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Walter Lamb

American

Forward-looking architect Walter Lamb is best known for his revolutionary and widely loved patio furniture — he salvaged metal tubing from sunken ships in Pearl Harbor in the 1940s to create alluring chaise longues and other pieces for the backyard. His vintage furniture designs have been adorning patios worldwide for almost a century.

Trained as an architect at the University of California Berkeley campus, Lamb found himself in Hawaii during the 1940s. This period was a time of growth for furniture designers and manufacturers, as veterans were returning to the United States, getting married and starting families. These folks needed practical furniture for their new homes, and as the movement we now call mid-century modern took shape, imaginative architects and furniture makers would fill that need. Lamb was one such innovator.

Lamb worked the shaped tubing and fittings he’d gathered from battleship wreckage into proper frames and wrapped the structures in marine-grade cotton cording to create comfortable, element-proof outdoor furniture. Today his patio furniture has an esteemed place in the history of design. In fact, furniture enthusiasts are eager to restore and collect his iconic aged furniture rather than purchase reproductions.

Postwar California would become reputable as a manufacturing center for versatile furniture intended for both indoor and outdoor spaces. Seating, tables and other items — often made with rattan — produced by the likes of McGuire and Brown Jordan became a defining feature of organic modern living, a style that still characterizes many California interiors and influences innumerable design firms. Pasadena’s then-new Brown Jordan picked up Lamb’s designs, which eventually included dining tables, side tables and coffee and cocktail tables. And along with these furnishings, Lamb's sculptural vintage seating — his curvaceous lounge chairs and armchairs with cotton cord seats — while perfect for your fire pit, shouldn’t be relegated to outdoors-only settings.

Lamb received much acclaim for his work. The Museum of Modern Art in New York recognized his 1940s-era outdoor furniture for Brown Jordan with a design award.

On 1stDibs, find a noteworthy collection of vintage Walter Lamb furniture.

Average Sold Price
$4,908
Styles
Materials
Related Creators
Walter Lamb Arm Chairs
By Walter Lamb
Located in West Palm Beach, FL
Walter Lamb Arm Chairs. Manufactured by Brown Jordan Beautiful natural verdigris surface Set of 6
Category

1960s American Vintage Walter Lamb

Materials

Copper

Walter Lamb Arm Chairs
Walter Lamb Arm Chairs
H 28 in W 20 in D 24 in
Walter Lamb for Brown Jordan Bronze Patio Dining Armchair
By Walter Lamb, Brown Jordan
Located in Oklahoma City, OK
This rare early set of six patio dining chairs by Walter Lamb for Brown Jordan showcases the designer’s iconic fusion of organic materials and sleek lines. Crafted in bronze with a b...
Category

Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Walter Lamb

Materials

Bronze

Walter Lamb for Brown Jordan Bronze Patio Chaise Lounge
By Brown Jordan, Walter Lamb
Located in Los Angeles, CA
S-Lounge patio chair by Walter Lamb for Brown Jordan. Graceful even for a Lamb design, the chaise lounge is rendered in bronze tubing with a seat of woven yacht cord. Its namesake ar...
Category

1960s American Mid-Century Modern Vintage Walter Lamb

Materials

Bronze

Vintage Walter Lamb Bronze for Brown Jordan Lounge Chair and Ottoman
By Brown Jordan, Walter Lamb
Located in Chicago, IL
Vintage Walter Lamb Bronze for Brown Jordan Lounge Chair and Ottoman, model C-5700, nicely patinaed frame and ottoman with original nylon cording. Dimensions: 29.50" height 29.50" de...
Category

1960s American Mid-Century Modern Vintage Walter Lamb

Materials

Bronze

Early Walter Lamb / Brown Jordan Bronze & Pony 'Waikiki' Rocking Chaise, 1950s
By Brown Jordan, Walter Lamb
Located in Buffalo, NY
Early production Sculptural bronze 'Waikiki' rocking chaise lounge by Walter Lamb for Brown Jordan. This example of functional art features curvy tubular bronze frame and rewoven wit...
Category

1950s American Mid-Century Modern Vintage Walter Lamb

Materials

Bronze

Walter Lamb for Brown Jordan Rectangular Bronze Patio Coffee Table
By Brown Jordan, Walter Lamb
Located in Los Angeles, CA
A patio coffee table in patinated bronze designed by Walter Lamb and produced by Brown Jordan. The table has a rectangular shape of tubular patinated bronze with rounded corners, sup...
Category

1950s American Mid-Century Modern Vintage Walter Lamb

Materials

Bronze

Walter Lamb for Brown Jordan Bronze 'Waikiki' Rocking Chaise, 1960s, New Canvas
By Brown Jordan, Walter Lamb
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Sculptural bronze 'Waikiki' rocking chaise lounge by Walter Lamb for Brown Jordan. These collectible examples of functional art features curvy tubular bronze frames and rewoven with ...
Category

1960s American Mid-Century Modern Vintage Walter Lamb

Materials

Bronze

Walter Lamb for Brown Jordan Bronze 'Waikiki' Rocking Chaise Lounge, circa 1960s
By Walter Lamb, Brown Jordan
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Sculptural bronze 'Waikiki' rocking chaise lounge by Walter Lamb for Brown Jordan. These collectible examples of functional art features curvy tubular bronze frames and rewoven with ...
Category

1960s American Mid-Century Modern Vintage Walter Lamb

Materials

Bronze

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Creators Similar to Walter Lamb

Walter Lamb furniture for sale on 1stDibs.

Walter Lamb furniture are available for sale on 1stDibs. These distinctive items are frequently made of metal and are designed with extraordinary care. There are many options to choose from in our collection of Walter Lamb furniture, although gold editions of this piece are particularly popular. Many of the original furniture by Walter Lamb were created in the mid-century modern style in united states during the 20th century. If you’re looking for additional options, many customers also consider furniture by Danny Ho Fong, William Billy Haines, and Dan Johnson. Prices for Walter Lamb furniture can differ depending upon size, time period and other attributes — on 1stDibs, these items begin at $4,000 and can go as high as $35,000, while a piece like these, on average, fetch $8,700.

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