Gardner Leaver Lounge Chair by Steelcase
About the Item
- Creator:Gardner Leaver (Designer),Steelcase (Maker)
- Dimensions:Height: 31.5 in (80.01 cm)Width: 30.5 in (77.47 cm)Depth: 33 in (83.82 cm)Seat Height: 14 in (35.56 cm)
- Style:Modern (Of the Period)
- Materials and Techniques:
- Place of Origin:
- Period:
- Date of Manufacture:circa 1970
- Condition:Wear consistent with age and use. Minor losses.
- Seller Location:Vancouver, CA
- Reference Number:1stDibs: LU105369124091
Steelcase
The Michigan-based furniture maker Steelcase has a long and distinguished history, but collectors focus on its vintage office furniture and desk chairs from the 1950s to the ’70s, when, along with such companies as Knoll and Herman Miller, the firm helped define the aesthetics of American mid-century modernism.
Steelcase was founded in Grand Rapids in 1912 as the Metal Office Furniture Company, promoting steel desks and other furnishings as safer, fireproof alternatives to wooden pieces at a time when smoking in the workplace was common. Boston’s first skyscraper — the 32-story Customs House — was furnished by the company in 1915. Frank Lloyd Wright, an American architect and furniture designer whose work had a profound influence on the shape of modern life, turned to the firm in 1937 to fabricate the enameled metal chairs and desks for his Johnson Wax Headquarters in Racine, Wisconsin.
In the 1950s, when Steelcase formally adopted the name it still uses today, the company developed a sleek and functional style employing rectilinear chrome frames for glass-topped tables and upholstered seating pieces. The look is similar to that of the minimal, Bauhaus-inspired designs of Florence Knoll, another icon of furniture design who helped shape the ethos of the postwar business world.
By the 1970s, Steelcase had enlivened its styling, offering such pieces as chairs and side tables designed by Gardner Leaver, with circular bases and curving supports. As you will see on these pages, Steelcase designs offer a perfect foundation for a modernist decor, with a touch of flair.
Find vintage Steelcase furniture on 1stDibs.
You May Also Like
Vintage 1970s American Mid-Century Modern Swivel Chairs
Steel
Vintage 1970s American Mid-Century Modern Lounge Chairs
Stainless Steel
Vintage 1970s American Mid-Century Modern Swivel Chairs
Chrome
Vintage 1970s American Mid-Century Modern Swivel Chairs
Stainless Steel
Vintage 1970s American Mid-Century Modern Lounge Chairs
Chrome
1990s American Modern Lounge Chairs
Steel, Nickel
2010s American Modern Swivel Chairs
Aluminum, Steel
2010s American Modern Swivel Chairs
Aluminum, Steel
2010s American Mid-Century Modern Lounge Chairs
Aluminum
Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Lounge Chairs
Metal
