Ficks Reed Club Chair Upholstered in Todd Hase High Performance

Somewhat of an overlooked icon of American design, Ficks Reed was founded by Louis Ficks in 1885 as the National Carriage and Reed Company, a New York purveyor of wicker baby carriages. By the turn of the century, however, the company had moved to Cincinnati, Ohio, and, under the auspices of Ficks Reed, began manufacturing furniture with wicker, rattan and bamboo.

Over the coming decades, Ficks Reed would benefit from an increased interest in Asian imports, as evidenced in everything from the growing popularity of chinoiserie wallpaper and Chinese porcelain to the Japanese influence in Frank Lloyd Wright’s modern architecture.

The brand was also bolstered by partnerships with several prominent architects and designers throughout the 20th century, including Paul László, Pipsan Saarinen Swanson — creator of the company's Sol-Air Group and elder sister of Eero Saarinen — John B. Wisner, Paul T. Frankl and Dorothy Draper.

Each Ficks Reed partner brought their unique sensibility to the designs — Swanson’s had skeletal frames while Draper, a largely forgotten decorator and pioneer of the Hollywood Regency style, favored more ornate detailing; László created low-slung seats — but all were rendered in the company’s signature wicker and bamboo.

Thanks in large part to the Draper relationship, Ficks Reed furniture has long been a fixture at The Greenbrier and Colony hotels, as well as other luxury properties including the Four Seasons, Ritz Carlton resorts and The Breakers in Palm Beach. In 2006, Draper protégé Carleton Varney continued his mentor’s legacy by debuting a new 20-piece collection for Ficks Reed based on her original designs.

A recent resurgence in the popularity of wicker and rattan has given way to newfound demand for Ficks Reed rattan chairs and other furniture in the secondary market, where original vintage pieces are often refinished, repainted or lacquered to further underscore the textural detail of their bamboo and rattan frames.

Find vintage Ficks Reed sofas, tables, armchairs and other furniture for sale on 1stDibs.

Todd Hase Furniture, Inc. includes a full collection of upholstery, tables, casegoods, accessories, lighting, and textiles. Designed by Todd Hase, the line is distinctly modern. It uses a classic vocabulary of shapes and lines to offer a pared down, simplified, ultimately usable collection of home furnishings. Old world techniques of manufacturing are applied to these modern products. Eight-way hand tied springs fill upholstered seating and hand fitted marquetry patterns of beautiful veneers enhance tables, casegoods, and lighting. The original Todd Hase showroom opened in 1995 in Soho, New York City. Todd Hase designed products are manufactured in the USA, and shipped both domestically and around the world. In addition to the Todd Hase Collection, Todd Hase hand selects antiques from Paris, France and Mid Century modern furniture and accessories for the Todd Hase | Home showrooms in New York and Palm Beach. The Todd Hase | Home showrooms offer an eclectic mix of Todd Hase Collection furniture and textiles, French antiques, Mid Century modern vintage furniture, lighting, accessories, fine art, and garden furniture. The Todd Hase | Home showrooms and interior design projects have been embraced by celebrity clientele, designers, the press, and home shopping customers alike. Todd Hase | Home showrooms, products, and interior design projects have been published in Architectural Digest, Elle Decor, House and Garden, The New York Times, House Beautiful, and more.