Since
yesterday’s Design Influence was a great interior designer, rather than furniture designer, we’re going to tap our archive of past furniture designer influences to choose a piece to pair with a Swank Lighting lamp today. Who did we go with? Our old favorite, Paul McCobb…
We’re not quite sure what it is, but we’re really in love with Paul McCobb’s body of furniture work. Maybe it’s the modern straight lines, the great quality or interesting use of material and color, but we love each piece we see.
This great piece is a mahogany and brass credenza by Paul McCobb for the Calvin Furniture Company, made in the 1960s. What strikes us the most about this piece is the lack of external ornamentation: there are no knobs or other details to get in the way, just streamlined straight lines. That’s not to say that this piece is boring; far from it. The use of the gorgeous mahogany wood brings an amazing color detail to the piece, with the natural patterns of the wood having a chance to shine. The white vitrilite top is quite a surprise for this piece, lending an element of interest. The legs are thin, simple and brass, making them seem almost too small to support the weight of the piece, adding a bit of tension and drama to the credenza. We love that there is a lot of space created by the height of the legs, ensuring that the piece never feels too heavy.
Joe Cariati’s work is always a favorite to pair with Mid-Century furniture, and
this pair of hand blown Tall Teardrop lamps in Vermillion is a perfect example. The height of the lamps is exaggerated, giving them a very regal and elegant appearance, and the teardrop shape adds a lot of interest. The color itself is bright and vibrant and looking closer you can see some very subtle striped vertical lines on the glass, adding to the verticality of the piece. Placed on top of Lucite bases the lamps really shine!
Together, Cariati’s vermillion teardrop lamps and McCobb’s mahogany credenza are a perfect pair because they make a dynamic Mid-Century statement. The simple elegance of the lamps’ height goes perfectly with the stripped-down, no nonsense appearance of the credenza. The vermillion color is just the right complement to the reddish and orange-colored earth tones of the mahogany wood. Both the lamp and credenza feature an unexpected detail, the Lucite base and the white top, respectively. Most importantly, as with many of our perfect pairs, the two work together to create a gorgeous composition—not fight each other.
We’re not quite sure what it is, but we’re really in love with Paul McCobb’s body of furniture work. Maybe it’s the modern straight lines, the great quality or interesting use of material and color, but we love each piece we see. This great piece is a mahogany and brass credenza by Paul McCobb for the Calvin Furniture Company, made in the 1960s. What strikes us the most about this piece is the lack of external ornamentation: there are no knobs or other details to get in the way, just streamlined straight lines. That’s not to say that this piece is boring; far from it. The use of the gorgeous mahogany wood brings an amazing color detail to the piece, with the natural patterns of the wood having a chance to shine. The white vitrilite top is quite a surprise for this piece, lending an element of interest. The legs are thin, simple and brass, making them seem almost too small to support the weight of the piece, adding a bit of tension and drama to the credenza. We love that there is a lot of space created by the height of the legs, ensuring that the piece never feels too heavy.
Joe Cariati’s work is always a favorite to pair with Mid-Century furniture, and this pair of hand blown Tall Teardrop lamps in Vermillion is a perfect example. The height of the lamps is exaggerated, giving them a very regal and elegant appearance, and the teardrop shape adds a lot of interest. The color itself is bright and vibrant and looking closer you can see some very subtle striped vertical lines on the glass, adding to the verticality of the piece. Placed on top of Lucite bases the lamps really shine!
Together, Cariati’s vermillion teardrop lamps and McCobb’s mahogany credenza are a perfect pair because they make a dynamic Mid-Century statement. The simple elegance of the lamps’ height goes perfectly with the stripped-down, no nonsense appearance of the credenza. The vermillion color is just the right complement to the reddish and orange-colored earth tones of the mahogany wood. Both the lamp and credenza feature an unexpected detail, the Lucite base and the white top, respectively. Most importantly, as with many of our perfect pairs, the two work together to create a gorgeous composition—not fight each other. 
