Scoop Chair by Carter Bros. Furniture

Once in a while I get a request to identify a piece of vintage furniture. More often than not, I’m not very helpful because I still only know the stuff everyone else knows. Here is another case in point. At least three readers over the last few weeks have asked me to identify their specimen of this little guy from the late ’50s. It’s a small, low chair, made of a single piece of bent plywood with dowel legs.

eBay seller mix-mod sold this one for $500 in Nov. 2005 and others have seen that price in local stores.

Jeff Carvalho submitted another specimen to our MCM Interiors group on Flickr. It is tagged “#200 Chair by Carter Brothers, Inc. Salisbury North Carolina” and he even managed to get a hold of the company who is still in business:

Called Carter Furniture in Salisbury, NC. Woman who answered was kind enough to walk the floor with this photo and found a 48yr employee who said she remembers this design being discontinued around the time she started in 1958. Thereafter it was a 1 cushion model. Also discovered it was made in their original plant behind some VA Hospital in town. Carter Furniture has no records on this chair. Bummer.

So we know at least one manufacturer — but who designed this little beauty? The others I’ve seen have a single cushion, as mentioned by the Carter lady.

Sent to my email box today from Angela Hamilton.

If anyone has more information about this chair, Jeff, Travis, Angela, and myself will be most grateful for it. Until then, we’ll just admire its simple elegance.

Update: Photographs from Dana of Danishmod.com. See her comment below.

Update: Carly Albee, whose grandfather owned Carter Furniture when this chair was made has identified it as the “Scoop Chair”. Read her story.

Update (Dec. 22, 2008): More Carter Bros. Scoop Chairs for sale at DanishMod.