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.
Phillip Lloyd Powell Custom-Made Chest of Drawers in Solid Walnut
By Phillip Lloyd Powell
Located in Waalwijk, NL
Phillip Lloyd Powell, custom-made cabinet, solid walnut, New Hope, United States, circa 1960 Crafted in Phillip Lloyd Powell’s New Hope studio, this very rare cabinet pairs understa...
Walnut
Phillip Lloyd Powell Custom-Made Chest of Drawers in Solid Walnut
By Phillip Lloyd Powell
Located in Waalwijk, NL
Phillip Lloyd Powell, custom-made cabinet, solid walnut, New Hope, United States, circa 1960 Crafted in Phillip Lloyd Powell’s New Hope studio, this very rare cabinet pairs understa...
Walnut
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...
Chest of Drawers Made In Rosewood From 1960s
Located in Lejre, DK
Get a timeless piece of Danish design history with this beautiful chest of drawers in rosewood from the 1960s. The rosewood not only adds warmth to the room, but it also highlights t...
Rosewood
Gorgeous Wall HangingDisplay Shelf by Phillip Lloyd Powell
By Phillip Lloyd Powell
Located in BROOKLYN, NY
Amazing wall mounted shelf hand crafted in black walnut by Phillip Powell. Signature dovetailed edges and choice walnut stand in contrast with the grass cloth backing. Sculptural she...
Walnut
$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 Paul Evans, Phillip Lloyd Powell
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
Custom Five-Drawer Walnut Burl Chest of Drawers
Located in Woodbury, CT
Created by our English cabinetmaker with exacting detail, this Georgian styled walnut burl chest has the traditional arrangement of two drawers over three graduated drawers, each cro...
Walnut, Burl
17th-century Emilian Chest Of Drawers In Solid Walnut
Located in Atlanta, GA
An elegant 17th-century Emilian chest of drawers, masterfully crafted in solid walnut during the second half of the 1600s. This refined Italian piece showcases the exceptional artist...
Walnut
Walnut & Burl Walnut Chest of Drawers
Located in Huntington, NY
Walnut & Burl Walnut Chest of Drawers. Bracket feet below three graduated drawers, and two smaller side-by-side drawers, with a burl walnut top & brass hardware
Brass
Walnut Side Chest with Solid Drawers
Located in Chicago, IL
This walnut side chest dates to the 1960's and is an example of "brutalist" or "mid-century socialist's" furniture design. The furniture and art of Eastern Europe in the post-war per...
Metal
$20,518
H 34.26 in W 57.09 in D 26.58 in
Asymmetrical Chest of Drawers in Solid English Walnut by Jonathan Field.
By Jonathan Field
Located in London, GB
The Asymmetrical Chest of Drawers in Solid English Walnut is one of two pieces commissioned by a private client for their home in Yorkshire, England. The Asymmetrical sides give a sculptural feel to the pieces. They are made of solid Scottish walnut...
Wood, Walnut
Vintage Chest of Drawers in Walnut, 1940s
Located in Miami, FL
Castilian chest of drawers from the early 20th century, it has three large walnut wood drawers decorated with panels on its front and with iron handles. Its sides are also decorated ...
Pine
Custom English Walnut Three-Drawer Chest of Drawers
Located in Woodbury, CT
Custom made for us by English cabinet makers, this Classic little three-drawer chest in walnut burl has chamfered corners and rests on bracket feet. The top and drawer fronts are cro...
Burl, Walnut
Studio Walnut Desk by Phillip Lloyd Powell
By Phillip Lloyd Powell
Located in Atlanta, GA
Stunning desk with drawers and compartment in walnut by Phillip Lloyd Powell (1919-2008). The freeform surface is made of thick walnut plank with a patched joined design with two ros...
Walnut