The eclectic style borrowed decorative elements from different time periods and countries and often used bold color combinations, varying textures, and a mixture of antique and modern furnishings.
Pahlmann employed eclectic design principles to accommodate his customers’ personal taste preferences and stressed the importance of comfort, functionality, and adaptability in his work.
[5] Upon his return to the United States in 1931, Seton Henry commissioned Pahlmann to decorate his eighteenth-century home, Pen Ryn, in Bensalem, Pennsylvania.
Following Pahlmann’s five-week tour of South America, Lord & Taylor premiered six model rooms featuring modern and antique Peruvian-style furnishings.
In addition to residential designs, William Pahlmann Associates were involved in a variety of commercial projects, including department stores, restaurants, offices, hotels, showrooms, and university buildings.
Most of William Pahlmann Associates’ clients came from the New York metropolitan area, but the firm also completed projects internationally in the Bahamas, Cuba, Venezuela, and Hong Kong.
[16] Among the firm’s more renowned projects were The Forum of the Twelve Caesars restaurant in Manhattan, the South Carolina Governor’s Mansion, and the Margaret Cousins residence in Dobbs Ferry, New York.
In 1949, Pahlmann designed the Momentum line of furniture, which featured large, semi-pneumatic wheels that allowed even the heaviest pieces to be easily moved and rearranged.
In his column, Pahlmann provided his audience with general information on taste and style and introduced them to the basic principles of good design.
Despite the democratic nature of his lectures and columns, Pahlmann insisted the average person did not have the necessary skills to design a successful interior and should consult a professional if at all possible.
[23] In 1964, William Pahlmann received the Elsie de Wolfe Award of the New York Chapter of the American Institute of Decorators.
The department of architecture at Texas A&M University awards the William C. Pahlmann scholarship annually to graduate students in their final year.