This Week's Top 5 Favorite 1stdibs Items: Manly and Masculine!

This week's designer influence and perfect pair have been decidedly masculine. Donald Deskey was a great designer who put his mark on the design world by creating luxurious Art Deco and Modern furniture pieces that homeowners adored. His pieces always had fabulously strong lines, were visually heavy, and definitely manly. In honor of his great work we've gathered a group of manly furniture pieces and accessories that would have made Deskey proud. Though some are obvious choices, there could be a few that surprise you!

1) Lacquer and Rosewood Cabinet by Antoine Schapira
Look at this thing. What's not masculine about this cabinet? Don't be fooled by the name "rosewood;" the wood tones in this piece are nothing but manly, and the heaviness of this piece imbues it with a strong level of seriousness.
Price: contact dealer
Dealer: Good Design

2) Blue Cerused and Silver Leafed Chestnut Console by James Mont
Not to play into the stereotype that blue is a "boy" color, you can't help but feel the manliness flowing out of this huge console by Jame Mont. The size certainly adds to the masculinity of this piece, but also just the overall design and feel of it.
Price: contact dealer
Dealer: Todd Merrill Antiques

3) Wood Cowboy Hat
Ahh, the cowboy, such an iconic label of manliness, immortalized in this art piece made out of wood. This would definitely give off a manly air wherever it sat or hung in a space.
Price: $2,750
Dealer: Suzanna Hamilton Antiques and Art

4) The Rack of Moose
Hearkening back to another time where man's role was to bring home meat, this rack of moose immediately gives the sense of masculinity to a room. Of course, it might also make a room feel like a moose lodge, but it's a risk worth taking.
Price: $6,800
Dealer: Wyeth

5) Silas Seandel Coffee Table
Men can be solid fixtures in life. Sturdy and dependable, this coffee table is a study in manliness, and it's also a really heavy and giant piece.
Price: contact dealer
Dealer: R.E. Steele Antiques

Don't forget to check out the rest of this week's listings from 1stdibs, where you can find more fabulous, one-of-a-kind show-stopping pieces, as well as a number of other great pieces!

A Perfect Pair: Deskey and Swank!

We were wowed by Donald Deskey’s clever, masculine and luxurious Art Deco furniture designs, and loved all the great exotic wood tones and textures. His pieces were strong, and he featured all sorts of items like desks, chests, dressers, tables and interesting pieces like andirons and desk dividers. We had to choose a pair of Swank Lighting lamps that would match Deskey’s piece’s intensity, and we think we’ve done it.

This Donald Deskey chest was made in the 1930’s and bears the striking features of the Art Deco era. It was made for his own company at the time called AMODEC. Made of exotic burled wood, its textures and patterns are exquisite and the masculinity is overwhelming. It features straight lines and sleek stainless steel handles that accentuate the horizontal lines of the piece. Raised on high legs, the piece still has a lot of airiness to it.

Swank Lighting’s Seguso Ruby Red Murano Lamps on Gold Lacquered Mahogany are from a later era than the Deskey desk, the 1960’s and from Italy, but they are just bold enough they should do. Of course the first thing you notice about them is their deep, crimson ruby red color. They feature a heavy and strong lamp base with a little curve to it, vertical striations that give the lamp some texture and a long, graceful neck that leads straight to a plump lamp shade.

We knew we’d need a strong pair of lamps to partner with Donald Deskey’s burled wood chest, and Swank Lighting’s Seguso Red Murano lamps fit the bill. The bold ruby red color not only complements the warm tones of the chest’s exotic woods, but also stands enough on its own. The vertical striations on the lamps contrast nicely with the horizontal lines of the chest, like the drawer edges and strong and sleek handles. We even like that both pieces have elements that help give them airiness like the tall legs on the chest and the tall neck on the lamps. Together, the lamps and the chest make a masculine, tough statement that would definitely stand out in a space.