Paul McCobb

Photo: www.architonic.com

Paul McCobb, (1917-1969) was a prolific designer with no formal training and an intuitive understanding of materials and efficiency. Like many of his contemporaries in the 50's, Paul McCobb designed practical and affordable furniture for the pragmatic values of Americans after WWII. We appreciate his values today and especially like his use of brass with wood to provide structural strength in his pieces and provide hardness at vulnerable edges while maintaining their visual "lightness". His thin drawers, brass accents, efficient diminutive hardware and frugal use of wood became his signature in the Planner and Directional lines that we see most often in Southern California. Below are some classic examples of his work taken from Bond&Bowery (a sensible alternative to the skyrocketing prices on 1stdibs.)
Paul McCobb did so much work that was consistently great and accessible to middle class Americans that we applaud him and will continue to search for and restore his work for years to come. For all these reasons and more, we're adding Mr. McCobb to our Standing on the Shoulders of Giants column.