Deco Streamline Lounge Chair Designed by Gilbert Rohde for Heywood WakefieldBy Heywood-Wakefield Co., Gilbert RohdeLocated in Buffalo, NYArt Deco lounge chair designed by Gilbert Rohde for Heywood Wakefield, Classic Art Deco streamline design, superior 1930s quality and heavy spring construction. Painted gold wood fra...Category
Vintage 1930s American Art Deco Lounge Chairs
MaterialsVelvet, Wood
- Gilbert Rohde Style Lounge ChairBy Gilbert RohdeLocated in New York, NYGilbert Rohde style lounge or slipper chair with a black wood frame and brass sabots to the front feet. Mid-Century Modern.Category
Vintage 1960s Mid-Century Modern Lounge Chairs
MaterialsUpholstery, Wood
- Art Deco Machine Age Lounge Chair designed by Gilbert Rohde for Troy SunshadeBy Gilbert Rohde, Troy Sunshade CompanyLocated in New York, NYIconic Art Deco, Machine Age lounge chair designed by Gilbert Rohde for the Troy Sunshade Company circa 1930's. The chair features a sexy tubular chrome frame with large upholstered ...Category
Vintage 1930s American Art Deco Lounge Chairs
MaterialsChrome
- Pair of 1940s Lounge or Side Chairs Attributed to Gilbert RohdeBy Gilbert RohdeLocated in Chicago, ILA rare period form attributed to Gilbert Rohde. Primavera finish. In the manner of Milo Baughman and Edward Wormley for Dunbar Some wear to finish and original upholstery.Category
Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Lounge Chairs
MaterialsWood
- Gilbert Rohde Slipper Tub Lounge Chair, 1940'sBy Gilbert RohdeLocated in Culver City, CAStep into the world of mid-century magic with this fabulous slipper chair designed by the legendary Gilbert Rohde. With its round body and a rounded, curved, button-tufted back, this...Category
Vintage 1940s American Mid-Century Modern Lounge Chairs
MaterialsCotton, Maple