Decorator:
Paul McCobb
table lamp
North Craft Lighting Co. USA,
c. 1952
two Paul McCobb upholstered armchairs on left
more McCobb chairs on left."Paul McCobb (1917-69) an American furniture designer and decorator, was active in Massachusetts and Michigan.
McCobb, like his contemporaries Harvey Probber and George Nelson, helped introduce Americans to modular furniture.
McCobb, who never received any formal design training, first established a studio in 1945. He worked primarily as a decorator and retail display designer, eventually turning his attention to furniture: by 1950, B.G. Mosberg was marketing his stylish, affordable Planner Group.
Other, more luxurious collections followed, including the Directional, Predictor Linear, and Perimeter lines, all produced by Winchendon Furniture and marketed by McCobb himself.
McCobb's pieces were flexible and practical, designed to meet the needs of post World War II middle-class lifestyles. For example, his "living walls", complete with moveable room dividers and storage systems, allowed for maximum efficiency in limited spaces.
He became a household name in the 1950's, earning himself the nickname "America's Decorator". His work was exhibited at the Museum of Modern Art in New York, and the Merchandise Mart in Chicago.
McCobb's pieces were flexible and practical, designed to meet the needs of post World War II middle-class lifestyles. For example, his "living walls", complete with moveable room dividers and storage systems, allowed for maximum efficiency in limited spaces.
He became a household name in the 1950's, earning himself the nickname "America's Decorator". His work was exhibited at the Museum of Modern Art in New York, and the Merchandise Mart in Chicago. "
taken from here, School of Architecture, University of Illinois