Two Seattle homeowners remade a soggy midcentury home as a thoroughly modern masterpiece by punching up vintage numbers with bold color. A pair of vintage George Mulhauser for Plycraft chairs is complemented by a powder-coated orange fireplace, a coffee table by Alexander Girard for Knoll, and a pair of undated paintings by Arthur L. Kaye. Photo by Kyle Johnson.
Paul R. Goldman founded Plycraft in 1953, first producing plywood furniture after World War II, taking a brief time-out to make fiberglass boats. Plycraft was in operation in Massachusetts until 1994 and despite auspicious beginnings (Goldman himself was referred to as one of the "new Horatio Algers of business" in a 1962 issue of TIME magazine, and the first chairs he produced were for Herman Miller), later knockoffs and design disputes sullied Plycraft's reputation.
It's unfortunate, then, that the company isn't as recognized for its original commissions, like the Mr. Chair designed by George Mulhauser with a single-shell back, winged arms, and a tufted leather seat. You can find them on Ebay on occasion (try searching "Plycraft lounge" or "Mulhauser")—most often with white or black leather upholstery. Here, we've rounded up a few spotted in the wild and in the pages of Dwell.
