Pair of classic Klismos chairs by John Hutton for Donghia

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Pair of classic Klismos chairs by John Hutton for Donghia

About the Item

Pair of classic Klismos chairs designed by John Hutton (1947-2006) for Donghia. 18 in. seat height.

From 1978 to 1998, Mr. Hutton was the design director of Donghia, a leading supplier of fabrics and furnishings to interior designers and architects. After he left Donghia, he started his own design company, opening offices in West Islip and Nancy, France.

His designs are characterized by a glamorous bravura and a love of voluptuous classical forms. He was particularly influenced by the 16th-century Italian architect Palladio.

“He was a great furniture designer,” said Barbara Bloemink, curatorial director of the Cooper-Hewitt National Design Museum in Manhattan. “I believe he has been called a national treasure. His designs were classic, elegant, beautifully proportioned and timeless. He got his inspiration from museums, not furniture fairs.”

John Andrew Hutton was born in Holyoke, Mass., in 1947. He moved with his family to Long Island the following year and grew up in West Islip. He graduated from the Fashion Institute of Technology in Manhattan in 1969 and began his career as an assistant at a custom furniture company. Six months later he became its design director.

He also worked as a design director for Louis Maslow & Sons in New York and for Randolph & Hein in San Francisco, where he was discovered in the late 1970’s by the interior designer Angelo Donghia, who also owned a fabric company. When Mr. Donghia decided to open a furniture division in 1978, he hired Mr. Hutton to run it.

While at Donghia, Mr. Hutton produced more than 200 designs, most of which are still in production. Perhaps his best-known piece is the Anziano chair. Originally designed for the American Academy in Rome, the chair has a bent-wood seat and back and metal legs. Another Hutton classic is his Ghost chair, whose lines were inspired by the sheets one sees worn on Halloween.

As head of his own business since 1998, Mr. Hutton designed furniture collections for American companies like Sutherland Teak, Hickory Business Furniture and Holly Hunt, as well as the Italian company Flexform, the Dutch manufacturer Bench Ensemble and the French firm Pierre Counot-Blandin, with which he recently opened Pierre, a furniture shop in Paris devoted to his line.

In the 1980’s, Mr. Hutton frequently collaborated with both Donghia and the interior designer Brian Stoner in furnishing high-end residential homes. The team’s clients included Diana Ross, Liza Minnelli, Steve Martin, Ralph Lauren, Mary Tyler Moore and Barbara Walters. Mr. Hutton’s commercial work included the Sony Style showroom in New York, ResidenSea ship interiors, the American Center in Paris and the reoutfitting of the S.S. France.

Dimensions:
Height: 32 in (81.28 cm)Width: 20 in (50.8 cm)Depth: 21.5 in (54.61 cm)Seat Height: 18 in (45.72 cm)
Sold As:
Set of 2
Place of Origin:
United States
Period:
20th Century
Date of Manufacture:
20th century
Condition:
Original.
Seller Location:
Los Angeles, CA
Reference Number:
1stDibs: U1004208184830