Paul Evans Cityscape Patchwork Burlwood Credenza
About the Item
- Creator:Directional (Maker),Paul Evans (Designer)
- Similar to:Milo Baughman (Designer)
- Dimensions:Height: 32.38 in (82.25 cm)Width: 90 in (228.6 cm)Depth: 23 in (58.42 cm)
- Style:Mid-Century Modern (Of the Period)
- Materials and Techniques:
- Place of Origin:
- Period:
- Date of Manufacture:1960
- Condition:Wear consistent with age and use. Good age and use appropriate condition.
- Seller Location:Houston, TX
- Reference Number:
Paul Evans
A designer and sculptor, Paul Evans was a wild card of late 20th century modernism. A leading light of the American Studio Furniture movement, Evans’s sideboards, credenzas, coffee tables and other work manifests a singular aesthetic sense, as well as a seemingly contradictory appreciation for both folk art forms and for new materials and technologies.
Evans’s primary material was metal, not wood, which was favored by his fellow studio designers, and Bucks County, Pennsylvania, neighbors George Nakashima and Phillip Lloyd Powell. He trained in metallurgy and studied at the Cranbrook Academy of Art, the famed crucible of modern design and art in suburban Detroit. For a time early in his career, Evans also worked at Sturbridge Village, a historical “living museum” in Massachusetts, where he gave demonstrations as a costumed silversmith.
Evans’s earliest work unites these influences. The pieces that made his reputation are known as “sculpted-front” cabinets: wood cases faced with box-like high-relief patinated steel mounts laid out in a grid pattern. Each mount contains a metal emblem, or glyph, and the effect is that of a brawny quilt.
Evans’s later work falls into three distinct style groups. His sculpted-bronze pieces, begun in the mid-1960s, show Evans at his most expressive. He employed a technique in which resin is hand-shaped, and later sprayed with a metal coating, allowing for artistic nuance in the making of chairs, tables and case pieces. Later in the decade and into the 1970s, Evans produced his Argente series for celebrated manufacturer Directional (a brand known to vintage mid-century modern furniture collectors everywhere): consoles and other furniture forms that feature aluminum and pigment-infused metal surfaces welded into abstract organic forms and patterns.
Last, Evans's Cityscape design series — a milestone in the history of brutalist design — meshed perfectly with the sleek, “high tech” sensibility of the later ’70s. Evans constructed boxy forms and faced them with irregular mosaic patterns that mixed rectangular plaques of chromed steel, bronze or burlwood veneer. These, like all of Paul Evans’s designs, are both useful and eye-catching. But their appeal has another, more visceral quality: these pieces have clearly been touched by an artist’s hand.
Find a collection of authentic Paul Evans furniture today on 1stDibs.
Directional
A brand known to vintage mid-century modern furniture collectors everywhere, Directional Furniture opened its doors after American furniture designer Paul McCobb created the high-end Directional Modern line of sofas distributed by the New York–based Modernage Company.
In his pivotal introduction of postwar modernism to the mass market, the revered Massachusetts-born McCobb had established several lines, from the affordable and refined Planner Group for Winchendon to the swooping and unexpected arms of the Symmetric Group for Widdicomb, a Shaker-inspired collection that included a sofa and a lounge chair. Like all of McCobb’s designs, the Directional pieces for Modernage are defined by a sleek aesthetic in which the focus is on elegant functionality, frequently using fine materials such as brass and walnut. In 1949, in partnership with New York furniture salesman B.G. Mesberg, McCobb set up the Directional Furniture Company.
The pair’s first pieces were upholstered chairs, intended to harmonize with the modular Multiplex pieces designed by Martin Feinman. McCobb then designed an array of furniture including storage, dining, seating, desks and other pieces with details such as leather tops, wood finishes and Roman Travertine surfaces. While Directional stopped production of McCobb’s work in the early 1960s, it still released numerous pieces by leading designers manufactured by a variety of companies.
Designer Paul Evans led the factory for a time after joining in 1964. His provocative work for the company often reflected his understanding of materials from his early training as a silversmith, such as the popular Cityscape series — a milestone in brutalist design — with its blocky forms accented with brass and chrome. At his shop in Lambertville, New Jersey, he collaborated with a design team to clad furniture pieces in metallic surfaces, like the Argente line that began production in 1968 and involved an acetylene torch to give its aluminum material a textural quality. He also worked on the Sculpted Bronze series with hand-formed resin shaped over plywood or steel that was then coated with atomized bronze.
Other Directional designers included Vladimir Kagan, who contributed biomorphic sofas and swivel chairs; Milo Baughman, who created tables and dressers inspired by Scandinavian modernism; and Jack Lenor Larsen, who covered sofas in dynamically patterned fabric.
Find authentic Directional Furniture seating, tables, case pieces and storage cabinets from top sellers around the world on 1stDibs.
- ShippingRetrieving quote...Ships From: Houston, TX
- Return PolicyThis item cannot be returned.
- Paul Evans Cityscape Patchwork Burlwood Console or Dining Table BaseBy Paul Evans, DirectionalLocated in Houston, TXPaul Evans for Directional cityscape patchwork burlwood console table, center table or dining table base. This stunning Mid-Century Modern Evans att...Category
Vintage 1970s North American Mid-Century Modern Console Tables
MaterialsBurl
- Paul Evans Style Cityscape Mixed Metal Patchwork ChestBy Paul Evans, Maitland SmithLocated in Houston, TXPaul Evans style cityscape mixed metal patchwork chest. Handsome Paul Evans style cityscape mixed metal patchwork chest, box, coffer or document box. ...Category
Vintage 1970s North American Mid-Century Modern Decorative Boxes
MaterialsMetal
- Italian Credenza or Commode Attributed to Paolo BuffaBy Ico Parisi, Vittorio Dassi, Paolo Buffa, Gio Ponti, Osvaldo BorsaniLocated in Houston, TXItalian credenza or commode attributed to Paolo Buffa. Chic Italian midcentury six-drawer commode, chest or credenza in the style of Gio Ponti, Osvaldo Borsani and Ico Parisi. This gorgeous ebonized and burled wood commode...Category
Vintage 1950s Italian Mid-Century Modern Commodes and Chests of Drawers
MaterialsGlass, Wood
- French Brass Credenza with Beveled Mirror Front and Marble TopBy Émile-Jacques Ruhlmann, Jean Claude Mahey, Dominique, Jules Leleu, André ArbusLocated in Houston, TXFrench brass credenza with beveled mirror front and marble top. This outstanding French Art Deco brass credenza, cabinet, chest or buffet after Jean-Michele Frank has a black marble ...Category
Vintage 1930s French Art Deco Credenzas
MaterialsMarble, Brass
- French Art Deco Lacquered Credenza or Commode, Maison Jansen AttributedBy Maison JansenLocated in Houston, TXFrench Art Deco Lacquered Credenza Or Commode, Maison Jansen Attributed. Unusual, French, 1940s Maison Jansen attributed ivory lacquered w...Category
Vintage 1940s French Art Deco Commodes and Chests of Drawers
MaterialsLacquer
- 19th Century French Louis XV Style CommodeLocated in Houston, TX19th century French Louis XV style commode. Stunning 19th century French Louis XV style 2 drawer commode with hoof feet, bronze hardware ...Category
Antique 1870s European Louis XV Commodes and Chests of Drawers
MaterialsMarble
- Paul Evans Directional Patchwork Credenza, c 1970'sBy Directional, Paul EvansLocated in New York, NYSpectacular Post Modern, Brutalist school credenza, designed by Paul Evans for Directional c. 1970's. The sideboard features a large rectangular cabinet with patchwork burl veneer, w...Category
Vintage 1970s American Post-Modern Credenzas
MaterialsChrome
- Spectacular Signed Paul Evans Cityscape CredenzaBy Paul EvansLocated in Miami, FLA chromium polished steel cabinet with three pairs of doors each concealing shelved interiors on either side flanking a cupboard with a single steel decorated drawer split into compa...Category
Mid-20th Century American Credenzas
MaterialsSteel
- Modernist Patchwork Burl Credenza By Paul Evans For DirectionalBy Paul EvansLocated in Brooklyn, NYStunning, modernist, patchwork burl, credenza by Paul Evans for Directional features a high sheen laminate finish with 48 inch wide, gunmetal steel center doors and two 16 inch wide ...Category
Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Credenzas
MaterialsSteel
- Paul Evans Cityscape Burl and Chrome Cabinet CredenzaBy Paul EvansLocated in Roanoke, VAGorgeous 1970s cityscape credenza by Paul Evans. The unusual shape and mix of burl and chrome make this piece a total showstopper. Credenza has four cabinets with shelving in each fo...Category
Vintage 1970s American Modern Credenzas
MaterialsChrome
- Excellent Paul Evans Chrome Cityscape Credenza Mid-Century ModernBy Paul EvansLocated in Pemberton, NJExcellent Paul Evans chrome Cityscape credenza. This piece is in remarkable condition because it was covered with a piece of glass for the last ...Category
Vintage 1970s American Mid-Century Modern Credenzas
MaterialsChrome
- Paul Evans Cityscape Console in Burl Wood and ChromeBy Directional, Paul EvansLocated in Dallas, TX1975 Paul Evans Cityscape console in burl wood and chrome. Beautiful console featured in Paul Evans book.Category
Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Credenzas
MaterialsChrome