In his seminal book, Modern Americana: Studio Furniture from High Craft to High Glam (Rizzoli), Todd Merrill, a New York-based dealer of mid-to-late 20th century design and studio furniture, describes Karl Springer as having a “flair for glamour without ostentation.” Using exotic materials, bold proportions, and striking colors, Springer took classic forms and made them his own. His aesthetic was a perfect match for the glittering Disco Decade, and in the late 1970s through the mid-1980s, Springer was one of the most well-regarded and in-demand mid century modern designers in the world.
Born in Berlin in 1931, Springer studied bookbinding and worked as a window dresser at a prominent clothier before leaving for New York in the late 1950s. At the age of twenty-six, Springer began styling windows at Lord & Taylor. In an effort to advance his career, he started applying his bookbinding skills to making jewel boxes, desk accessories, and telephone tables, which he expertly wrapped in animal skin. Soon, his work was garnering attention from the upper echelon, including a buyer for Bergdorf Goodman and the Duchess of Windsor, who introduced Springer to an array of high-end clients.
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