Paul McCobb (June 5, 1917 - March 10, 1969) is one of the most important and well known mid-century furniture designers. Born in Medford, Massachusetts, he studied drawing and painting at the Vesper George School of Art in Boston. Before finishing, he joined the army. He returned and began his career as a self taught designer, in 1948 joining Martin Feinman’s Modernage Furniture in New York City as a designer and decorating consultant. This is where he would meet B. G. Mesber who he would collaborate with for his Planner and Directional lines. While he is known for his furniture, he also designed radios, tv’s, hi-fi consoles, and household items. He went on to design lines of furniture for many companies, including Planner for Winchendon Furniture Company, Predictor for O’Hearn Furniture, multiple lines for Calvin Furniture, and Connoisseur Collection by H. Sacks and Sons. His Planner line was one of the best selling furniture lines of the 1950’s. In 1952, he designed the set for the originalToday show, one of the first major introductions of modern design to the broader America.

What is striking about McCobb’s work is its simplicity. While this style is so regularly seen today, it was inventive and new for the time he worked. Every furniture piece is boiled down to its necessary parts— legs, seats, shelves, drawers— with no ornamentation. This paired back design requires each element to be carefully considered to achieve elegance rather than boring simplicity, a feat McCobb achieved with beautiful materials, thin and tapering forms, and thoughtful geometry. In his dining chairs seen above, for all intents and purposes they are very simple, straightforward chairs. McCobb’s touch is seen in the careful angle of the back, the tapering of the legs at the base, and the selection of rich wood. Looking at his pieces more than half a century later, they are truly timeless. His modernist vision was done so correctly that his work stands the test of time.

Leyden Lewis is known for work that “encompasses the culturally rich Caribbean heritage of Trinidad and Tobago, urban sophistication, and classical European Modernism.” His work shows his eccelctic interests and inspirations. Beginning his design career as an interior decorator’s assistant, he went on to earn his Masters in architecture from Parsons in New York City. His work is not limitted to just interior design and architecture, Lewis also working as a fine artist with art curated by Thelma Golden at the Studio Museum and aiding clients in building their own art collections.

Given Lewis’ training and expertise, the forms of the spaces are very clearly integrated into his interior designs: walls that don’t quite meet, a ceiling that appears to unfold to reveal a skyline view. It is clear that he does not just consider the space inside the drywall as his territory, but considering why that exact drywall is there and why can’t it be another material. The containers themselves are so well considered and it shows the benefit of architectural knowledge in interior decorating. This integration of form and contents sets Lewis aside from other designers. Any interior designer, no matter how hands on or off they may be in dictating the architecture of a home, will have a say in what the structure itself looks like. But with Lewis, it is one and the same. The decoration exists in complete harmony with the building.

As a working artist with knowledge of the art world, art too plays a large role in his designs. Each space he works on is greatly abetted by his art selections. Art is not just used as decor, but as important elements in creating a cohesive space, just as a sofa or flooring selection. It breathes life into rooms, and provides a foil to Lewis’ sleek, modern architecture. It is clear when viewing Lewis’ work, he is unafraid of bold art. He chooses not just simple paintings, but confrontational and dazzling works. These are not pieces to pull together a color scheme or add visual interest to blank walls, but art to be looked at in its own right. Lewis’ spaces are both living places as well as galleries.

Lewis’s Studio works in both residential and commercial design globally. He is located in Brooklyn, where he has been based for the last thirty years. For more information, visit his website or Instagram for photos and updates on his current projects.

Timothy Godbold, fashion designer turned interior designer, creates refreshing, refined, spaces. Godbold began his career working with Ralph Lauren and had his own label and he has recently published a book on military style. His cream colored, masculine spaces are absolutely inviting and comfortable. Sticking to a strict scheme of mixed neutrals, the visual interest comes through finishes and textures: white walls and rugs, shearling, warm woods, saddle leather, natural linens. This tight scheme keeps the spaces subdued and relaxing but highly sophisticated, and allows him to adventure with sculptural pieces and forms.

Godbold’s spaces have enough pieces to feel filled and finished, but no more. This restraint in space planning and decoration mirrors the restrained palette, creating rooms that do not overwhelm. The often masculine, modern pieces are juxtaposed against the softness of the upholstery and color scheme for serene balance.

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