Look closely at any vintage furniture designed by father-son duo Philip and Kelvin LaVerne and a cacophony of stylistic influences reveals itself.
The LaVernes’ position at the intersection of art and design was the result of their combined backgrounds: Philip (1907–87) studied painting with Ashcan School artist John Sloan at the Art Students League of New York, while his son, Kelvin (b. 1937), attended the Parsons School of Design, taking classes in art history, furniture design and metalwork. The resulting merge of stylistic elements and innovative processes make for singular designs that defy categorization, striking a balance between modern and traditional, intricate and minimal, art piece and functional item. Their work was also strikingly different from the modern furniture created by Philip’s brother Erwine and his wife, Estelle, of Laverne Originals.
The LaVernes began producing one-of-a-kind furniture and sculpture in the mid-1950s out of a studio on Wooster Street in New York City before opening a showroom on Manhattan’s East 57th Street. As their 1960s advertisements declared: “It’s not just functional and not just art, it’s an investment.”
The LaVernes married a stunning array of techniques and styles to achieve their singular, deeply layered look for one-of-a-kind and limited-edition pieces. Chinoiserie motifs abound on many of their acid-etched tables, but art from ancient Greece and Egypt also served as inspiration. The influence of figurative sculptors is evident in designs like coffee tables and side tables with bronze bodies serving as frames or bases; other pieces, meanwhile, have deeply detailed surfaces and strikingly simple silhouettes.
The duo developed their own unconventional methods — sometimes to an extreme — for finishing their pieces: Techniques employed by the LaVernes included acid washing and burying furniture underground in a mixture of soil and chemicals to achieve a desired patina through oxidation. While they sometimes used pewter and silver, bronze was one of their most commonly employed materials, either etched or cast and sometimes paired with glass tops. Their partnership ended when Philip died in 1987 and Kelvin shifted his practice to sculpture.
Find an extraordinary range of vintage Philip and Kelvin LaVerne tables, decorative objects and other furniture on 1stDibs.
Philip and Kelvin LaVerne, Etched Bronze, Rare Tao Side Tables, USA, 1960s
By Philip and Kelvin LaVerne
Located in Stamford, CT
Philip and Kelvin LaVerne, Mid-Century Modern, Rare 'Tao' Side or End Tables, Bronze, 1960s Rare and important pair of occasional tables designed and produced by Philip and Kelvin L...
Bronze
Philip & Kelvin LaVerne, Mid-Century, T'ang Marriage Coffee Table, Bronze, 1965
By Philip and Kelvin LaVerne
Located in Stamford, CT
Philip and Kelvin LaVerne, Mid-Century, T'ang Marriage Coffee Table, Etched Bronze, USA c. 1965 Rare and important 'T'ang Marriage' coffee table by Philip and Kelvin LaVerne. This e...
Bronze
Philip and Kelvin LaVerne, Rare and Important Dining Table, Bronze, USA, 1960s
By Philip and Kelvin LaVerne
Located in Stamford, CT
Philip and Kelvin LaVerne, Rare and Important 'Xiang Shi' Dining Table, Bronze, USA, 1960s A very rare and important 'Xiang Shi' dining table designed and produced by Philip (1907-1...
Bronze
Philip and Kelvin LaVerne, Rare Center Table, Bronze, USA, 1960s
By Philip and Kelvin LaVerne
Located in Stamford, CT
Philip and Kelvin LaVerne, American Mid-Century Modern, Rare 'Tao' Dining, Center, or Game Table, Etched, Polychromed, Bronze, USA, 1960s A rare example of a center table designed a...
Bronze
Ico Parisi Style, Ebonized Wood, Brass, Sculptural Side Table, Europe, 1950s
By Ico Parisi
Located in Stamford, CT
Ico Parisi Style, Mid-Century Modern, Ebonized Wood, Brass, Sculptural End or Side Table, Europe, 1950s A single ebonized wood and brass stepped side table similar to work by Ico Pa...
Brass
Italian Mid-Century Modern Style, Contemporary, Nesting Side Tables, Brass
Located in Stamford, CT
Italian Mid-Century Modern Style, Contemporary, Nesting Side or Drinks Tables, Brass Set of two modern drinks or martini table. Each example has a brass base that tapers toward the ...
Marble, Brass
Philip and Kelvin Laverne Ming side table
By Philip and Kelvin LaVerne
Located in West Palm Beach, FL
An exceptional Ming, low table by Philip and Kelvin Laverne in pewter and bronze circa 1960s . nicely patinated, and engraved with hand painted enamel in red and green… Signed PK Lav...
Bronze, Pewter
1960s Arturo Pani Side Table Bronze Eglomise Glass
By Arturo Pani
Located in Chula Vista, CA
Side Table Mexico Modernism 1960s Arturo Pani Modern Side Table Bronze with Eglomise Glass Tabletop 17.75 tall x 15 x 15 Preowned unrestored original vintage condition with vintag...
Bronze
Bronze 'Chan' Coffee or Large End Table by Philip & Kelvin LaVerne, 1960s Signed
By Philip and Kelvin LaVerne
Located in Los Angeles, CA
This is a rare iteration of the classic and highly sought after 'Chan' coffee table by father and son team, Philip and Kelvin LaVerne (New York), produced in the 1960s and signed with the artists names on the top (see photos). Ingeniously designed with international patination and polychromed bronze and pewter, this rare form coffee table which also functions excellent as a large end table...
Bronze, Pewter
Mid-Century Modern Italian Side Table, Mable and Brass, 1960s
Located in Brussels, BE
Mid-Century Modern Italian Side Table, Mable and Brass, 1960s
Marble, Brass
Signed Silas Seandel Bronze Side Table / Drink Table
By Silas Seandel
Located in Middlesex, NJ
Signed Silas Seandel Bronze Side Table / Drink Table
Bronze
1950s Arturo Pani Bronze Side Table Mexico City
By Arturo Pani
Located in Chula Vista, CA
1950s Arturo Pani Bronze Side Table Mexico City 19.75 h x 27.5 w x 15.5 d Original vintage condition unrestored Refer to images provided. Delivery to SF LA OC Palm Springs.
Bronze
