Decades prior to the mass popularity of neo-industrial cement floors and furniture taking shape, there was Willy Guhl. The Swiss creative is considered one of the first “industrial” designers in his home country. He pioneered a rugged, organic style of modern furniture and decor — stylish planters, shapely seating and lots more — that remains widely coveted by many today.
Guhl was born in 1915 in Stein am Rhein and worked as a carpenter before beginning studies at the Zurich School of Applied Arts (known today as the Zurich University of the Arts), where he would go on to teach for nearly 40 years.
While Guhl is well-known for his range of provocative garden elements as well as his patio and outdoor furniture, today’s legion of mid-century modern enthusiasts are likely familiar with the designer’s iconic Loop chair (introduced in 1954). For this sculptural seat and other furnishings, Guhl tended toward industrial materials, which he bent and shaped into organic forms for a striking juxtaposition. Much of his work is crafted from either concrete or Eternit, a mixture of cement and asbestos developed by the Belgian company Etex, which, in the 1950s, commissioned Guhl and his students at the School of Applied Arts to conceive planters in the material. The resulting vessels — some hourglass-shaped, some in the form of handkerchiefs, all suitable for indoors or exteriors — remain some of Guhl’s most collectible pieces.
Guhl’s affiliation with the Swiss “neo-functional” movement centered on the idea of simplifying design without sacrificing form. According to Guhl, his mission was “achieving the most with the minimum of effort.”
In addition to his work as a designer, Guhl left his mark on subsequent creatives through his 39-year tenure at his alma mater, where he was instructor to the likes of Robert Haussmann, Kurt Thut and Bruno Rey. Modern-day shoppers at IKEA owe Guhl a debt of gratitude too. He was an early advocate of flat-pack furniture, championing its ability to make good design more widely accessible.
At its core, though, Guhl’s work was inherently human-centric: “At the center of my efforts, I put people and their living requirements,” he once said. “My products must be useful to people.” Guhl died in 2004 at the age of 89.
Find a range of vintage Willy Guhl furniture and decorative objects on 1stDibs.
Vintage Swiss Garden Planter by Willy Guhl, Mid-Century Cement Design
By Willy Guhl, Eternit
Located in West Palm Beach, FL
A vintage Mid-Century modern Swiss Handkerchief or Elephant Ear garden planter by Willy Guhl and Eternit, in good condition. The sculptural planter is made of a light weight cement, ...
Cement
Vintage Willy Guhl Handkerchief Planter, Swiss Design, Circa 1950-60
By Willy Guhl
Located in West Palm Beach, FL
A large, sculptural vintage Mid-Century modern Swiss Handkerchief or Elephant Ear planter designed by Willy Guhl for Eternit. Produced in a light weight reinforced cement, in good co...
Cement
Vintage Swiss Elephant Ear Planters by Willy Guhl, Circa 1950-1960
By Willy Guhl, Eternit
Located in West Palm Beach, FL
A pair of vintage Mid-Century modern Swiss Hankerchief or Elephant Ear planters designed by Willy Guhl for Eternit, in good condition. These sculptural large garden planters with a n...
Cement
Vintage Swiss Cone Planters by Willy Guhl, Cement, Mid-Century
By Willy Guhl, Eternit
Located in West Palm Beach, FL
A pair of vintage Mid-Century modern Swiss cone shaped planters made of hand crafted light weight cement designed by Willy Guhl for Eternit, in good condition. These sculptural garde...
Cement
20th Century Swiss Mid-Century Modern Cement Garden Planter by Willy Guhl
By Eternit, Willy Guhl
Located in West Palm Beach, FL
A sculptural, large Mid-Century modern Swiss biomorphic garden planter by Willy Guhl and Eternit, in a light weight cement. This sculptural vintage garden ornament has been fiber-rei...
Cement
20th Century Swiss Mid-Century Modern Cement Garden Planter by Willy Guhl
Located in West Palm Beach, FL
A sculptural, large Mid-Century modern Swiss biomorphic garden planter by Willy Guhl and Eternit, in a light weight cement. This sculptural vintage garden ornament has been fiber-rei...
Cement
Willy Guhl for Eternit Handkerchief Concrete Planters, 1960s
By Willy Guhl, Eternit
Located in New York, NY
Designed by Willy Guhl for Eternit sculptural handkerchief concrete planters or jardinières, Switzerland, 1960s. These exquisite planters are made from weather-resistant fiber cement...
Concrete
Mid-Century Modern Planters by Willy Guhl, Switzerland, 1950
By Willy Guhl
Located in SAINT-OUEN-SUR-SEINE, FR
This pair of planters, model "oreille d'éléphant" was made of fiber cement by Willy Guhl (1915-2004) in the 1950's. « Willy Guhl was an inventor, an experimenter, a resercher and a visionary. Despite that, he did not get lost in utopia. He reveals himself to be pragmatic almost a genius. » Robert Haussman Willy Guhl was part of these historical designers historiques who have contributed to the international reputation of the Swiss design. He was one of the big representative of Neo-Functionalism. From a carpenter father, he follows a furniture maker formation in the Kunstgewerbeschule of Zurich – School of applied arts of Zurich here he teaches from 1941 -, and becomes the director of the interior architecture department 10 years after. He leads in the late 1940's pionneer reaserches in the plastic furniture field. He develops then a knowledge about moulding technical that we allow him to reveal himself by transposing them on a new material : the Eternit, also called fibercement, which he is one of the first to use in Europe. The Eternit is a kind of cement reinforce by asbestos and with a fiber texture which allows to create audacious pieces with new shapes. It takes the aspect of larges slabs to which it is possible to give a shape as long as they are not dried. Produced in the origin for the industry, it's a cheap material with an important resistance, so perfectly adapted for the fabrication of external furniture.
Cement
Willy Guhl for Eternit Large Handkerchief Concrete Planter, 1960s
By Willy Guhl, Eternit
Located in New York, NY
Designed by Willy Guhl for Eternit sculptural large handkerchief concrete planter or jardinière, Switzerland, 1960s. This exquisite planter is made from weather-resistant fiber cemen...
Concrete
Willy Guhl for Eternit Large Concrete Biomorphic Planters, 1960s
By Eternit, Willy Guhl
Located in New York, NY
Designed by Willy Guhl for Eternit large biomorphic or clam shell shaped concrete planters or jardinières, Switzerland, 1960s. These exquisite planters are made from weather-resistan...
Concrete
Pair of Willy Guhl Biomorphic Concrete Planters for Eternit. Switzerland, 1960's
By Willy Guhl
Located in Los Angeles, CA
A striking pair of biomorphic concrete planters designed by the renowned Swiss architect Willy Guhl for Eternit, circa 1960's. These planters feature an organic, flowing form that re...
Concrete
Swiss Mid Century Handkerchief Concrete Planter by Willy Guhl for Eternite AG
By Willy Guhl
Located in Stockholm, SE
Rare oversized mid century and sculptural handkerchief concrete planter by Willy Guhl produced for Eternite AG in Swizerland, 1950s. In original with patina from age and use. I crack...
Concrete
