Glenn of California Tall Chest 1950s

The ultimate multi-hyphenate, Kipp Stewart (b. 1928) counted painting, photography, architecture and furniture design among his talents. Known to furniture obsessives for the Declaration series he codesigned for North Carolina’s Drexel Furniture, Stewart was actually born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, in 1928 and is most commonly associated with mid-century design movements of his adopted home state of California. There, in 1972, Stewart designed the Ventana Big Sur, a luxury resort near Montecito for which he oversaw architecture, planning, furniture and interior design across 160 acres of land.

By the time Stewart spearheaded the Ventana, he was already well versed in furniture design. After briefly serving in the U.S. Navy as a teenager, Stewart enrolled at the Chouinard Art Institute (present-day CalArts) in Los Angeles. By the time he graduated, he was steeped in the world of modern seating design, experimenting with new chair models that bridged form and function. Charles and Ray Eames were important influences on his early work, which included a chrome-framed lounge chair whose reclined shape bears a striking resemblance to the Eameses’ iconic lounge.

In the late 1950s, Stewart partnered with another West Coast furniture designer, Stewart MacDougall, on a line of modern furniture for Drexel. (The pair were also producing case pieces and more for Glenn of California.) Drexel soon unveiled Stewart and McDougall’s Declaration line, which was constructed entirely of natural walnut and featured the choice of white porcelain or brass drawer pulls and cabinet door handles. Although its stylish credenzas and other pieces reflect the kind of slim-lined, low-slung silhouettes for which mid-century design has become known, there are also elements that nod to earlier American and European furniture design, such as the dining chairs whose flattened spindle backs recall Shaker and Windsor chair design, distinguishing them from the modern designs becoming prolific in Scandinavia at the time. The pieces were so indicative of a particularly American style, in fact, that several items from the collection were selected by the U.S. government to represent the country at the Brussels World’s Fair in 1958.

While Stewart found success as a painter and with his Ventana hotel project — and had also designed chairs, chests and more for Directional — the Drexel Declaration line is his best-known furniture collection and remains highly sought after by collectors today.

Find a wide range of vintage Kipp Stewart furniture on 1stDibs, including dining room chairs, end tables and more.

Credited for being at the forefront of the West Coast modernist design movement, Glenn of California introduced a relaxed, breezy and elegant style to postwar America. The company was based in Arcadia, California, a city situated near Los Angeles at the base of the San Gabriel Mountains. It specialized in the production of easily accessible and reasonably affordable furnishings that included credenzas, chairs, cabinets, tables and more.

However, it wasn’t until Glenn of California hired the prolific American furniture designer Milo Baughman that the company made a name for itself in the annals of American mid-century modern design. Baughman prioritized function — he worked with simple forms and often used sleek, flat-bar chromed metal and natural materials such as walnut in his pieces.

Glenn of California marketed Baughman’s designs along with those of unsung Swedish architect and designer Greta Magnusson-Grossman in their successful California Modern collection. The first woman to receive an award from the Swedish Society of Industrial Design, Grossman drew on her Scandinavian heritage to create iconic homes as well as furnishings for Glenn and other companies that helped define mid-century-era Southern California. The furniture she and Baughman designed became known for its laid-back Los Angeles style and thoughtful integration of walnut, iron and Formica.

In addition to employing the talents of Baughman and Magnusson-Grossman, Glenn of California collaborated with several other notable and influential designers. These included Stanley Young, Kipp Stewart, John Kapel and Paul Laszlo. Laszlo, an American-Hungarian architect, interior designer and furniture designer, was well-regarded among Hollywood’s elite and designed pieces for Cary Grant, Barbara Stanwyck and Elizabeth Taylor.

While the company is no longer in business, vintage Glenn of California furniture remains highly sought-after by collectors and enthusiasts.

Discover a range of vintage Glenn of California dressers, dining tables, chairs and other furniture on 1stDibs.