Chair from the McCulloch Corporation | Phillips, de Pury & Company

Known primarily for his plush California private interiors, Laszlo's design for the McCulloch Corporation headquarters is a spectacular example of constructing a corporate identity, and reveals much about his rigorous training in Stuttgart earlier in the century. As George Nelson once noted, Laszlo's brand of modernism rejected austerity, yet followed a program of Bauhaus-inspired convictions when shaping the tastes of his ultra-wealthy clientele. Laszlo's "chainsaw" chair is the great maverick design of mid-century modern. Its architectronic frame, (especially the back stretcher in a shape of
a wrench), the atomic styling of the cushions
and dramatic use of the company's logo reinforce the branding of McCulloch. Only a small set of chairs were made, to be placed around a conference table and in front of the "Chain Saw Exhibit."

Tubular steel, brass and leather
monogrammed "CMC" twice
together with the book PAUL LASZLO, Industrial Designer
29 in. (73.7 cm) high

Literature:
PAUL LASZLO, Industrial Designer, Beverly Hills, ca, 1958, n. p. (for the above illustration of the chairs in the lobby and showroom of the McCulloch Corporation)
Paola Antonelli, ed., Sitting on the edge: modernist design from the collection of Michael and Gabrielle Boyd, San Francisco, 1998, p. 157