Stow & Davis Kidney Shape Desk

Stow & Davis made history when it introduced the first wood and steel framework desk in 1928. The American furniture company subsequently became a leader of mid-century modern office furniture production and design.

Before the company was Stow & Davis, it was the Stow and Haight Furniture Company, formed by the partnership of Russell Stow and Thomas Haight in 1880. It produced kitchen and dining extension tables from a workshop in Grand Rapids, Michigan. In 1885, businessman George A. Davis purchased Haight’s interest in the firm, and its name was changed to Stow & Davis.

The company turned its attention to manufacturing office furniture, producing its first boardroom table in 1889. By the 1890s, Stow & Davis had established itself as a major supplier of furniture for libraries and offices. By 1916, it was supplying banks with furniture like its sturdy wood Colonial Revival style boardroom tables, leather-upholstered executive and swivel chairs and traditional desks in oak and mahogany.

The Great Depression forced the reorganization of Stow & Davis, and, during World War II, the company was commissioned to manufacture wooden desks, chairs and bunk beds for United States Navy vessels. 

During the 1950s and ’60s, Stow & Davis explored innovative elements of mid-century modernism, collaborating with several notable designers to produce new series inspired by the emerging Art Moderne movement. Instead of solid, classic American designs, Stow & Davis furniture now incorporated curved lines, rounded edges and sleek finishes. These included pieces like American designer Bert England’s stainless steel frame office chairs, walnut and bronzed steel conference tables by Italian designer Osvaldo Borsani and sophisticated Florence Knoll-style credenzas by Giacomo Buzzitta.

In 1985, the Grand Rapids furniture company Steelcase acquired Stow & Davis, and, in 1992, it continued to produce furniture for offices, hotels and homes under a new name: Stow Davis.

On 1stDibs, discover a range of vintage Stow & Davis seating, case pieces and storage cabinets, tables and more.