Robert Lewis Copper Tube Settee Santa Barbara Studio CA. 1940s

An elegant copper-tube settee by California designer Robert Lewis, produced at his Santa Barbara studio in the 1940s. Hand-formed from solid copper tubing with a warm natural patina, the piece reflects the optimism and craftsmanship of mid-century West Coast modernism. The curved tubular frame supports an upholstered seat and backrest, uniting sculptural balance with understated comfort.

Lewis developed his distinctive style amid Santa Barbara’s vibrant design culture. In 1932, Walter Lamb became Warren McArthur’s commercial representative for the region, introducing moderne aluminum-tube furniture to an established inventory of European garden ornament, Indian Market crafts, and Philippine reed pieces. This creative network became the foundation for Lewis’s copper-tube designs, which reinterpreted industrial modernism with a handcrafted California sensibility.

From the early 1930s through the 1950s, the Robert Lewis Studio produced roughly two dozen models, distributed nationally and admired for their refined proportions and distinctive copper glow. His work occupies a pivotal place within the lineage of California modern design.