Paul T. Frankl

Paul T. Frankl was an Austrian-American architect and designer, best known for his groundbreaking contribution to modernist furniture design in the 1920s and 1930s. His work combined functionality and aesthetics, helping to shape the American modernist style. Today, Frankl is considered one of the most influential designers to have worked in the United States. 

Paul T. Frankl 1886 – 1958 

Paul T. Frankl was born in 1886 in Vienna, Austria. After studying architecture in both Vienna and Berlin, he emigrated to the United States in the early 1910s. It was here, in New York, that he began to make a name for himself in furniture design. Frankl became particularly known for his so-called "Skyscraper" design, which he introduced in the 1920s. This series of furniture was heavily influenced by New York's rapidly growing skyline, with its towering skyscrapers symbolizing progress and modernity. His furniture featured geometric, vertical lines and a striking simplicity that captured the modernist spirit of the time. 

Frankl's Icons in New Production 

In the 1940s, Frankl designed the iconic Amoeba Table (also called "Model no. 5005" and "Cloud Table"), a coffee table with an organic, irregular shape that broke away from the strict geometric lines of his earlier work. The table's design, both functional and artistic with its cork tabletop and outward-facing legs, became a symbol of the transition from art deco to a more natural and experimental modernism. The table, which had not been in production since the 1950s and has since been highly sought after by auction houses and antique dealers worldwide, is now being reissued by Kramer, an authorized producer of all designs by Paul T. Frankl. The new production follows the original design and has been authorized by Paul T. Frankl's heirs. The table is sold exclusively at Nordiska Galleriet and Länna Möbler under the brand NO GA. 

Paul T. Frankl is today considered one of the most influential designers to have worked in the United States. Throughout his career, he contributed to all the major stylistic movements of his time, from Art Deco to free-form design. In addition to his work as a designer, Paul T. Frankl published several books discussing the role of design in modern society. His works, developed in the 1940s and 1950s, have had a lasting impact on modern furniture design and continue to inspire new generations of designers. Paul T. Frankl passed away in 1958 in Los Angeles, but his legacy lives on through his iconic furniture and his contributions to the rise of modernism in the United States.