Sale closedSaturday, September 12Los Angeles

Escape to the Modernist Garden

Closed September 12, 2026 · Saturday, September 12, 9:00 AM PT

349 lots from 38 named designers. Preview in person at 249 South Mission Road, Los Angeles — by appointment, before the sale.

View the results

Lots: 349
Sold: 209
Sell-through: 60%

Escape to the Modernist Garden — catalogue cover — Escape to the Modernist Garden01 / 06

Lots sold

209

Sell-through

60%

Total hammer

$199k

Hammer prices exclude the 20% buyer's premium.

The sale in 30 seconds

01
What this sale is
Escape to the Modernist Garden brings together a wide-ranging collection of 20th-century design with a particular emphasis on the outdoors.
02
Where the depth is
Garden & planters (171), Seating (74) and Tables & desks (41) account for the largest share of the 349 lots. Filter the catalog by any of them.
03
Who it is for
293 of the 349 lots carry a full estimate at or under $2,500; 7 open at $5,000 or more. A first bid and a centrepiece sit in the same catalogue.

Featured lots

Editorially selected across designers, materials and price bands — not lot order. Every one can be inspected at Mission Road.

All 349 lots

Lot 116c. 1950s
Charlotte Perriand
Long Cansado Bench
$7,000 – 10,500
Sold for $6,500
Lot 49c. 1960s
Charlotte Perriand
Pair of La Cachette Oak Fireside Chairs
$6,000 – 9,000
Sold for $3,300
Lot 327
Charles & Ray Eames
Lounge Chair and Ottoman
$6,000 – 9,000
Sold for $5,500
Lot 328c. 2000
Charles & Ray Eames
Lounge Chair and Ottoman
$6,000 – 9,000
Sold for $3,200
Lot 8c. 1960s
Willy Guhl
Pair of Monumental Square Planters
$2,400 – 3,600
Sold for $1,000
Lot 84c. 1960s
Charles Dudouyt
Set of Six Ladder Back Dining Chairs
$2,400 – 3,600
Sold for $1,300
Lot 129c. 1960s
Mario Papperzini
Pair of Amalfi Patio Chaise Lounges
$2,000 – 3,000
Sold for $2,200
Lot 13c. 1960s
Willy Guhl
Pair of Small Red Diabolo Planters
$1,800 – 2,700
Sold for $1,100
Lot 32c. 1970s
Willy Rizzo
Set of Four Chrome Wire Chairs
$1,600 – 2,400
Lot 95c. 1960s
Charles Dudouyt
Set of Four Rope and Wood Chairs
$1,600 – 2,400
Sold for $1,200
Lot 227c. 1960s
Jacques Adnet
Pair of Iron and Leather Armchairs
$1,600 – 2,400
Sold for $1,100
Lot 33c. 1932
Alvar Aalto
Model 403 Stacking Armchair
$2,000 – 3,000
Sold for $1,700

Browse the sale by designer

Pick a designer and the catalogue narrows to their lots. The biggest holdings in the sale come first.

View all in the catalogue

Willy Guhl

1915–2004

Swiss designer whose radical use of fiber cement turned an industrial material into some of the most sculptural outdoor furniture of the postwar era.

All 67 lots by Willy Guhl

Lot 3c. 1960s
Willy Guhl
Large Bowl Planter with Concrete Stand
$1,600 – 2,400
Sold for $800
Lot 8c. 1960s
Willy Guhl
Pair of Monumental Square Planters
$2,400 – 3,600
Sold for $1,000
Lot 12c. 1960s
Willy Guhl
Freeform Concrete Planter, Switzerland
$1,200 – 1,800
Sold for $600
Lot 13c. 1960s
Willy Guhl
Pair of Small Red Diabolo Planters
$1,800 – 2,700
Sold for $1,100
Lot 16c. 1960s
Willy Guhl
Monumental Square Planter
$2,000 – 3,000
Sold for $1,100
Lot 22c. 1960s
Willy Guhl
Monumental Triangular Planter
$2,400 – 3,600
Sold for $1,700
Lot 25c. 1960s
Willy Guhl
Monumental Jar Planter
$1,600 – 2,400
Sold for $900
Lot 34c. 1960s
Willy Guhl
Urn Planter
$600 – 900
Sold for $900

Shop the sale by intent

All collections

Designers in this sale

The ones with the most lots first. Follow a designer and Circa will tell you when their work comes up again.

All designers

Willy Guhl
1915–2004
Swiss designer whose radical use of fiber cement turned an industrial material into some of the most sculptural outdoor furniture of the postwar era.
56 past results
Charlotte Perriand
1903–1999
French designer who moved modernism from tubular steel to pine and rope, and furnished an entire alpine resort along the way.
8 past results
Maison Regain
active 1960s–1980s
French · French Modernism
4 past results
Louis Sognot
1892–1970
French designer who went from aluminium and chrome between the wars to rattan after it, and made the second look like the more radical move.
4 past results
Salvador Dalí
1904–1989
Spanish · Art & Sculpture
Profile
Charles Dudouyt
1885–1946
French designer of heavy oak furniture with rope and rush seats, whose name now covers far more objects than he can have made.
3 past results
Walter Lamb
1901–1980
American · Postwar Garden
Profile
Roger Capron
1922–2006
Vallauris ceramist who pressed tile into furniture, making coffee tables whose tops are glazed and fired rather than veneered.
2 past results
Charles & Ray Eames
1907–1978 / 1912–1988
The Los Angeles partnership that worked plywood and fiberglass into shapes mass production could actually hold, and set the terms for everything after.
2 past results
Roger Féraud
active 1950s
French · French Modernism
1 past result
Pierre Gauthier-Delaye
1923–2006
French · French Modernism
1 past result
Olavi Hänninen
1920–1992
Finnish · Scandinavian
Profile

The Circa Edit

Our specialists pick ten lots from the current sale against a brief every designer in this city recognises: hard light, open plan, doors that stay open.

Read the edit

Low modernist bench and stools in front of an abstract painting on the Mission Road showroom floor

The Circa Edit

The Circa Edit: 10 Lots for a Los Angeles House

Our specialists pick ten lots from the current sale against a brief every designer in this city recognises: hard light, open plan, doors that stay open.

Circa Editorial · September 4, 2026 · 4 min

The next sale previews at Mission Road.

Scale, patina, weight and condition do not photograph. Book a 30 or 60 minute appointment at 249 South Mission Road, Los Angeles and see the lots on the floor before you bid.

249 South Mission Road, Los Angeles, CA 90033 · By appointment. Preview week hours are published with each sale.

Book a preview

Auction details

How to bid

Premium: 20% buyer's premium is added to the hammer price of every lot, plus applicable sales tax.
Bidding: Online, absentee and live bidding run on the Circa bid platform. bid.circaauctionhouse.com. Registration to bid is a binding agreement to buy any lot you win.
Payment: Invoices are due within 72 hours of receipt. Title transfers only once payment has cleared.
Pickup: Collect within 10 days at 249 South Mission Road, Los Angeles. Storage is $25 per lot per day after that; lots left beyond 21 days are treated as abandoned.
Shipping: Circa does not pack or ship. Buyers arrange their own carrier; a list of preferred shippers is available on request.
Condition: Every lot is sold strictly as-is, with no warranty of condition, authenticity or attribution. Additional images, measurements and condition notes are available on request — inspect before you bid.

Bid increments

Bid increments for Escape to the Modernist Garden
Current bid	Increment
$0 – $999	$50
$1,000 – $4,999	$100
$5,000 – $9,999	$250
$10,000 – $49,999	$500
$50,000 and above	$1,000

Full conditions of sale are in the terms. New to auction? Read how to bid.

Current bid

Increment

$0 – $999

$50

$1,000 – $4,999

$100

$5,000 – $9,999

$250

$10,000 – $49,999

$500

$50,000 and above

$1,000

Escape to the Modernist Garden

What you are looking at.

Twelve places to start.

Long Cansado Bench

Pair of La Cachette Oak Fireside Chairs

Lounge Chair and Ottoman

Lounge Chair and Ottoman

Pair of Monumental Square Planters

Set of Six Ladder Back Dining Chairs

Pair of Amalfi Patio Chaise Lounges

Pair of Small Red Diabolo Planters

Set of Four Chrome Wire Chairs

Set of Four Rope and Wood Chairs

Pair of Iron and Leather Armchairs

Model 403 Stacking Armchair