A pair of black, wrought iron No. 1305 'All ‘Round Square' stools or ottomans by Paul McCobb from his Planner Group line for WINCHENDON.  Recently upholstered in a beautiful, red-orange, authentic Knoll fabric.  The black-enameled frames both have (amazingly!) all of their original rubber feet.

PAUL MCCOBB was one of the leading contemporary furniture designers in America in the 1950's and 60's.  Despite a lack of formal training, he designed an impressive range of multi-functional furniture, accessories, and textiles, and also took on notable interior design projects.  McCobb opened his own studio in New York in 1945, and rose to prominence a few years later as a design and decorating consultant for Martin Feinman’s MODERNAGE Furniture in New York City.  It was while working for MODERNAGE, that he met his future business partner, B. G. Mesberg.

McCobb capitalized on the post-war need for simple, affordable, and stylish furniture by young and growing families.  His pieces were inexpensive, flexible, and practical.  He introduced the concept of "modular" furniture—his "living walls" with moveable room dividers and storage systems perfectly fit the evolving, informal lifestyles of the period.  By 1950, he had created his Planner Group line of furniture, marketed by Mosberg.  It's wildly successful design followed a minimalist aesthetic. Other important collections followed, including the Predictor Group for O'HEARN and the Directional Group for WINCHENDON.  McCobb's work quickly became very popular and commanded a large market segment.  The Planner Group remained in production through 1964.

In addition to furniture, McCobb designed radios and televisions for CBS-Columbia and Hi-Fi Consoles for Bell & Howell.  He acted as design consultant to many leading American corporations, including Singer, Alcoa, Goodyear, Columbia Records, and Remington Rand.  McCobb traveled throughout America for speaking engagements, panel discussions, and radio and television talkshow appearances and his syndicated design column appeared in newspapers across the country.  McCobb served as a visiting faculty member at the Philadelphia Museum School of Art.

Inspired by his New England upbringing and influenced by Shaker Design, McCobb's work combined slender lines with sculptural forms.  He offered a playful take on traditional forms with hints of Scandinavian craftsmanship and International style clarity.  He was the recipient of MoMA's Good Design Award five times between 1950 and 1955 as well as of the Philadelphia Museum of Arts' Contribution to Better Design Award in 1959.  He died at the age of 51 in 1969.

WINCHENDON was founded by Richard E. Ladeau in 1939, as Winchendon Custom Upholstery Company, Inc.  They are most well known as the company that produced the wildly successful Planner Group of contemporary furniture designed by Paul McCobb.  Among the best-selling contemporary furniture lines of the 1950's, it was in continuous production from 1949 until 1964.

WINCHENDON is still a family run company, but has transitioned over the years from furniture building into a brand name retailer.  The main showroom is in Winchendon, Massachusetts.

Contemporary American design, is not the Chinese influence, the Swedish or the Italian influence.  It is an American influence that has an American look about it and has the feeling of belonging in our homes.  Such design fits the size and shape of our rooms. – PAUL MCCOBB