Set of 10 Paul Frankl Corset Back Dining Chairs in Ivory White Bouclé, c. 1950s

We are pleased to offer this one of a kind exquisite set of 10 Paul Frankl plunging corset dining chairs for Johnson Furniture, circa 1950 professionally reupholstered in ivory white bouclé. The backs feature Frankl’s iconic “V” shape cut out – frequently compared to a corset or plunging neckline. Rich mahogany wood with dark walnut stain, as originally produced. Ivory bouclé fabric is soft and inviting. Surprisingly practical and comfortable, the seat back cut out allows for ventilation and keeps your guests cool and comfortable during memorable dinner parties. Rare and hard to find set of 10 freshly and fully restored from top to bottom. Featured in Architectural Digest. Get this exquisite Midcentury Paul Frankl dining set before it’s gone! Want to see more beautiful things? Scroll down below and click “View All From Seller” or favorite our shop to get your 1stDibs on our new inventory. Armchair dimensions: 26″ W x 24″ D x. 32″ H Side chair dimensions: 24″ W x 24″ D x 32″ H Seat height dimensions: 18″ on all chairs.

“Born in Vienna, Paul Frankl came to the United States in 1914 as part of a wave of Central European design luminaries — among them Kem Weber, Rudolph Schindler, and Richard Neutra — who were drawn by the energy and optimism of the American scene. Prolific and protean, Frankl would go on to design furnishings that are emblematic of nearly every key stylistic chord in American modernism, from the streamlined Art Deco to free-form organic shapes. Frankl’s Skyscraper cabinets, bookcases and more — introduced in 1924 — are his earliest and best-known designs (and the work by which he is most often represented in institutions, such as New York’s Metropolitan Museum of Art). Tall and narrow, the pieces have staggered shelves meant to mimic the setbacks of Manhattan office towers. A later visually expressive line — the Speed chairs and sofas, which have a raked profile suggesting motion — links Frankl to Donald Deskey, Raymond Loewy and other creators of Streamline Moderne design. Frankl moved to Los Angeles in 1934 and luxuriated in the climate and lifestyle. His designs became lighter and simpler and found an audience among the Hollywood élite. (Katharine Hepburn, Cary Grant and Fred Astaire were clients.) Fascinated by Asian arts, Frankl produced numerous pieces — tabletops with edges that curve upward; sofas, chairs and other seating with rattan frames — inspired by Chinese and Japanese forms and materials. In the 1940s, Frankl became one of the first designers to incorporate free-form, biomorphic shapes in his work, as well as novel upholstery fabrics such as denim and nubby wool. Frankl biographer Christopher Long argues that the designer’s easy, elegant aesthetic had an enormous influence on movie set design. As the furniture below attests, Paul Frankl’s work is ready for its close-up.”