1940 FURNITURE STYLES

Furniture and Interiors of the 1940s

The 1940s marked a period of transition in interior design: the quarrel between ancient and modern was outdated, the combination of function and art was essential, and interior designers were more focused on new creations rather than on post-war reconstruction. The style of this period exhibits all the contradictions that arise from a society that was in a general state of shock, unsure of what the future would hold. Exemplary cabinet making marks the period, featuring famous names like T.H. Robsjohn-Gibbing and George Nelson from the United States. In France, Adnet, Arbus, Dominique, Kohlmann, Jallot, and Leleu produced sumptuous ensembles, with beautiful detailing. Furniture and Interiors of the 1940s features the work of numerous designers in 300 archival images and recent color photographs that shed new light on this transitional period in design, as it evolved both in Europe and in the United States.

Emeco navy chair
Design Emeco, 1944
Thermal treated aluminum
Made in USA by Emeco

The classic aluminum chair has been in continuous production since the mid 1940's by Emeco. Based on a marriage of style and a time honored proprietary 77 step process, Emeco can be considered the guardian of a lost art...the manufacture of something enduring and endearing. Three times stronger than steel and amazingly lightweight, these chairs have a life expectancy of at least 150 years. Timeless. Chairs admired today – and indefinitely. Chairs that span generations and cultures.

The 1006 is a bona fide wartime workhorse. It was developed in Hanover, Pa., in the 1940s for use on submarines and aircraft carriers. Aluminum makes the chair lightweight and corrosion-resistant. An elaborate manufacturing process makes it virtually indestructible. According to company lore, the 1006 is tough enough to withstand a torpedo blast.

The military remains a customer, but today the 1006 is also a symbol of modern industrial chic. Navy chairs are found in Armani and Tiffany boutiques, the architecture offices of Frank O. Gehry, in the movie "Mr. & Mrs. Smith" and at home with Brad Pitt. The chair has starred in its own docudrama, "77 Steps," filmed by Eames Demetrios, grandson of designer Charles Eames. Television viewers can spot Navy chairs on "Law & Order" and "CSI,"

Sturm. P. 2007. West Indian antique furniture of the Lesser Antilles: 1740-1940. Antique Collectors Club: Suffolk (GB).

Philippine furniture bear striking similarities to furniture made in the Carribean particularly those around the Lesser Antilles. In fact, a style of architecture found in the Philippines is named Antillean because they are similarly constructed after models found in the Carribean.

This is an invaluable reference work for collectors and students of Philippine classical furniture from the 18th century to the advent of WWII.

This work is intended to give the reader an insight into the furniture of the Lesser Antilles, and its place in the changing politics and history of these Caribbean islands. The inspiration for this book came initially from the collection formed by the author's mother, Dorothy Sturm, in Trinidad, during the years between 1939 and 1981. As Philip Sturm became increasingly involved with the responsibilities of caring for the family collection as well as being a keen collector himself, he discovered there were no books on the subject. He was obliged to rely on his own general knowledge, local information, an art and history background and many hours spent in the libraries and archives of Trinidad, Barbados, St. Kitts, and the Virgin Islands. Even this produced very little information, the only references coming from advertisements of furniture on packets arriving in the harbours, or from house auction sales. Accordingly, he resolved to draw upon his own experience and conduct his own detailed and leng