1950s Paul McCobb Stool for Directional From Irwin & Lane

Description

“Furniture with an effect of tallness looks more elegant. Even among race horses, the tallest are considered the most beautiful.” … more “Furniture with an effect of tallness looks more elegant. Even among race horses, the tallest are considered the most beautiful.” So said Paul McCobb (1917-1969) — celebrated in his heyday as “among the top half-dozen prophets of modern design in America” — when he made a public appearance in Detroit in 1961. The native Bostonian was against what he called the “farce of chintz and maple” and rejected “pastry chef” decoration. Instead, the handsome former GI turned award-winning tastemaker shook up American style with furniture hailed for its “precise proportions and rigid rectangularity”. Among McCobb's iconic Shaker-spare, space-age creations is the attenuated X-base stool that he designed in the mid 1950s for Directional, as part of a collection aimed at high-end consumers. As refreshing to look at as it was more than sixty years ago, Irwin & Lane’s vintage example bears its original black glove-leather upholstery. Among the images is a page from Directional's 1956 catalogue of Paul McCobb designs, illustrating the stool being offered here. less