Cor is Latin for heart, and COR furniture exemplifies the qualities at the heart of exceptional design: practicality, comfort and style. The company's sofas, lounge chairs and coffee tables capture the essence of the best of mid-century modernism. Simple silhouettes, quality materials and function-first designs ensure that vintage COR furniture is still in high demand with collectors all over the world.
COR was founded in Rheda-Wiedenbrück, Germany, in 1954 by Leo Lübke — in the name of his son, Helmut — and the Prince of Bentheim-Tecklenburg, a northern German county. Nearly a couple of decades prior, in 1937, a manufacturer of bedroom furniture called Interlübke was established by Leo and his brother Hans. The latter’s son Horst, who was managing partner from 1972, retired during the 1990s and his son Helmut Lübke joined Interlübke and shifted the brand’s focus toward modular furniture systems. During the 1980s, the Prince of Bentheim-Tecklenburg left COR and the Lübke family became its sole owner. In 2006, COR-Interlübke retail locations opened their doors.
COR made its mark in 1959 with a sleek modular seating system consisting of five parts called Quinta, which was created by designer Michael Bayer. The upholstered line boasted clean, angular contours and appealed to the day's ever-broadening flexible interior design sensibilities. It remained in production until 1978. The success of the Quinta was followed by the 1964 Conseta system, which featured a sofa and other pieces of seating designed by Friedrich Wilhelm Möller.
The following decades saw more successful collaborations with designers like Peter Maly and Luigi Colani. The latter, a German industrial designer born Lutz Colani, created a range of gorgeous organically shaped Space Age seating for BASF and Fritz Hansen, serveware for Rosenthal and worked on automobile designs for Fiat. Colani designed the popular Orbis line for COR during the 1970s.
In 2000, the Arthe sofa by Wulf Schneider was awarded the prestigious Red Dot Award from the North Rhine-Westphalia Design Centre.
COR is still owned and operated by the Lübke family’s parent company Gebrüder Lübke GmbH & Co. KG and continues to produce furniture at the Rheda-Wiedenbrück factory, sourcing leather from southern Germany and upholstery from Italy. The company partnered with Jehs+Laub, a renowned Stuttgart-based studio, in 2010.
On 1stDibs, find a collection of vintage COR seating, tables and more.
Post modern Italian black leather sofa in the style of Nicoletti Salotti
By Nicoletti Salotti
Located in Brooklyn, NY
Vintage Italian black leather 3 seat long sofa in the manner of Nicoletti Salotti. Very clean sofa high quality leather and very comfortable modern design. Located in Brooklyn NYC 11...
Leather
Post modern Italian black leather loveseat sofa style of Nicoletti Salotti
By Nicoletti Salotti
Located in Brooklyn, NY
Vintage Italian black leather loveseat two-seater 6 foot long sofa in the manner of Nicoletti Salotti. Very clean sofa high quality leather and very comfortable modern design. Locate...
Leather
Danish Scandinavian Modern black leather 3 seat sofa by Skalma Denmark
By Skalma
Located in Brooklyn, NY
Danish Scandinavian Modern black leather 3 seat sofa by Skalma Denmark. Very clean all around modern danish Black Sofa leather upholstery with Solid white oak square feet. Thick angl...
Steel
Mid Century Vintage De Sede DS 76 leather Highback loveseat sofa
By De Sede
Located in Brooklyn, NY
Beautiful Iconic Mid century Vintage De Sede DS 76 sofa loveseat very Dark Brown almost black leather with headrests Made in Switzerland circa 1970. Very High quality thick full grai...
Leather, Wood
Mid Century Danish Modern black Leather 3 seat Sofa
Located in Brooklyn, NY
Mid century Danish modern Black leather 3 seat sofa with white oak wood legs. Beautiful black leather is soft and shows little signs of use but broken in nicely. Great Danish Modern ...
Leather, Oak
Mid Century Danish Modern Beautiful black Leather long loveseat Sofa
Located in Brooklyn, NY
Mid century Danish modern beautiful black leather long loveseat sofa with white oak wood legs. Beautiful black leather is soft and shows little signs of use but broken in nicely. Gre...
Leather, Oak
De Sede DS-747/03 Multifunctional Sofa in Black Leather Seat and Back Upholstery
By De Sede
Located in Brooklyn, NY
Once upon a time, there was a master saddler with his mind set on taking bulky, thick leather and using his perfect craftsmanship to make it comfortable and cozy. For genera-tions, t...
Upholstery
De Sede DS-2011 Two-seat Sofa in Black Leather, Switzerland
By De Sede
Located in Pijnacker, Zuid-Holland
With its fluid, curved shapes, the DS-2011 appears powerful and dynamic. The visual lightness and modern, casual elegance underline the timeless look that makes the DS-2011 a sofa th...
Leather
DeSede Ds-747/04 Multifunctional Sofa in Black Leather Seat and Back Upholstery
By De Sede
Located in Brooklyn, NY
Once upon a time, there was a master saddler with his mind set on taking bulky, thick leather and using his perfect craftsmanship to make it comfortable and cozy. For genera-tions, the legacy of what Ernst Lüthy created when he established de Sede in the 1960s has been reflected in DS-747: form follows function. Be it sitting, sleeping, dining or relaxing – thanks to its essence of excellence, this all-rounder offers optimum functionality: with a few easy flicks of the wrist, the armrests can be tilted independently of each other and the soft seating surfaces enlarged. The exposed back lends DS-747 its lightness as a small sculpture with a high function – a sofa created to sit not on but in. A marvel in three dimensions, DS-747 is perfectly suited for small spaces or city apartments. If visitors spontaneously decide to stay longer, this elegant yet compact sofa offers an outstand-ing place to sleep – the armrests can be folded down with a few very easy flicks of the wrist. A sophisticated mechanism can be used to enlarge the seating surface, while the deliberately exposed back offers a glimpse into the functions of DS-747. The multifunctional sofa...
Upholstery
Black Leather Sofa by COR, Germany
By COR
Located in Miami, FL
Black Leather Sofa by COR, made in Germany. Great quality.
Aluminum
De Sede DS-21 Three-Seat Sofa in Black Leather by Stephan Hürlemann
By Stephan Hürlemann, De Sede
Located in Brooklyn, NY
Opulent elements for modular use. The architectural structure of DS-21 is created by a metal frame that surrounds individual cushion volumes, seemingly carrying them effortlessly. Th...
Leather
De Sede 2-Seat Sofa Black Leather Sofa, 1970
By De Sede
Located in Munich, Bavaria
De Sede black leather 2-seat sofa from 1970. Both seats are extendable for much more lounge seat comfort. This sofa model is well known from German Artist Joseph Beuys. Beuys got a 4-seat leather sofa from this De Sede Model in his atelier. The Photographer Robert Lebeck...
Leather, Upholstery, Wood
