Coffee Table by Elmar Berkovich for Metz & Co., 1935

Coffee table designed by Elmar Berkovich, circa 1930. Manufactured by Metz and Co. (Netherlands). Tubular legs, wood shelve and thick glass top. In good condition, with minor wear consistent with age and use, preserving a nice patina and a few looses in the glass. Interior architect and furniture maker Elmar Berkovich (1897-1986) He created designs for the well-to-do clients of stylish Metz & Co., as well as for the labourers of the Philips factories. On 2 December, Stichting BONAS published a monograph on Berkovich, opening up the first inventory of his designs ever. Elmar Berkovich was a highly valued and productive furniture maker and interior architect. Interest in him dwindled later, as art historians shifted their attention to innovators, such as the artists of De Stijl. Berkovich was modern, yet had an eye for the beauty of tradition and crafts. His designs matched the period perfectly. He particularly made a name for himself with luxury bedroom interiors for the affluent clientele of Metz & Co. After 1947, when he started working at Philips in Eindhoven, he was given the opportunity to go in a different direction. Spectacular by the standards of his day, his color schemes for working environments and factory canteens may not have been unique, but they were certainly radical and groundbreaking.