Unusual Baker Chinoiserie Modular Chest Bookcase Shelf Mid-Century Modern
About the Item
- Creator:Baker Furniture Company (Designer)
- Dimensions:Height: 59.25 in (150.5 cm)Width: 38 in (96.52 cm)Depth: 19.25 in (48.9 cm)
- Sold As:Set of 2
- Style:Chinoiserie (Of the Period)
- Materials and Techniques:
- Place of Origin:
- Period:
- Date of Manufacture:Circa 70's
- Condition:Wear consistent with age and use. This set is in nice vintage condition with light age-appropriate wear. There are some minor nicks and dings to the edges. Drawers work smoothly and shelves are clean-some light scratches. Blackened hardware show some light wear to finish.
- Seller Location:Pemberton, NJ
- Reference Number:1stDibs: LU943229377022
Baker Furniture Company
Owing to the company’s collaborations with many leading designers and artists over time, vintage Baker furniture is consistently sought after today. The heritage brand’s chairs, dining tables, desks and other pieces are widely known to collectors and design enthusiasts for their fine craftsmanship and durability.
Within a few decades of its launch, Baker Furniture Company evolved into one of the largest and most important furniture manufacturers in the United States and became known for its high-quality production standards. Siebe Baker and business partner Henry Cook founded the original iteration of Baker Furniture Company in 1890 in Allegan, Michigan, after immigrating to the United States from the Netherlands. Allegan is a small town west of Grand Rapids, which, at that time was home to Widdicomb Furniture Co. and more and was known as America’s furniture capital. The company manufactured doors and interior moldings and introduced a combination desk and bookcase in 1893. In the early 1900s, Siebe became the sole owner of the business.
Among others, stage designer Joseph Urban and modernist designer Kem Weber contributed designs to Baker in the 1920s. In 1932, under the leadership of Siebe’s son, Hollis, who started at the company as a salesman but took the reins when his father passed in 1925, Baker Furniture introduced bedroom pieces and debuted its Manor House collection, which made reproductions of European furnishings available to the American market. (Hollis was an avid traveler and procured antiques overseas for the company to reproduce in the United States.) Soon, Baker Furniture Company moved to Holland, Michigan, and eventually opened showrooms in Grand Rapids and elsewhere.
Pioneering Scandinavian designer Finn Juhl created a Danish modern line for Baker in 1951, and the company produced his award-winning Chieftain chair for a short time. In the late 1950s, Baker introduced the Milling Road label to reach a younger audience with stylish but less costly furnishings like console tables, walnut dining chairs and more, and in 1961, British furniture designer T.H. Robsjohn-Gibbings introduced a modern neoclassical line at Baker.
The 1960s and ’70s saw the introduction of historic reproduction furniture lines such as Woburn Abbey and the Historic Charleston collection, which remain very popular to this day. In 1990, Baker was licensed to produce a furniture line from Colonial Williamsburg. That same year, the Smithsonian Museum introduced Baker’s Chippendale chair into its permanent collection and the Grand Rapids Art Museum dedicated an exhibition to Baker’s 100th anniversary, a showcase that included 150 pieces of furniture Siebe Baker had collected as part of a larger assortment that had served as inspiration for his designs.
Today, vintage Baker furniture, such as its elegant mahogany nightstands and teak credenzas — particularly those crafted by Finn Juhl — sees high demand online and elsewhere. The company continues to produce contemporary collections with well-known designers such as Bill Sofield, Barbara Barry and Kara Mann and remains on par with some of the highest quality furniture in the industry.
Browse vintage Baker armchairs, sofas, coffee tables and other furniture on 1stDibs.
- ShippingRetrieving quote...Ships From: Pemberton, NJ
- Return PolicyA return for this item may be initiated within 1 day of delivery.
- Fantastic Pair Baker Modern Asian Tansu Bachelors Chest Chinoiserie Mid-CenturyBy Baker Furniture CompanyLocated in Pemberton, NJAmazingly beautiful pair of Japanese Tansu bachelors chests by Baker. Dark stained oak with fantastic Japanese-inspired hardware. They have a time-worn patina with splendid charm. I love the vintage...Category
Vintage 1970s American Mid-Century Modern Commodes and Chests of Drawers
MaterialsMetal
- Stylish Mid-Century Small Bookcase by Paul McCobb for Planner GroupBy Paul McCobbLocated in Pemberton, NJStylish small bookcase for the Planner Group designed by architect and furniture designer Paul McCobb. Great to use in a children's room to keep all their books within reach for the...Category
Vintage 1960s American Mid-Century Modern Bookcases
MaterialsBirch
- Wonderful 3 Bay Freestanding Walnut Wall Unit Stanley Mid-Century ModernBy StanleyLocated in Pemberton, NJWonderful 3-bay freestanding walnut wall unit by Stanley. This set is rare in its original form with 2 lower bays and one taller bay-perfect for a...Category
Vintage 1970s American Mid-Century Modern Bookcases
MaterialsAluminum
- Magnificent Michael Taylor Baker Campaign Chest Mid-Century ModernBy Michael TaylorLocated in Pemberton, NJMagnificent 9-drawer campaign chest of drawers by Michael Taylor for Baker Furniture Co. This is one of those pieces that the more you look at it the more brilliant it becomes. The stunning walnut grain runs up the drawers and onto the top. All the drawers are finely crafted with dovetail joinery and bevelled top edge. The back is also finished so that this piece could float in a room. We just love the original finish with its intentional distress look giving it an old-world charm. This piece came from a mansion on Long Island Sound which was a celebrated Hollywood hangout during the 50s and 60s. It measures 30"T x 66"Lx 19"D. As seen in the last photo we also have the matching bachelor chest...Category
Vintage 1960s American Mid-Century Modern Commodes and Chests of Drawers
MaterialsWalnut
- Magnificent George Nelson 3 Bay Walnut Omni Wall Unit Mid Century ModernBy George NelsonLocated in Pemberton, NJClassic George Nelson “Omni” modular wall unit is a mid-century American classic, manufactured by Herman Miller. This stylish and useful wall unit is modular and can be configured to best suit space and user. It includes 4 vertical poles with anodized aluminum and walnut finish and 4 adjustable feet. Shelves and case pieces included are 3 shelves, a 2 drawer file...Category
Vintage 1960s American Mid-Century Modern Bookcases
MaterialsAluminum
- Fantastic Pair Baker Chinoiserie Asian Tansu Night Stands Mid-Century ModernBy Alessandro for Baker FurnitureLocated in Pemberton, NJPair of amazingly beautiful Japanese Tansu small chests or nightstands by Baker. Dark stained oak with fantastic Japanese inspired hardware. They ha...Category
Vintage 1970s American Mid-Century Modern Cabinets
MaterialsIron
- Mid-Century Modern Modular Wood Bookcase from 50sLocated in Catania, CTGood vintage condition with trace of age and use for this wall unit made from wood and metal with brass details. The blue velvet background is in poor condition. Produced in Italy du...Category
Mid-20th Century Italian Mid-Century Modern Bookcases
MaterialsBrass
- Italian Mid-Century Modern White Wood Modular Bookcase, 1970sLocated in MIlano, ITItalian Mid-Century Modern White wood modular bookcase, 1970s. Modular bookcase composed of 4 rectangles and 5 squares with rounded corners in white painted solid wood. Can be assem...Category
Vintage 1970s Italian Mid-Century Modern Bookcases
MaterialsWood
- Micheal Taylor for Baker Furniture Chest Bookcase Far East CollectionBy Baker Furniture Company, Michael TaylorLocated in Germantown, MDMichael Taylor for Baker Furniture Co. Far East Collection 4 piece chest of drawers / Bookcase/ Cabinet, circa 1960s. This versatile piece comes in four separate sections. Can be use...Category
Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Commodes and Chests of Drawers
MaterialsMahogany
- 2 Mid-Century Modern Geometric Modular Maple Shelving Bookcases Console EtagereLocated in Dayton, OHA fun set of four "L" shaped modular bookcase units. Finished in Maple, circa 1970s. Each stacks nicely to create a geometric storage system. Can be ...Category
Mid-20th Century Unknown Mid-Century Modern Bookcases
MaterialsWood
- Davis Cabinet Co Teakwood Chinoiserie Library Bookcase Cabinet Shelf CommodeBy Davis Cabinet CompanyLocated in Dayton, OH"Vintage Davis Cabinet Company bookcase commode. Made of teakwood featuring asian styling with upper book shelves and lower cabinet. Circa late 20th century, Nashville Tennessee. #1515 These words of our venerable leader introduce this short history of our firm which began in 1929. There are certainly older furniture companies ---- and obviously younger ones, but quite likely, none with a more romantic history or a more Horatio Alger-like history than ours. Davis Cabinet Company began as the dream of one man, Lipscomb ""Lip"" Davis, and as is the case with most dreams, this one ---- the impractical idea of building fine furniture from solid wood ---- was thought to be an impossibility. Wood, like steel and iron and most other substances, expands and contracts with climate changes. Furniture built of solid wood must of necessity rack itself to pieces through the inexorable changes of expansion and contraction. Lipscomb Davis thought otherwise. His personal philosophy might be expressed as ""Anything can be accomplished if it is done correctly"", and to this end he had already conceived and engineered a startling new concept of free floating construction that would allow the solid wood case construction to move at will . . . . naturally . . . and thereby avoid the stresses of climatic change. The opportunity to test the idea came dramatically in 1929 ---- but we're getting a bit ahead of our story. While Davis Cabinet Company was formed in 1929, it really had its beginnings around the turn of the century as a sawmill located near Fifth Street on the banks of the Cumberland River. The mill produced lumber from logs rafted down the river from neighboring forests. A ready market existed for most of the high grade lumber turned out by the mill. But, in order to utilize their entire production, the enterprising mill owners formed a subsidiary business, Standard Furniture Company. Here, they manufactured primarily veneered bedroom suites and sewing machine cabinets...Category
Late 20th Century Chinoiserie Bookcases
MaterialsTeak
- Danish Mid-Century Modern Teak Wood Tall Shelf Bookshelf BookcaseLocated in Hawthorne, CAVintage Danish modern teak wood tall shelf. Six shelves, five of which are adjustable. Overall great original condition, some light wear present consistent with vintage age. If the s...Category
Mid-20th Century Danish Mid-Century Modern Bookcases
MaterialsWood, Teak
