Though much of Arthur Umanoff's furniture is marked by a no-frills simplicity common in American mid-century modern design, his work is anything but one-note. Over the course of a prolific career, Umanoff designed everything from case pieces to candleholders to magazine racks to dining chairs in iron, leather, walnut, wicker and more. With furnishings for a broad range of manufacturers throughout the ’50s, ’60s, ’70s and early ’80s, Umanoff continued a thread of sculptural elegance and textural sensitivity through his designs.
After graduating from Pratt Institute in the early 1950s, Umanoff experimented mostly with wood furniture before landing a job at Post Modern Ltd, a New York manufacturer of wrought-iron furniture. There he produced furnishings that married wrought iron with wood and plastic, creating functional pieces free of utilitarian bulkiness.
Umanoff continued his experimentation with mixed materials through a partnership with Shaver Howard, for whom he designed wine racks in combinations of iron, leather and wicker.
When Shaver Howard bought Boyeur Scott, Umanoff conceived several furniture designs for the brand, including the 1964 Granada collection, whose curlicue iron bases, visible through glass tops, stand out as some of his most ornate and decorative work. Indeed, much of Umanoff’s oeuvre is far more simplistic, like iron-and-pine armchairs for The Elton Co. or low-backed, slatted-seat barstools with slender iron legs for Raymor.
Umanoff was fluent, too, in the more sumptuous modernism of the era: In the mid-1960s, he designed the 2405 and 4449 armchairs for Madison Furniture Industries. Popular in offices, the walnut-framed, leather-upholstered seats, which could have been mistaken for the seductive Scandinavian modern seating of the era, were reportedly the jumping-off point for Captain Kirk’s iconic seat on Star Trek.
Even as he is among the mid-century modern designers you may not know, with work across such a range of styles and manufacturers (most no longer in business), Umanoff, who died in 1985, leaves a legacy that is fascinatingly diverse and at times enticingly elusive, making his work intriguing objects for collectors.
Find vintage Arthur Umanoff bar stools, tables, benches and other furniture today on 1stDibs.
Arthur Umanoff Rocking Chair
By Arthur Umanoff
Located in Oklahoma City, OK
The Arthur Umanoff rocking chair is a timeless piece of furniture that combines elegant design with exceptional comfort. Designed by Arthur Umanoff, a prominent mid-century modern fu...
Steel
Rocking Chair by Arthur Umanoff
By Arthur Umanoff
Located in Oklahoma City, OK
The Arthur Umanoff rocking chair is a timeless piece of furniture that combines elegant design with exceptional comfort. Designed by Arthur Umanoff, a prominent mid-century modern fu...
Steel
Arthur Umanoff Wood and Rush Chair
By Arthur Umanoff
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Sculptural Arthur Umanoff chair with signature rush back, slatted wood seat, and iron legs. Metal frame in a vintage adobe finish. Rare design. Floating ...
Iron
Rocking Chair by Tendo Mokko Japan
By Tendo Mokko
Located in North Hollywood, CA
Heron rocking chair and matching footrest / ottoman designed by Mitsuwasa Sugasawa made of bent laminated oak and manufactured by Tendo Mokko Japan. Great example of Japanese mid century design...
Oak
Bentwood rocking chair by Thonet
By Thonet
Located in Hronská Breznica, Banskobystrický kraj
Bentwood rocking chair by Thonet in excellent original codnition.
Rattan, Beech, Bentwood
Arthur Umanoff Style Vintage Basket Chair
By Arthur Umanoff
Located in Waxahachie, TX
Got conflicting information on this one. 1950s Danish or Arthur Umanoff (style?) Either way, it's a badass accent chair. Wicker basket seat with rattan arms and supports. Minor areas...
Wicker
Exceptional Rocking Chair by Thonet
By Thonet, Michael Thonet
Located in Vlimmeren, BE
This old authentic rocking chair was designed Michael Thonet and manufactured by Thonet. It was in the catalogue of 1904. It is a design classic. This dark brown rocking chair is in very good vintage condition with normal signs of age and use. The chair is stamped. Take your chance to get this Thonet collector’s item. Michael Thonet (1796-1871) was a German-Austrian cabinet maker, known for the invention of bentwood furniture, which ment the beginning of Modern Design. Le Corbusier used Thonet chairs...
Bentwood
Rocking Chair S826 by Thonet
By Thonet
Located in Neuss, NW
Classic rocking chair by Ulrich Böhme for Thonet. Designed in 1971, model S826. Frame made of chrome-plated tubular steel. The rocking chair has been reupholstered and covered with a...
Steel
Italian Rocking Chair Model 572 By Cassina
By Cassina
Located in London, GB
An incredible and very rare rocking chair (has been attributed to Gio Ponti in the past and shows a strong and striking resemblance to his designs) in walnut, rubber and fabric for C...
Steel
Edwardian Rocking Chair
Located in Houston, TX
The beautiful Edwardian Bamboo Rocking Chair features a design with "stick and ball" elements. This rocker will fit wonderfully into almost any room!
Bamboo
Bentwood Rocking Chair
By Thonet
Located in Saint-Ouen, FR
An attributed thonet rocking chair as it is not signed in good condition in tinted beech.
Beech
Rare Rocking Chair by François Turpin
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Rare painted metal rocking chair with canvas sling by François Turpin. Made in France circa 1930s. Bibliography: Pierre Migennes, "Les meubles de ja...
Metal
' Relaxer 2 ' Rocking Chairs by Verner Panton
By Rosenthal, Verner Panton
Located in Brussels, BE
Verner Panton's Relaxe 2 is one of his innovative piece of furniture that embodies mid-century modern design with a playful twist. His width of 100 cm makes the Relaxer 2 even more c...
Fabric, Beech
Midcentury Rocking Chair
By TON a.s.
Located in Vienna, AT
Midcentury rocking chair still unrestored made by TON (former Thonet factory) delivery time 4-5 weeks
Beech, Bentwood
Sold
H 37.5 in W 21 in D 21 in
Mid Century Modern Arthur Umanoff FWashington Woodcraft Walnut Rattan Rocker!
By Arthur Umanoff, Washington Woodcraft
Located in Stafford, TX
Beautiful rocker in great condition as seen. Message with questions.
Rattan, Walnut
Sold
H 38 in W 21.5 in D 29.5 in
Rocking Chair in Walnut, Arthur Umanoff, Washington Woodcraft, USA, c. 1960's
By Arthur Umanoff
Located in Deland, FL
Introducing a splendid Mid-Century Modern rocker designed by the incomparable Arthur Umanoff for Washington Woodcraft in the 1960s. Crafted from solid American black walnut and featu...
Rattan, Walnut
Sold
H 38 in W 21.5 in D 29 in
Mid-Century Ebonized Rocker or Rocking Chair by Arthur Umanoff for Shaver Howard
By Arthur Umanoff
Located in Southampton, NJ
Blending classic Adirondack construction with striking Japanese lines this rocker is the center of attention in most design settings. Solid ebonized mahogany having woven cane backre...
Cane, Mahogany
Arthur Umanoff Occasional Chair + Rocker
By Arthur Umanoff
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Handsome pair of chairs. Solid walnut with cane design. Original condition with a nice patina. Presents well. Sturdy and stout. Great for fireside seating...
Cane, Wood, Walnut