Paul McCOBB

Paul McCobb set up his own studio in 1945, working as a painter, interior decorator, and display designer. In 1950, with distributor B.G Mosberg, McCobb introduced his first low-cost furniture collection, the Planner Group. His higher-priced furniture ranges Directional, Predictor Linear, and Perimeter were produced by Winchendon Furniture in Massachusetts and marketed and distributed by McCobb himself. His designs of the 1950’s were also produced by H. Sacks in Brookline, Massachusetts, and Calvin Furniture in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Similar in form to Charles Eames’s and Eero Saarinen’s designs, McCobb’s interchangeable chests, cabinets, and bookcases had bench bases which also served as separate tables. Paul McCobb popularized modular furniture and created “living walls” with moveable room dividers and storage systems. Paul McCobb created entirely new American style of décor and believed in giving the customer good value; His renown in the 1950’s was considerable, though his name became little know from the 1960’s. The work of Paul McCobb was shown at the “Good Design” exhibitions of the New York Museum of Modern Art and Merchandise Mart in Chicago.