Background
Paul Tuttle was born in 1918 in Springfield, Missouri. He was stationed in India during WWII as a cartographer, an experience
that he said made him want to go into design and architecture. After the war, Tuttle enrolled in what is known now as the
Art Center College of Design in Pasadena, California, but quickly realized that school was not for him. Tuttle went on to
work for his former professor, the designer Alvin Lustig. Tuttle participated in the Frank Lloyd Wright Taliesin West Fellowship
in Scottsdale Arizona during 1949. After Taliesin, Tuttle went on to work for architects Thornton Ladd and Welton Becket.
In 1956, Tuttle moved to Santa Barbara where he began working intensely on his custom and manufactured furniture, as well
as architectural and interior projects. His more notable work includes: the Arco chair, the Z chair, and the six residences
he designed in Santa Barbara. Over the course of his career, Tuttle completed 200 pieces of custom furniture. His work was
exhibited twice at the University of California, Santa Barbara Art Museum once in 1978 “Paul Tuttle, Designer” and then again
in 2001 “Paul Tuttle Retrospective.” Paul Tuttle died in 2002 at the age of 84.