Vintage MCM Keller Furniture Oak Valkerie ii Dining Chairs by Edmond J Spence

About the Item

Handsome vintage Mid-Century Modern Keller furniture Valkerie II Line dining or side chairs by Edmond J. Spence, a pair. Comprised of oak frames, blue fabric upholstered seats, and chrome sabots on the front feet. This piece has been attributed based upon archived research including online sources, vintage documentation and catalogs, designer literature, and other materials. Beautiful condition, keeping in mind that these are vintage and not new so will have signs of use and wear. The seats have been newly upholstered in a plain blue/black duck fabric. Please see photos and zoom in for details. We attempt to portray any imperfections. Circa, mid-20th century. What a TERRIFIC TWOSOME!!! This is a gorgeous pair of vintage Valkerie II Line dining or side chairs designed by Edmond J. Spence for Keller Furniture. They are comprised of lovely oak frames with slightly angled backs featuring sculpted “boomerang” shaped backs with spindles, straight round tapered front legs with stretchers and chrome sabots on the feet. Their seats have been freshly upholstered in a plain blue/black duck fabric. (We are calling it blue / black as some see it as black and some see it as a deep navy blue.) Did you notice that the handsome chair back and flared back legs are all one piece? Just an awesome design… and super comfortable!! They are mid-century modern with a Danish or Scandinavian modern flair, and they are going to be magnificent seating in your dining or kitchen area, side chairs in your bedroom, or extra seating in your family room. Sometimes you just need a simple little pair of chairs. You know? Just good looking, sturdy, and serviceable chairs. This is just that pair! Edmond J. Spence was an American designer who made a name for himself interpreting Danish Modernism in his own way and blending it with the atomic and organic influences of the mid to late 1950's. Mr. Spence grew up in a family business that manufactured high quality traditional furniture, including ornate, custom carved pieces. He was trained as a designer, and created industrial products, household items including clocks and radios. He began to focus on furniture, and he sensed the trend toward modern design. During the 1950s, Spence drew on Asian and Swedish influences in developing ideas for his own style of modern furniture. He incorporated aspects of Mexican design to create the Continental-American collection tagged “Ageless Furniture-Edmond J. Spence Design.” Manufactured in 1953 by Industria Mueblera. His work has been described as “a little bit Deco, a little tiki, with a heavy atomic & Danish influence.” He won awards and in the early 50’s his work was displayed at the Metropolitan Museum of Modern Art in New York. And a fun fact, his furniture was used on the set of the “I Love Lucy” show for many years. -Mid 2 Mod. Mr. Spence passed away in 1986. Keller Manufacturing Company was founded in 1885 but Keller Furniture history dates back to 1866 when the “Keller Store” in Corydon Indiana was established. From that time, the operation entered into various businesses, including wagon productions from 1901-1912, running an electrical light plant, manufacturing spokes for farm wagons, operation in a hub-mill, farm wagon production, building barns, producing wooden porch furniture, wooden truck bodies and refrigerator boxes, as well as making end tables, magazine racks, and chair parts and in 1933, a drop leaf table. In late 1943, Keller Furniture developed household furniture, including breakfast room suites and dinettes. In the early 1960‘s, the company introduced its first bedroom group. In 1979, Keller leased four trucks and trailers to deliver furniture directly to their furniture dealers and in 1996, the company formed Keller Dedicated Trucking, Inc. (“Keller Trucking”), a fully owned subsidiary and primarily for delivery services for their own company. Keller had been a publicly traded company and went private in May 2004. It eventually closed all three of its U.S. plants in Indiana and Virginia, effectively ending its domestic production. -Wikimapia Timeless appeal, famed designer, and quality manufacturer… This pair of Valkerie II line dining chairs by Edmond J. Spence for Keller Furniture has it all!! Come on, you know you want them! Make them yours!!! Size: • height: 33 Inches. • width: 18.5 Inches. • depth: 21 Inches. • seat height: 17.5 Inches. • inside seat width: 18.5 Inches. • inside seat depth: 17 Inches. • inside back height: 17 Inches. • clearance to floor: 10 Inches. • weight: 10.84 Pounds. Boxed size: • height: 42 Inches. • width: 25 Inches. • depth: 32 Inches. • weight: 38 Pounds.

Creator:
Keller (Maker),Edmond J. Spence (Designer)
Dimensions:
Height: 33 in (83.82 cm)Width: 18.5 in (46.99 cm)Depth: 21 in (53.34 cm)Seat Height: 17.5 in (44.45 cm)
Sold As:
Set of 2
Style:
Mid-Century Modern (Of the Period)
Materials and Techniques:
Fabric,Oak
Place of Origin:
United States
Period:
Mid-20th Century
Date of Manufacture:
circa Mid-20th Century
Condition:
Reupholstered. Wear consistent with age and use. Beautiful condition, keeping in mind that these are vintage and not new so will have signs of use and wear. The seats have been newly upholstered in a plain blue/black duck fabric. Please see photos and zoom in for details. We attempt to portray any.
Seller Location:
Topeka, KS
Reference Number:
Seller: BEL-SEA-6081stDibs: LU1873332441452

Shop All Edmond J. Spence

Edmond J. Spence

Edmond J. Spence played an important role in promoting the tenets of Scandinavian modernism in the United States but his name remains conspicuously omitted from the history books. He was an American furniture designer who is known for having introduced the West to unfamiliar cultural tastes and translating their subtleties to appeal to mid-century-era consumers.

Spence honed his eye for good craftsmanship as a young man. His family owned a furniture manufacturing company based in Batavia, New York. While not much has been reported about his schooling, it was not long before he started designing his own nightstands, end tables, chairs and more — all of which exhibited the appealing traits associated with mid-century modern furniture. Spence experimented with form and ornament owing to inspiration he gathered from international influences.

During the 1950s, Spence drew on Asian and Swedish influences in developing ideas for his own style of modern furniture. He incorporated aspects of Mexican design to create the Continental-American collection. Manufactured in 1953 by Industria Mueblera, this collection of sculptural wooden furnishings with brass details epitomizes Spence’s ability to draw attention to the most integral parts of global design while adding his own modern spin. The designer’s Coronation Group — a series of dressers, cabinets and more in blonde woods that featured decorative birch veneers — was built by artisans in Sweden and imported for sale to postwar homeowners in the United States by Massachusetts furniture company Walpole.

Spence’s “Peineta” chair — a work of mahogany, plywood and woven palm that is demonstrative of Spanish Colonial influences and is part of the Continental-American line — has long been on display in the Los Angeles County Museum of Art while other works are held in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Modern Art. And if Spence hadn’t captured the hearts of Americans by way of Industria Mueblera showrooms and alluring ads in Interiors magazine, some of his furniture was used as set decoration for the widely loved sitcom I Love Lucy.

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