About Paul T. Frankl
Paul T. Frankl (1886-1958) was an innovative designer who helped to define the American modern tradition. His influential “Skyscraper” furniture of the 1920s embodied the bold, streamlined aesthetic of Art Deco and the Machine Age. Born in Austria, Frankl emigrated to the U.S. in 1920, settling in New York City and starting his career as an interior decorator and furniture designer.
Upon moving to Los Angeles in 1934, he was inspired by the tropical climate and started experimenting with rattan. Frankl’s most daring and enduring legacy was bringing rattan—previously relegated to outdoor use—into the realm of high-end interior decor. By bending and shaping the pliable vine into sleek, unadorned forms, he created rattan furniture that was sculptural, in a minimalist vein. The designer blurred the boundaries between indoor and outdoor living spaces in quintessentially modern style. Frankl put American rattan furniture design on the map and his works remain highly coveted by collectors today.
Frankl’s rattan pieces quickly became the “it” furniture of the early movie stars, whose embrace of the designer helped to usher in a new era of modern, casual California living. The studios bought copious amounts to use on sets, where many Hollywood stars first noticed them. Becoming a tastemaker for the Hollywood elite, Frankl’s original works graced the homes of Fred Astaire, Katharine Hepburn, Charlie Chaplin, Charles Boyer, and other glamorous stars of the age. Architect Frank Lloyd Wright, FAIA, was a frequent customer, as was noted interior decorator Elsie de Wolfe, who used pieces in her own home.
“Paul T. Frankl transformed a rather dated type of furniture into something modern and urbane.”
—Christopher Long, Paul T. Frankl and Modern American Design
Frankl and Rattan
Paul T. Frankl’s rattan furniture was a true breakthrough in modern American design. At a time when rattan was considered too rugged and pedestrian for indoor use, Frankl saw its immense potential as an interior material. He modernized the process of rattan furniture making, transforming the pliable vine into sleek, flowing forms through innovative shaping and bending techniques. His rattan pieces featured sinuous, sculptural shapes that were elegant and unpretentious.
Frankl’s rattan was so wildly popular than many copies arose. Harvey’s Private Collection consists of only originals. One way for discerning collectors to identify genuine Frankl rattan seating pieces is by examining the direction of the longest supporting rattan arm strands. On authentic Frankl designs, the rattan strands run from the top and back to the front and bottom. Reproduction Frankl pieces typically have these supporting strands inverted, running downward from the front instead of downward from the back. Another hallmark are the detailed and exquisitely patterned woven joint wrappings using thin rattan strands.
And yet for all their avant-garde style, Frankl’s rattan output exudes warmth and comfort. The material’s natural fibers and organic contours provide a striking contrast to the industrial materials and sharp angles that defined other modern furniture of the era. Frankl’s rattan furniture has come to epitomize luxurious and relaxed, modern living—equal parts sophistication and ease.