Kittinger Desks and Writing Tables
Before it became a legendary American manufacturer of traditional furniture, Kittinger Furniture was a paper company called Thompson, Colie & Company (later to become Colie & Son), after its founders, Oliver and George Colie. The father-son entrepreneurs started a small business in 1866 manufacturing paper products and, subsequently, upholstered furniture in Buffalo, New York. Business for the latter was so successful that in order to keep up with demand, the Colies opened a second factory in 1885 that focused on handcrafted furniture designed in 18th-century styles.
Later, George Colie decided to sell his beloved company to his son-in-law, Irvine J. Kittinger Sr., and his brother, Ralph. They changed the name to the Kittinger Furniture Company in 1913. In 1929, the company’s sales exceeded $1 million, which allowed the brothers to expand far beyond Buffalo, opening showrooms in Chicago, Dallas and other cities across the United States, where they could present their expert reproductions of popular historic furniture styles for the home and office.
In 1937, Kittinger was granted an exclusive license to reproduce antique custom furniture for the Colonial Williamsburg Foundation. The company manufactured Hepplewhite-style chests of drawers, mahogany Chippendale dressers, Asian-influenced mid-century modern marble-top coffee tables of ebonized wood and a variety of other pieces. The brand’s revered Mandarin line, a Hollywood Regency–style collection that debuted in the 1940s, included bedroom furnishings such as lacquered wood vanities, nightstands and more, each featuring prominent Greek key drawer pulls and decorative black trim.
Between the mid-1970s and 1990s, Kittinger Furniture changed hands frequently and even went out of business. In 1996, Raymond Bialkowski, a former master cabinetmaker for the company, and his wife, Karen, purchased the company and, along with some other former Kittinger craftsmen, began creating furniture under its name once again in north Buffalo. Over the years, Kittinger has produced furniture for the White House, including a handcrafted conference table and chairs for the Cabinet Room during President Nixon’s administration and chairs for the Roosevelt Room in 2016.
Today, the award-winning Kittinger Furniture continues to make historical and new custom handcrafted pieces of high quality.
Find a range of Kittinger Furniture on 1stDibs.
1960s American Regency Vintage Kittinger Desks and Writing Tables
Metal, Brass
1980s American Vintage Kittinger Desks and Writing Tables
Mahogany
1950s Italian Regency Vintage Kittinger Desks and Writing Tables
Brass
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Kittinger Desks and Writing Tables
Leather, Walnut
1940s French Louis XV Vintage Kittinger Desks and Writing Tables
Leather, Walnut
19th Century French Louis XV Antique Kittinger Desks and Writing Tables
Bronze
20th Century French Kittinger Desks and Writing Tables
Bronze
Late 19th Century French Louis XV Antique Kittinger Desks and Writing Tables
Kingwood
21st Century and Contemporary Vietnamese Mid-Century Modern Kittinger Desks and Writing Tables
Wood, Burl
20th Century Georgian Kittinger Desks and Writing Tables
Leather, Yew
1950s Italian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Kittinger Desks and Writing Tables
Wood
1880s French Louis XV Antique Kittinger Desks and Writing Tables
Brass
20th Century French Louis XV Kittinger Desks and Writing Tables
Walnut
1950s European Louis XV Vintage Kittinger Desks and Writing Tables
Bronze
1920s American Tudor Vintage Kittinger Desks and Writing Tables
Brass
Mid-20th Century American Federal Kittinger Desks and Writing Tables
Leather, Walnut
Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Kittinger Desks and Writing Tables
Brass, Bronze
1940s American Hollywood Regency Vintage Kittinger Desks and Writing Tables
Wood, Lacquer
Mid-20th Century American Georgian Kittinger Desks and Writing Tables
Brass
Mid-20th Century American Queen Anne Kittinger Desks and Writing Tables
Brass
20th Century American British Colonial Kittinger Desks and Writing Tables
Mahogany
Mid-20th Century American Queen Anne Kittinger Desks and Writing Tables
Brass
Mid-20th Century American Chippendale Kittinger Desks and Writing Tables
Brass
1920s American Vintage Kittinger Desks and Writing Tables
Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Kittinger Desks and Writing Tables
Brass, Bronze
Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Kittinger Desks and Writing Tables
Kittinger desks and writing tables for sale on 1stDibs.
- 1stDibs ExpertJanuary 10, 2025Kittinger furniture is made in the USA. Specifically, the company produces its pieces in a factory located in Buffalo, New York. Most Kittinger pieces are custom-crafted to order. On 1stDibs, explore a range of Kittinger furniture.