Writing desk by Louis Van Teeffelen (Sold)
Writing desk, designed by Louis van Teeffelen and produced by Wébé in The Netherlands during the 1960’s. This curved beauty has the distuingished features of a real Van Teeffelen design: the organic handgrips, the slightly slanted legs and beautiful teak wood used for the solid construction and veneer top. With 3 drawers on the left and a storage compartment on the right, you have plenty of space for paper and utensils. There’s also a pull out leaf at the right hand side. The book shelf on the back makes this desk a freestanding piece by excellence. The patinated brass details supporting the cabinets finish it off in style. In good condition with one small dent in the top, as shown in the pictures.
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Dimensions:
W: 152 cm
D: 65 cm
H: 75 cm
Height for chair space: 67 cm
Width for chair space: 55 cm
Weight: approx. 45 kilo
Material: Teak, brass
Designer Louis Van Teeffelen (29th of sept 1921) is best known for his work as chief designer for the furniture factory Walraven and Bevers, later known as Wébé.
Louis lost his father, who was a blacksmith, when he was only 4 years old. Because of the outbreaking war and his own difficult family situation, Louis couldn’t go attend a higher vocational school or academy. He studied furniture design and technical manufacturing in the evenings at the Royal PBNA (Polytechnic Bureau Netherlands Arnhem). After the war, he also earned a diploma in self-employment and general business knowledge.
In 1952 he went to work for himself as a designer, collaborating with a construction company called Baars and Sons. This company went bankrupt only three years later, taking Van Teeffelen’s firm down along with it.
From 1955 to the end of 1967, he became the chief designer for Walraven and Bevers, later renamed Wébé. During the post-war years, a lot of new houses had to be built in The Netherlands. These houses had to be light, modern and easy to build, thanks to new techniques that were introduced. With the new housing came a new style of furniture. Away with the heavy old oak pieces, the new style was inspired by Danish designers with their minimalism and functionalist approach.
It was a period when Wébé produced high-quality furniture in teak or rosewood, sometimes walnut and wenge. At the time, Wébé was one of the larger furniture factories in the Netherlands. Van Teeffelen was heavily inspired by Kaare Klint and other Danish designers but did put his own stamp on his designs. His pieces were organic with sculptural elements like the recognisable ‘smiley’ handgrips. The seatings were of a phenomenal comfort and very practical. His modular wall system became very popular overnight and his coffee tables showed a familiarity with Japanese aesthetics. In later years, he integrated other materials, like glass or cermaic tile panels made by Jaap Ravelli, a ceramist from Valkenburg.
By the mid-1960s, the interest in teak furniture in the Netherlands began to decline. Louis’ designs became more streamlined in shape, and rosewood became the most commonly used material. The cabinets, dining chairs, and tables were made of rosewood combined with gray steel legs. The upholstered sofas and armchairs had metal frames and armrests combined with rosewood elements.
By the late 1960s, Wébé shifted its focus to the returning demand for oak furniture. The factory was more of a trend follower than a trendsetter, but it had a keen sense for upcoming markets. Sketches of Louis’ oak furniture designs were found, recognizable in a Wébé brochure from the 1970s.
