An American woodworker known for a wide range of furniture that is sensuous, sculptural and imbued with character, Phillip Lloyd Powell is an iconic figure in design. His organic style transcended the conventions of popular mid-century modern furniture and is best reflected in the vintage cabinets and tables for which he is renowned.
“I am an artist working with furniture,” Powell once said. But the self-taught furniture maker wore a number of different hats throughout his lifetime. He crafted handmade furniture as a teenager at his boyhood home and went on to study engineering at what is now Drexel University. Powell served in the Army Air Corps during World War II, and, on his return, he established his first showroom in New Hope, in his home state of Pennsylvania, stocking furniture from Knoll, Herman Miller and Isamu Noguchi.
In New Hope, Powell encountered fellow furniture designers Paul Evans and George Nakashima. The latter, a master woodworker who preferred a personal approach to design over industrial methods and materials, encouraged Powell to concentrate on making his own furniture. When Powell did so, he’d experiment with Nakashima’s unused stock of wood, drawing on natural world forms for seating and shapely coffee tables.
Evans, who moved to New Hope in 1955, was invited to share Powell’s studio space. Powell’s furniture design practice really took off and a collaboration with Evans put into motion the 1960s American Studio Craft Movement, which came to include furniture designers Wharton Esherick and Sam Maloof. The decade-long partnership between Evans and Powell yielded stone-topped tables, walnut chests with sculptured metal exteriors and more.
Powell was inspired by Evans’s artistry as a jewelry designer — he was a skilled welder whose Cityscape pieces are milestones of brutalism. Powell, in turn, encouraged him to turn his sculptures into furniture. Like Evans, Powell incorporated a range of materials into his work, rendering the interiors of his hand-carved cabinets alluring and distinctive with applications of silver leaf and fabrics.
The sinewy arms of Powell’s famous New Hope lounge chair are representative of his broad expertise with wood and his ability to make graceful yet functional furniture. He worked slowly, and the influence of the natural world remained a driving force in his designs. Powell produced approximately 1,000 pieces while he lived and worked in New Hope until his death in 2008.
Find vintage Phillip Lloyd Powell furniture on 1stDibs.
Cabinet Credenza Phillip Lloyd Powell and Paul Evans
By Phillip Lloyd Powell, Paul Evans
Located in Atlanta, GA
From the early collaboration between two New Hope craftsmen Phillip Lloyd Powell and Paul Evans, came this stunning piece of furniture that epitomizes their individual artistic aesth...
Slate, Iron
$2,240Sale Price|20% Off
H 81 in W 72 in D 18 in
Mid Century Server Credenza Attributed to Paul McCobb
By Paul McCobb
Located in New York, NY
Nice Mid-Century Modern credenza having a large cabinet bottom and a tall vertical display shelf top element. The shelf has its original white glass insert surfaces and four thin dra...
Brass
Wall-Mounted Cabinet by Phillip Lloyd Powell
By Phillip Lloyd Powell
Located in St.Petersburg, FL
A rare and unusual wall-mounted cabinet by Phillip Lloyd Powell in walnut. Drawers on one side with piano hinge bi-fold doors on the other side, with adjustable shelves inside. Great...
$25,000
H 32.25 in W 84.13 in D 22 in
Paul Evans CityScape Sideboard for Directional Brass Tiles & Burl Wood Doors
By Directional, Paul Evans
Located in St. Louis, MO
Rare 1970s Paul Evans Cityscape sideboard with waterfall ends for Directional with brass tiles and book matched Burl wood doors. Interior laminated in black...
Brass
Sculpted Cabinet Credenza by Jacques Jarrige
By Jacques Jarrige
Located in New York, NY
This lacquered cabinet by Jacques Jarrige features sculpted sliding doors adorned with a low-relief composition that evokes the gentle, rhythmic meandering of a river. The carved sur...
Wood
$18,500
H 92 in W 25 in D 26 in
Paul Evans and Phillip Lloyd Powell Gold Leaf and Walnut Studio Cabinet, 1963
By Phillip Lloyd Powell, Paul Evans
Located in Dallas, TX
This early studio craft 23 Karat gold leafed cabinet was made as a collaboration between Paul Evans and Phillip Lloyd Powell in the mid 1960s. The upper storage compartment unlatches to reveal two adjustable felt-lined shelves. The center compartment conceals a vanity complete with three mirrors embellished with torch-cut brazed discs flanked by two vertical rows of lightbulbs. Behind the mirror is a secret hidden storage compartment. Below this feature is a drop-front laminated tray and an open storage compartment. The bottom of the cabinet boasts a bank of five hand-carved solid walnut drawers and the left side has a cut-out with a hidden outlet and a slate surface which would provide a convenient smartphone charging station...
Slate, Brass, Gold Leaf
Paul Evans Mid Century Deep Relief Cabinet Credenza
By Paul Evans
Located in Franklin Park, IL
Paul Evans Mid Century Deep Relief Cabinet Credenza This credenza measures: 96.5 wide x 20.5 deep x 31.5 inches high All pieces of furniture can be had in what we call restored vin...
Wood
$9,900Sale Price|44% Off
H 30 in W 84 in D 22 in
Modernist Patchwork Burl Credenza By Paul Evans For Directional
By Paul Evans
Located in Brooklyn, NY
Stunning, modernist, patchwork burl, credenza by Paul Evans for Directional features a high sheen laminate finish with 48 inch wide, gunmetal steel center doors and two 16 inch wide ...
Steel
Paul Evans Attributed Cityscape Patchwork Burlwood Credenza
By Directional, Milo Baughman, Paul Evans
Located in Houston, TX
Paul Evans Attributed Cityscape patchwork burlwood credenza. This stunning long mid-century Paul Evans for Directional attributed credenza or chest ...
Wood
Paul Evans Mid Century Deep Relief Cabinet Credenza
By Paul Evans
Located in Franklin Park, IL
Paul Evans Mid Century Deep Relief Cabinet Credenza This credenza measures: 96.75 wide x 20.5 deep x 32 inches high All pieces of furniture can be had in what we call restored vint...
Wood
Paul Evans Cityscape Mid Century Chrome and Brass Cabinet Credenza
By Paul Evans
Located in Franklin Park, IL
Paul Evans Cityscape Mid Century Chrome and Brass Cabinet Credenza This credenza measures: 72 wide x 22 deep x 32 inches high Good Vintage Condition – Piece has Minor Pitting. Mino...
Brass, Chrome
Paul Frankl Cork Credenza for Johnson Furniture Co
By Johnson Furniture Co., Paul Frankl
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Paul Frankl’s cork furniture pieces are among his longest-lasting contributions to American modernism and are highly sought after to this day. This mahogany example, a cork top crede...
Brass
Paul McCobb Calvin Group Credenza
By Paul McCobb, Calvin Furniture
Located in New York, NY
Classic Paul McCobb sideboard, server, credenza for Clavin. The cabinet has two sliding doors, each with leather fronts, and a metal handle. The doors open to interior storage. The u...
Metal
Wall Hanging Cabinet by Phillip Lloyd Powell
By Phillip Lloyd Powell
Located in Pawtucket, RI
Nicely detailed wall-hanging cabinet from Phillip Lloyd Powell circa 1966. Cabinet in walnut with hand carved undulating Bi- folding doors and exposed ebony pins. Interior with beau...
Gold Leaf