COR Armchairs
Cor is Latin for heart, and COR furniture exemplifies the qualities at the heart of exceptional design: practicality, comfort and style. The company's sofas, lounge chairs and coffee tables capture the essence of the best of mid-century modernism. Simple silhouettes, quality materials and function-first designs ensure that vintage COR furniture is still in high demand with collectors all over the world.
COR was founded in Rheda-Wiedenbrück, Germany, in 1954 by Leo Lübke — in the name of his son, Helmut — and the Prince of Bentheim-Tecklenburg, a northern German county. Nearly a couple of decades prior, in 1937, a manufacturer of bedroom furniture called Interlübke was established by Leo and his brother Hans. The latter’s son Horst, who was managing partner from 1972, retired during the 1990s and his son Helmut Lübke joined Interlübke and shifted the brand’s focus toward modular furniture systems. During the 1980s, the Prince of Bentheim-Tecklenburg left COR and the Lübke family became its sole owner. In 2006, COR-Interlübke retail locations opened their doors.
COR made its mark in 1959 with a sleek modular seating system consisting of five parts called Quinta, which was created by designer Michael Bayer. The upholstered line boasted clean, angular contours and appealed to the day's ever-broadening flexible interior design sensibilities. It remained in production until 1978. The success of the Quinta was followed by the 1964 Conseta system, which featured a sofa and other pieces of seating designed by Friedrich Wilhelm Möller.
The following decades saw more successful collaborations with designers like Peter Maly and Luigi Colani. The latter, a German industrial designer born Lutz Colani, created a range of gorgeous organically shaped Space Age seating for BASF and Fritz Hansen, serveware for Rosenthal and worked on automobile designs for Fiat. Colani designed the popular Orbis line for COR during the 1970s.
In 2000, the Arthe sofa by Wulf Schneider was awarded the prestigious Red Dot Award from the North Rhine-Westphalia Design Centre.
COR is still owned and operated by the Lübke family’s parent company Gebrüder Lübke GmbH & Co. KG and continues to produce furniture at the Rheda-Wiedenbrück factory, sourcing leather from southern Germany and upholstery from Italy. The company partnered with Jehs+Laub, a renowned Stuttgart-based studio, in 2010.
On 1stDibs, find a collection of vintage COR seating, tables and more.
1980s German Post-Modern Vintage COR Armchairs
Steel
1970s Vintage COR Armchairs
Fabric
1980s German Post-Modern Vintage COR Armchairs
Steel
1960s German Modern Vintage COR Armchairs
Leather, Upholstery, Down
1980s German Vintage COR Armchairs
Leather
1970s German Post-Modern Vintage COR Armchairs
Fabric, Foam
1990s Italian Post-Modern COR Armchairs
Steel
1950s American Mid-Century Modern Vintage COR Armchairs
Steel
1970s Italian Modern Vintage COR Armchairs
Chrome
21st Century and Contemporary French Post-Modern COR Armchairs
Aluminum
1940s French Art Deco Vintage COR Armchairs
Leather, Beech
1970s German Space Age Vintage COR Armchairs
Cotton, Foam
1970s Italian Mid-Century Modern Vintage COR Armchairs
Stainless Steel
Late 20th Century Spanish Mid-Century Modern COR Armchairs
Aluminum
1970s European Mid-Century Modern Vintage COR Armchairs
Mohair
Early 1900s English Edwardian Antique COR Armchairs
Leather
2010s English Victorian COR Armchairs
Leather
1990s German Modern COR Armchairs
Leather
1970s German Mid-Century Modern Vintage COR Armchairs
Chrome
1980s German Post-Modern Vintage COR Armchairs
Chrome, Steel
1970s German Mid-Century Modern Vintage COR Armchairs
Stainless Steel