The pioneers of modern furniture design in America in the mid-20th century all had their moments of flamboyance: Charles and Ray Eames produced the startling, biomorphic La Chaise; George Nelson’s firm created the Marshmallow sofa; Edward Wormley had his decadent Listen to Me chaise. But no designer of the day steadily offered works with more verve and dynamism than Vladimir Kagan. While others, it seems, designed with suburban households in mind, Kagan aimed to suit the tastes of young, sophisticated city-dwellers. With signature designs that feature sleekly curved frames and others that have dramatic out-thrust legs, Kagan made furniture sexy.
Kagan’s father was a Russian master cabinetmaker who took his family first to Germany (where Vladimir was born) and then to New York in 1938. After studying architecture at Columbia University, Kagan opened a design firm at age 22 and immediately made a splash with his long, low and sinuous Serpentine sofa. Furniture lines such as the Tri-symmetric group of glass-topped, three-legged tables and the vivacious Contours chairs soon followed.
Kagan’s choices of form and materials evolved through subsequent decades, embracing lucite, aluminum and burl-wood veneers. By the late 1960s, Kagan was designing austere, asymmetrical cabinets and his Omnibus group of modular sofas and chairs. For all his aesthetic élan, Kagan said that throughout his career, his touchstone was comfort. “A lot of modern furniture was not comfortable. And so comfort is: form follows function. The function was to make it comfortable,” he once commented. “I created what I called vessels for the human body.”
A diverse group of bodies have made themselves at home with Kagan designs. Among the famous names who commissioned and collected his designs are Marilyn Monroe, Gary Cooper, Andy Warhol, David Lynch, Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt, and firms such as Gucci and Giorgio Armani. His work is in numerous museum collections, including those of the Victoria & Albert and the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
Because of its idiosyncrasy, Kagan’s work did not lend itself to mass-production. Kagan never signed on with any of the major furniture-making corporations, and examples of his designs are relatively rare. As you will see from the offerings on 1stDibs, even decades after their conception, Kagan pieces still command the eye, with their freshness, energy, sensuality and wit.
Important Mid-Century Modern Vladimir Kagan Sideboard / Buffet, Full Dining Set
By Vladimir Kagan
Located in Stamford, CT
Vladimir Kagan (American, 1927-2016) The Kagan Family Copeland Dining Room Sideboard or Buffet, Vladimir Kagan Designs, Inc., USA, circa 1983. Part of a full dining room set...
Brass
Mid-Century Modern Eva Sideboard by Vladimir Kagan Birdeye Maple, Lacquer, 1983
By Vladimir Kagan
Located in Stamford, CT
Vladimir Kagan (American, 1927-2016) Eva Dining Room Set, Vladimir Kagan Designs, Inc., USA, circa 1983 The sideboard (Model 83-210) comprising a center bow front section of two doors having a fitted interior, containing one shelf and one drawer fitted with a cloth flatware organizer, flanked by two side sections, the left with vertical platter organizers, the right with two shelves. Applied label to interior of drawer: "Hand made in the workshops of Vladimir Kagan, Vladimir Kagan Designs, New York" Seen in the last pictures in its original unfinished condition. Birdseye maple veneer, painted and lacquered wood United States, c. 1983 Provenance Property from the Personal Collection of Vladimir Kagan Part of a complete dining room set...
Birdseye Maple, Ebony
Leif Jacobsen Style, Mid-Century Modern, Credenza, Burlwood, Canada, 1950s
By Herman Miller
Located in Stamford, CT
Mid-Century Modern Herman Miller Style Sideboard / Credenza / Cabinet, Burlwood Mid-century cabinet with all original hardware and wood from the time...
Chrome
Mid-Century Modern Milo Baughman Sideboard / Dresser, Burlwood, Chrome
By Milo Baughman
Located in Stamford, CT
Mid-Century Modern Milo Baughman Sideboard / Dresser, Burlwood, Chrome Gorgeous mid-century dresser or sideboard designed and produced in the United States, circa 1980s. This piece is made of burlwood with chrome accents and details. Very decorative square patchwork wood...
Chrome
Milo Baughman, Mid-Century Modern Dresser, Rosewood, Chrome, John Stuart, 1960s
By Milo Baughman, John Stuart
Located in Stamford, CT
Mid-Century Modern Milo Baughman Rosewood Dresser for John Stuart, Chrome Accent Fully refinished American mid-century dresser designed by Milo Baughman for John Stuart...
Chrome
Mid-Century Modern Dresser / Sideboard, Milo Baughman Style, Chrome, Walnut
By Milo Baughman
Located in Stamford, CT
Mid-Century Modern Dresser / Sideboard by Milo Baughman, Chrome, Walnut This fine rosewood style veneer fronts having chrome pulls with chrome framed borders. Each having a fitted i...
Chrome
Rare Vladimir Kagan Credenza, Rosewood, Vladimir Kagan Designs, 1970s
By Vladimir Kagan
Located in Culver City, CA
This credenza is a rarity among Vladimir Kagan pieces -- and it is an absolute knockout. Featuring a rosewood top and sides with a crisp white lacquered body and chrome accents, all ...
Chrome
Important Vladimir Kagan Rosewood Brass Dresser, Desk Unit, 1950s
By Vladimir Kagan
Located in Culver City, CA
If you're a fan of Vladimir Kagan and are looking for a piece with a story, look no farther. This piece resided in the master bedroom of Vladimir Kagan and Erica Wilson's Park Avenue apartment. This is the Kagan Family Custom Dresser and Desk, Vladimir Kagan Designs, Inc., USA, circa 1950. Designed by Vladimir Kagan for he and his wife's bedroom-- this set is truly stunning. Modular in nature, there is a dresser unit, that is flanked by a file cabinet, diagonally slatted drawers, and a drafting drawer for Kagan's pens. The unit has an attached drafting table with a drawer that features a multi-level adjusting lever where Vladimir Kagan himself used to sit and prepare his sketches. Below the drafting table, you can see the groove to pullout the drawer was completely hand tooled. This seat is comprised of hardwood, with rosewood veneer, brass legs and drawer pulls which have been polished back to their original glow, and a laminate top on the drafting table. This set can be seen as documented in: Martin Eidelberg, Design 1935-1965: What Modern Was, Abrams, p. 162 New York Social Diary, Vladimir Kagan, April 15, 2016 Vladimir Kagan (1927-2016) was a German-born American furniture designer known for his sleek, modernist designs that combined organic shapes with high-tech materials. Kagan began his career in the 1940s, working for his father's furniture business in Germany. He later immigrated to the United States and started his own design studio in New York City in 1949. Over the next several decades, Kagan created hundreds of iconic designs, including his signature "Sculptured Chair" and "Floating Sofa," which became icons of 1950s and 60s modernism. Kagan's designs were celebrated for their sculptural quality and unique use of materials, such as fiberglass, lucite, and stainless steel. He also pioneered the use of ergonomics in furniture design, creating pieces that were not only beautiful but also comfortable to use. Throughout his career, Kagan received numerous awards and honors for his contributions to design, including the American Society of Interior Designers' Designer of Distinction award in 1985 and induction into the Interior Design Hall of Fame in 2009. Kagan's impact on the world of furniture design is incredibly significant. His work helped define the Mid-Century Modern aesthetic, and his innovative use of materials and focus on ergonomics continue to influence designers today. His designs are highly sought after by collectors and are displayed in museums around the world. This set is currently in our gallery with a set of Vladimir Kagan unicorn...
Brass
Magnificent XL Leon Rosen Pace Collection Burl Chrome Credenza Mid-Century
By Leon Rosen, Pace Collection
Located in Pemberton, NJ
Magnificent XL Mid-Century Modern burl wood and chrome credenza designed by Leon Rosen, manufactured by Pace Collection. In wonderful original condition, heavy and sturdy, this piece...
Stainless Steel
1979 Warren Platner Executive Credenza in Oak, Leather, and Chromed Steel
By Warren Platner, Knoll
Located in Philadelphia, PA
This is a Large Executive Credenza in Oak, Leather, and Chromed Steel, initially designed by Warren Platner for Knoll International in 1973. This particular unit was produced in 1979...
Steel, Chrome
Vladimir Kagan Ribbon Credenza
By Vladimir Kagan
Located in Dallas, TX
The Ribbon Credenza’s smooth waterfall edge is Kagan’s answer to the rectilinear case good. Cascading down in one continuous line or evaporating into Lucite legs, this 1979 design em...
Steel
Mid-Century Modern Sideboards / Cabinets by, Vladimir Kagan in 1961.
By Vladimir Kagan
Located in North Miami, FL
Presenting a remarkable pair of custom Mid-Century Modern sideboards/cabinets meticulously crafted by the renowned designer Vladimir Kagan in 1961. These exquisite pieces are constru...
Stone, Travertine, Brass
