Robsjohn-Gibbings - Lounge chaise longue

Robsjohn-Gibbings.  
Lounge chaise longue.
Lacquered wood and brass.   
Widdicomb edition.  
Circa 1950.  

This set of furniture was designed by the internationally acclaimed decorator Robsjohn-Gibbings, whose creations combine the Art Deco style with the decorative repertoire of Ancient Greece. His ironic take on modern living made him a true visionary, unclassifiable in his expression of decoration.   

His first job was as a cruise-ship decorator in London. He left the city in 1930 for New York, where he worked for a dealer specializing in 18th-century English furniture. When he was forced to return to London in 1933, he was moved to discover the antique furniture depicted on archaeological finds. Armed with these new inspirations, he returned to New York to open his own decorating house in 1936. His first collection was called "Sans Epoque", because he believed that the pure beauty of ancient traditions is eternal. In his satirical writings, which quickly became bestsellers, he opposed the modernist habitat, which he called "the skin-and-bones machine for living". It was at this time that he became a world-renowned designer in demand around the globe. 

Indeed, this combination of classic inspiration, comfort and late-1930s modernity appealed to a wide audience. This led to his appointment as principal designer of the Widdicomb Furniture Company, a luxury firm for which he designed innovative models from 1943 to 1956. This furniture is still highly appreciated today for its elegance and generous proportions. By eschewing synthetic materials in favor of local woods and creating a new style, Robsjohn-Gibbings brought a new identity to a typically American piece of furniture destined for worldwide distribution.  

Thanks to new collaborations and commissions in Greece, he decided to settle permanently in Athens from 1963 onwards, and died in 1976 surrounded by his creations in an apartment overlooking the Parthenon.