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Raymond Loewy DF-2000 Cabinet Compagnie d Esthetique Industrielle (C.E.I.) France, c. 1960 Mid Century Modern

$6,000List Price

Raymond Loewy

For those in the know, French-born American industrial designer Raymond Loewy is the “father of streamlining.” He is widely recognized as a pioneer of industrial design consulting — a creative powerhouse who took aim at cluttered designs and simplified them. Loewy left his mark on everything from toothbrushes to trashcans to spacecraft interiors. He designed cars, worked in illustration, and crafted comely dressers and other furniture.

Loewy was born in Paris, France. At age 15, he designed a model airplane that was powered by rubber bands. It won the James Gordon Bennett Cup of 1908. Loewy patented the model kit for this plane by the following year and saw brisk sales. With his savings, Loewy was able to study at the University of Paris and then at Ecole de Lanneau, where he earned an engineering degree in 1918.

Loewy moved to New York City in 1919 and found work as a window designer for the department stores Macy's, Wanamaker's and Saks and as a fashion illustrator for Vogue and Harper's Bazaar. Loewy’s big break in industrial design came in 1929 when he altered the Gestetner duplicating machine — removing jutting parts and encasing the moving works in an understated cover. It caused a sensation within the industry — and companies began to call on him.

Loewy designed packaging for Coca-Cola and revised the look of Lucky cigarettes. The “Loewy Look,” which referred to the designer’s efforts to strip a product of any unnecessary detail and streamline its appearance, began to characterize hundreds of products.

Loewy found clients in a dizzying number of companies. He did everything from retooling logos to redesigning products. His 1934 Sears Coldspot refrigerator was a sleek innovation that broke sales records. His Pennsylvania Railroad locomotive resembled a speeding bullet and was the darling of the 1939 World’s Fair. Loewy even reworked shapes for snacks at Nabisco. By the time World War II gathered steam, Raymond Loewy Associates — the industrial design firm he founded — had been operating in a number of American cities. When Time magazine featured him on the cover in October 1949 — Loewy was not shy about publicity — his profile soared.

Loewy worked with Studebaker for decades. The success of their 1953 Starliner coupe was due to his revolutionary design, while their 1963 futuristic, fiberglass-bodied Avanti, which came with advanced safety features and materialized at a time when the company was experiencing financial hardship, was his crowning achievement for the maker.

Returning to his roots in aviation, Loewy worked for NASA from 1967 to 1973 on the interior design of the Skylab space station. He was also involved in the interior designs of the Concorde supersonic jet and Air Force One. Loewy delighted in creating furniture and collaborated with manufacturers such as Mengel Furniture, Rosenthal and Doubinsky Frères. In the 1970s, Loewy and his wife shuttered their businesses and retired in France.

On 1stDibs, find vintage Raymond Loewy cabinets, serveware, seating and more.

A visionary convergence of mid-century modern elegance and Space Age daring, this Raymond Loewy DF-2000 media cabinet is more than a functional storage solution—it is a sculptural manifesto. Conceived in the late 1960s by Loewy’s Paris-based design studio, Compagnie de l’Esthétique Industrielle (CEI), and brought to life by Doubinsky Frères in France, this iconic credenza embodies the era’s bold experimentation in material, form, and color. It channels the futurist spirit while celebrating Loewy’s industrial design genius, enshrined in objects as varied as Air Force One’s livery and the Coca-Cola bottle. Its presence radiates visual energy through a front-facing array of injection-molded plastic drawer fronts, their pop-art hues graduating effortlessly from vibrant orange to red—a striking signature of the DF-2000 line’s forward-thinking palette. Each drawer front, polished to a glass-like sheen, rests gracefully within the restored dark mocha of the case’s doors and side panels, which have been meticulously repainted to harmonize with Loewy’s intended contrasts. Even the back panel, preserved in its original state, bears witness to the piece’s integrity and its 360-degree appeal. The DF-2000 line’s innovative spirit shines through in its modular functionality: Loewy applied automotive-inspired efficiency, designing interchangeable doors and drawers that could be easily refreshed or reconfigured—anticipating the modern appetite for personalization. This particular cabinet, restored with precision and devotion, reveals not just a surface sheen but a rebirth of structural poise and sleek durability, while maintaining the tactile integrity of its materials. In scale and stance, this credenza commands attention; a specimen both of sculpted form and practical elegance. Its presence grounds a room, yet it uplifts it—each drawer, each surface, a deliberate articulation of mid-century ambition: to transcend mere furniture and become an icon of tomorrow’s aesthetic. For the discerning collector, interior designer, or enthusiast of design heritage, this Raymond Loewy DF-2000 media cabinet offers more than storage—it delivers a narrative, a technical feat, and a cultural artifact reanimated through conscientious restoration and timeless design. The restoration team pulled no punches on this authentic Raymond Loewy Media Cabinet Credenza, and the end result exceeded our expectations. Every inch of the wood doors and side panels were re-painted to match the original dark mocha color. The back panel was in very good condition, so we left it original. As you can see, this unit is fully finished on the back and attractive from every direction. The orange, infection molded plastic drawer fronts were finally buffed and polished to a glassy shine. The cabinet is supported by a brand new plinth base that we fabricated in our workshop. It's painted black to match the original. Except this time, we used solid pine instead of composite material. Lastly, we covered the painted white top with a sheet of white laminate to increase durability and practicality. No need to worry about water marks and scratches with this new top. The industrial strength Formica is also ideal for TV and stereo components...

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