Renzo Rutili Ivory and Brass Nightstand Johnson Furniture Co., circa 1950
About the Item
- Creator:Johnson Furniture Co. (Manufacturer),Renzo Rutili (Designer)
- Dimensions:Height: 24 in (60.96 cm)Width: 24 in (60.96 cm)Depth: 24 in (60.96 cm)
- Style:Mid-Century Modern (Of the Period)
- Materials and Techniques:
- Place of Origin:
- Period:
- Date of Manufacture:circa 1955
- Condition:Refinished. Wear consistent with age and use. Minor losses. Minor structural damages. has had a tough life.
- Seller Location:Camden, ME
- Reference Number:
Johnson Furniture Co.
Take a medal from the King of Sweden, a splash of the roaring twenties, and a series of talented designers and you get Johnson Furniture Co.’s elegant Art Deco and period-revival furnishings as well as a taste for why the Johnson name prevailed for over a century in American furniture manufacturing.
A wealth of forests rendered Grand Rapids, Michigan, a logging center during the 1800s. It eventually gained recognition for its furniture industry. The city became a destination for woodworkers who hailed from all over the United States as well as Europe, and Johnson Furniture Co. cofounder Carl Johnson, who had been recognized for cabinetmaking by the head of the royal family in his native Sweden, brought his royally acknowledged talents to America with his two brothers, Hjalmar and Axel in 1887. Together, they established Cabinetmakers Co. in Grand Rapids. In 1908, the brothers sold their start-up and founded Johnson Furniture Co.
Tom Handley, of the well-respected English furniture company Waring and Gillow, became an in-house designer with Johnson Furniture Co. in its early days. Handley would stay on as part of both the Johnson label and of Johnson-Handley-Johnson — a companion company that spun off from Johnson in 1922 — until his death in 1926. At the time, archaeological discoveries were all the rage. The greatest influence on Art Deco jewelry, for example, was the excavation of the tomb of King Tut in 1922, and some vintage Tom Handley designs were adaptations of Egyptian furniture. The brand specialized in a range of styles that included Art Deco, Chippendale, Queen Anne and more.
Acclaimed designer David Robertson Smith, who had made furniture in the Arts and Crafts style for the likes of Gustav Stickley, carried the Johnson Furniture Co. creative team into the early 1930s. Grand Rapids had by then become a thriving hub with respect to the mass production of furniture, and Smith’s sophisticated Dynamique line — a collection of coffee tables, cabinets and more in alluring woods such as walnut and mahogany and based on French furniture — was among the first mass-produced modern furniture made in America.
Johnson hired Lorenzo Rutili, a Carnegie Institute graduate who studied design in Europe, to lead the brand’s design division. Rutili oversaw 30 years of successful Johnson Furniture Co. collaborations with other notable designers including Paul Frankl, Eliel Saarinen, Bert England, J. Robert F. Swanson and Pipsam Saarinen Swanson. After wrapping up his tenure at Johnson, Rutili moved on to design furniture at Tomlinson in North Carolina.
During the 1960s, Kipp Stewart and Milo Baughman designed residential furnishings for Directional — a favorite of mid-century modern furniture enthusiasts — and Johnson produced these pieces, becoming the sole manufacturer for the North Carolina brand.
After a merger with Timberline Inc., Johnson Furniture Co. secured contracts for hotels, motels and university dormitories. In 1983, Johnson and Rose Manufacturing became RoseJohnson Inc. It was later purchased by La-Z-Boy.
On 1stDibs, find a collection of vintage Johnson Furniture Co. case pieces and storage cabinets, tables and other furniture.
- ShippingRetrieving quote...Ships From: Camden, ME
- Return PolicyA return for this item may be initiated within 14 days of delivery.
- Edward Wormley Pair of Nightstands Precedent Line Drexel, 1950s / 1960sBy Drexel, Edward WormleyLocated in Camden, MEEdward Wormley pair of nightstands for the Precedent collection by Drexel, circa 1947 The pair of silver elm nightstands have been refinished in a blac...Category
Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Side Tables
MaterialsBrass
- Baker Furniture Company Brass Tables Mid Century Two-Tiered Glass Shelves 1960sBy Baker Furniture CompanyLocated in Camden, MEBaker Furniture Company pair of faux bamboo brass two-tiered glass top side tables in bronze lacquer. Modulating cast metal supports add a classical twist to these understated table...Category
Mid-20th Century Italian Mid-Century Modern End Tables
MaterialsBrass
- Paul Frankl Six Drawer Sideboard Cork Johnson Furniture 1950sBy Johnson Furniture Company, Paul FranklLocated in Camden, MEPaul Frankl sideboard with two side doors and six drawers manufactured by Johnson Furniture Company of Grand Rapids, Michigan from the 1950s. Cork topped cabinet of rosewood stained ...Category
Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Sideboards
MaterialsMaple, Cork
- Craftsman Studio End Table with Mixed Wood Inlay and Pegs, circa 1955By Don S. ShoemakerLocated in Camden, MEA studio craftsman's table built of walnut and rosewood from the mid-1950s. This table is a wonderful example of woodwork executed by a skilled craftsman utilizing specially selected...Category
20th Century American Mid-Century Modern End Tables
MaterialsWood
- Semon Bache Pair of Chased Brass and Mirrored Glass End Tables from 1959By Semon BacheLocated in Camden, MESemon Bache & Co. New York pair of chased brass matched end tables from New York City. The tables are in excellent vintage condition with chased brass band...Category
Vintage 1950s American Mid-Century Modern End Tables
MaterialsBrass
- Neoclassical Italian Mid-Century Black and White Urn End Tables, circa 1940By Gio PontiLocated in Camden, MEA Neoclassical pair of mid century Italian black and white painted wooden urn based side tables with aquamarine glass tops. The 1940's end tables with hand-painted white gladiators...Category
Mid-20th Century Italian Neoclassical End Tables
MaterialsFruitwood, Glass
- Mid-Century Nightstands by Renzo Rutili for Johnson FurnitureBy Renzo RutiliLocated in San Francisco, CAMid-Century Modern nightstands designed by Renzo Rutili for Johnson Furniture Co. Originally part of a larger bedroom set designed by Rutili and made...Category
Vintage 1950s American Mid-Century Modern End Tables
MaterialsBirch, Lacquer
- Renzo Rutili Walnut & Leather End Table For Johnson FurnitureBy Renzo Rutili, Johnson Furniture Co.Located in Chicago, ILRenzo Rutili for Johnson Furniture empire style end table in walnut and black leather. Brass rosettes to each corner and brass casters to each leg. Inlaid black leather parquetry top...Category
20th Century American End Tables
MaterialsBrass
- Magnificent Pair of End Tables by Renzo Rutili in Birdseye Maple, circa 1955By Johnson Furniture Co., Renzo RutiliLocated in Atlanta, GAIf a piece feels like Tommi Parzinger, but is marked Johnson Furniture, there can be only one answer as to its Designer: Renzo Rutili. Mr. Rutili was a seminal furniture designer of ...Category
Vintage 1950s American Mid-Century Modern End Tables
MaterialsBrass
- Pair of Paul Frankl Cork Nightstands for Johnson Furniture Co.By Johnson Furniture Co., Paul FranklLocated in Los Angeles, CAPaul Frankl’s cork furniture pieces are among his longest-lasting contributions to American modernism and are highly sought after to this day. This example, a pair of cork top waterf...Category
Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Night Stands
MaterialsBrass
- Pair of Paul Frankl Walnut Nightstands for Johnson Furniture Solid Brass PullsBy Johnson Furniture Company, Paul FranklLocated in Rockaway, NJPair of stunning Mid-Century Modern walnut end tables night stands with solid brass buckle shape pulls.Category
20th Century American Mid-Century Modern End Tables
MaterialsWalnut
- Pair of Paul Frankl Ivory Lacquered Nightstands with Brass X Pulls, circa 1950By Paul Frankl, Johnson Furniture CompanyLocated in Saint Louis, MOEveryone loves Paul Frankl furniture. A pillar of design, he created some of the most iconic midcentury pieces of furniture. And here we have a lovely pair of Paul Frankl ivory lacqu...Category
Vintage 1950s American Mid-Century Modern Night Stands
MaterialsBrass
