John Widdicomb Petite 3 Drawer Mediterranean Style Decorator Chest on Bun Feet
View Similar Items
John Widdicomb Petite 3 Drawer Mediterranean Style Decorator Chest on Bun Feet
About the Item
- Creator:John Widdicomb (Manufacturer)
- Dimensions:Height: 22 in (55.88 cm)Width: 26.75 in (67.95 cm)Depth: 18 in (45.72 cm)
- Style:Hollywood Regency (In the Style Of)
- Materials and Techniques:
- Place of Origin:
- Period:
- Date of Manufacture:1960s
- Condition:Wear consistent with age and use. Very clean original cabinet . Faint evidence of having small glass top buffers . One at each corner of the top .
- Seller Location:Ferndale, MI
- Reference Number:1stDibs: LU848228592672
John Widdicomb
In the Widdicomb family, furniture ran in the blood. Furniture maker George Widdicomb emigrated from England to the United States in 1845, eventually setting up a cabinet shop in Syracuse, New York, before moving west to Grand Rapids, Michigan. There, he opened a shop with his four sons, including John Widdicomb, whose name would help carry the family legacy into the 20th century.
A wealth of pine and oak forests rendered Grand Rapids a logging center during the 1800s, and it eventually gained recognition for its furniture industry. The city became a destination for furniture makers who hailed from across the United States and beyond. The Widdicomb shop in Grand Rapids prospered, as the patriarch’s formal English training allowed him to produce pieces with superior craftsmanship compared to those of his competitors. Although the Civil War halted business and took the life of one of the Widdicomb brothers, the family’s survivors would start anew as Widdicomb Brothers and Richards, soon renamed the Widdicomb Furniture Company.
John Widdicomb, however, split from the family business in 1897 to create the John Widdicomb Company, where he would go on to focus on Louis XV- and French Provincial-style furnishings. Chairs made in these styles have distinct characteristics, such as floral motifs carved in the frames and gently angled backrests. John's company also remained a family affair: The founder’s son, Harry, assumed control of the company when his father died in 1910, while John's nephew Ralph Widdicombe — who retained the English spelling of his last name and joined the John Widdicomb Company at its start — designed every single piece of the offerings at his uncle's manufacturing outfit until he retired in 1951. Ralph was an internationally distinguished furniture designer whose modern mahogany bedroom suite won first prize at the Paris Exposition in 1900.
The original iteration of Widdicomb, which was helmed by John's older brother William while John ran his own brand, had shifted from making period revival styles of furniture, such as Georgian and Chippendale, to manufacturing modern pieces in the late 1920s. Admirers of mid-century modern furnishings likely recognize Widdicomb for the partnerships with iconic designers such as Frank Lloyd Wright, T.H. Robsjohn-Gibbings and Mario Buatta. In 1959, master woodworker George Nakashima created his Origins collection for Widdicomb when the firm merged with Mueller Furniture Corporation and was known, for around 10 years, as Widdicomb-Mueller. Origins, a revered Shaker-influenced group of nightstands, upholstered lounge chairs, dining-room tables and more, saw Nakashima working with woods like Carpathian elm and laurel in his Pennsylvania studio.
Eventually, the two Widdicomb companies would combine in 1970, operating under the name John Widdicomb Co.
In 2002, the business closed after more than a century of operations, and its assets were acquired by Stickley Furniture. Interestingly, it was not the first time Widdicomb and Stickley overlapped: In the final years of the 19th century, the companies opened a shared storehouse in London, while John Widdicomb and Albert Stickley would travel Europe together for the purposes of research.
Today, Stickley continues to produce John Widdicomb Company furniture, including French, Italian, English and Russian reproductions, as well as modern works from the first half of the 20th century.
Find vintage John Widdicomb bedroom furniture, tables, case pieces and more on 1stDibs.
- Edward Wormley for Dunbar Six-Drawer DresserBy Edward WormleyLocated in Ferndale, MIEdward Wormley for Dunbar Six Drawer Dresser . Nicely configured shallow to deep graduated drawers .Category
Vintage 1950s American Mid-Century Modern Dressers
MaterialsWalnut, Wood
$2,800 Sale Price49% Off - Chest of Drawers on Hairpin Legs by Edward Wormley for DunbarBy Dunbar Furniture, Edward WormleyLocated in Ferndale, MIChest of drawers on hairpin legs by Edward Wormley for Dunbar. Scarce Wormley Design. Measures: 45" wide also available.Category
Vintage 1950s American Mid-Century Modern Commodes and Chests of Drawers
MaterialsBirch, Walnut
$5,000 Sale Price26% Off - George Nelson Herman Miller Rosewood Thin Edge Eight Drawer DresserBy Herman Miller, George NelsonLocated in Ferndale, MIBeautifully grained Rosewood cabinet with two rows of four drawers. Early style turned aluminum pulls on each drawer. Cabinet standing on for turned aluminum legs. This is a classic ...Category
Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Dressers
MaterialsAluminum
- Diminutive Niels Clausen Danish Teak Chest for NC MoblerBy Niels Clausen, NC MöblerLocated in Ferndale, MINicely made Danish teak eight drawer chest Designed by Niels Clausen manufactured by Niels Clausen. Scalloped front drawers are of dove tail construction front and back. Hard to find...Category
Mid-20th Century Danish Mid-Century Modern Commodes and Chests of Drawers
MaterialsTeak
$2,600 Sale Price21% Off - Bernhard Pederson and Son Tambour Front Rosewood Gentlemans ChestBy Bernhard Pedersen & SonLocated in Ferndale, MILarge impressive tambour front gentlemen chest. Nicely grained Rosewood panels on all four sides. Interior is fitted with dovetailed drawers and shelves. Tambour door is fitted so ...Category
Mid-20th Century Danish Mid-Century Modern Commodes and Chests of Drawers
MaterialsRosewood
- Pair of Charles Hollis Jones style decorator lucite lounge chairsBy Charles Hollis JonesLocated in Ferndale, MIPair of beautifully proportioned lucite armchairs . So much in the style of Charles Hollis Jones the master of mating acrylics with chrome .one and a quarter inch thick lucite legs s...Category
Mid-20th Century American Hollywood Regency Lounge Chairs
MaterialsChrome
- John Widdicomb Art Deco Black Lacquered Dresser Chests, Newly RefinishedBy John WiddicombLocated in South Bend, INA gorgeous pair of Art Deco or Mid-Century Modern dressers or bedside chests By John Widdicomb USA, Circa 1940s Black lacquered mahogany, with brass accents. Measures: 36"W x 19....Category
Vintage 1940s American Art Deco Commodes and Chests of Drawers
MaterialsBrass
- John Widdicomb Chippendale Walnut Block Front Chest of Drawers, Newly RefinishedBy John WiddicombLocated in South Bend, INA gorgeous Chippendale style four-drawer block front dresser chest or commode By John Widdicomb USA, circa 1960s Solid walnut, with origin...Category
Mid-20th Century American Chippendale Commodes and Chests of Drawers
MaterialsBrass
- Custom English Walnut Five-Drawer Chest on Bracket FeetLocated in Woodbury, CTBeautiful burled walnut encompasses the top and front of this custom chest while a handsomely striated grained walnut covers the sides. Oak-lined drawers speak of the quality and att...Category
21st Century and Contemporary British Georgian Commodes and Chests of Dr...
MaterialsWalnut, Burl
- Antique John Widdicomb Art Deco Burl Wood Chest of Drawers, Circa 1920sBy John WiddicombLocated in South Bend, INA gorgeous Art Deco three-drawer dresser chest or commode By John Widdicomb USA, Circa 1920s Exotic burl wood, with hand-painted details and original hardware. Measures: ...Category
Vintage 1920s American Art Deco Commodes and Chests of Drawers
MaterialsBurl, Paint
- John Widdicomb French Provincial Louis XV Cherry Commode or Chest of DrawersBy John WiddicombLocated in South Bend, INA gorgeous French Provincial Louis XV style commode or dresser chest By John Widdicomb USA, late 20th century Carved solid cherry wood, with original brass hardware. Drawers...Category
Late 20th Century American French Provincial Commodes and Chests of Drawers
MaterialsBrass
- Late 18th C. English Painted Wood Chest of Four Drawers Raised on Bun FeetLocated in Atlanta, GAAn English wood chest, painted in gray hues, from the turn of the 18th and 19th century. This antique chest from England has been primarily designed in straight/clean lines and features a rectangular-shaped top over the case which houses four graduated and dove-tailed drawers, and presented nicely upon four over-sized bun style feet. Each drawer front is adorn with its original brass hardware. The wood has been bleached and has a custom finish with a light gray wash with dark gray trim (and hints of blue throughout). This late 18th century English commode...Category
Antique Early 19th Century English Commodes and Chests of Drawers
MaterialsWood