Pair of Modern Birch Chests Designed by Eliel Saarinen
View Similar Items
Pair of Modern Birch Chests Designed by Eliel Saarinen
About the Item
- Creator:Johnson Furniture Co. (Manufacturer),Eliel Saarinen (Designer)
- Dimensions:Height: 30 in (76.2 cm)Width: 36 in (91.44 cm)Depth: 21 in (53.34 cm)
- Sold As:Set of 2
- Style:Mid-Century Modern (Of the Period)
- Materials and Techniques:
- Place of Origin:
- Period:
- Date of Manufacture:1940s
- Condition:Wear consistent with age and use. Very good condition. These pieces are currently being refinished and can be completed in your choice of color. The price noted INCLUDES refinishing.
- Seller Location:Atlanta, GA
- Reference Number:1stDibs: LU87185371723
Johnson Furniture Co.
Take a medal from the King of Sweden, a splash of the roaring twenties, and a series of talented designers and you get Johnson Furniture Co.’s elegant Art Deco and period-revival furnishings as well as a taste for why the Johnson name prevailed for over a century in American furniture manufacturing.
A wealth of forests rendered Grand Rapids, Michigan, a logging center during the 1800s. It eventually gained recognition for its furniture industry. The city became a destination for woodworkers who hailed from all over the United States as well as Europe, and Johnson Furniture Co. cofounder Carl Johnson, who had been recognized for cabinetmaking by the head of the royal family in his native Sweden, brought his royally acknowledged talents to America with his two brothers, Hjalmar and Axel in 1887. Together, they established Cabinetmakers Co. in Grand Rapids. In 1908, the brothers sold their start-up and founded Johnson Furniture Co.
Tom Handley, of the well-respected English furniture company Waring and Gillow, became an in-house designer with Johnson Furniture Co. in its early days. Handley would stay on as part of both the Johnson label and of Johnson-Handley-Johnson — a companion company that spun off from Johnson in 1922 — until his death in 1926. At the time, archaeological discoveries were all the rage. The greatest influence on Art Deco jewelry, for example, was the excavation of the tomb of King Tut in 1922, and some vintage Tom Handley designs were adaptations of Egyptian furniture. The brand specialized in a range of styles that included Art Deco, Chippendale, Queen Anne and more.
Acclaimed designer David Robertson Smith, who had made furniture in the Arts and Crafts style for the likes of Gustav Stickley, carried the Johnson Furniture Co. creative team into the early 1930s. Grand Rapids had by then become a thriving hub with respect to the mass production of furniture, and Smith’s sophisticated Dynamique line — a collection of coffee tables, cabinets and more in alluring woods such as walnut and mahogany and based on French furniture — was among the first mass-produced modern furniture made in America.
Johnson hired Lorenzo Rutili, a Carnegie Institute graduate who studied design in Europe, to lead the brand’s design division. Rutili oversaw 30 years of successful Johnson Furniture Co. collaborations with other notable designers including Paul Frankl, Eliel Saarinen, Bert England, J. Robert F. Swanson and Pipsam Saarinen Swanson. After wrapping up his tenure at Johnson, Rutili moved on to design furniture at Tomlinson in North Carolina.
During the 1960s, Kipp Stewart and Milo Baughman designed residential furnishings for Directional — a favorite of mid-century modern furniture enthusiasts — and Johnson produced these pieces, becoming the sole manufacturer for the North Carolina brand.
After a merger with Timberline Inc., Johnson Furniture Co. secured contracts for hotels, motels and university dormitories. In 1983, Johnson and Rose Manufacturing became RoseJohnson Inc. It was later purchased by La-Z-Boy.
On 1stDibs, find a collection of vintage Johnson Furniture Co. case pieces and storage cabinets, tables and other furniture.
- Elegant Modern Chest Designed by T.H. Robsjohn-GibbingsBy T.H. Robsjohn-GibbingsLocated in Atlanta, GAElegant Modern Chest designed by T.H. Robsjohn Gibbings for Widdicomb, American, circa 1950's. It has been refinished in a deep brown lacquer and the silver plated metal handles have...Category
Vintage 1950s American Mid-Century Modern Commodes and Chests of Drawers
MaterialsMetal
$2,800 Sale Price26% Off - Selection of Danish Modern Walnut Chests or DressersLocated in Atlanta, GASelection of Danish Modern Walnut Chests or Dressers, Denmark, circa 1960s. Imported by John Stuart of NYC. John Stuart imported Danish designs by Finn Juhl. Arne Vodder, Hans Wegner...Category
Vintage 1960s Danish Mid-Century Modern Commodes and Chests of Drawers
MaterialsWood, Walnut
$3,800 / item - Danish Modern Style Chest or Dresser by G Plan, circa 1960sBy G Plan FurnitureLocated in Atlanta, GADanish Modern style chest or dresser, made by G Plan Furniture, England, circa 1960s. While located in England, G Plan's designs were clearly influenced by Danish Modern design of th...Category
Vintage 1960s English Mid-Century Modern Commodes and Chests of Drawers
MaterialsMetal, Brass
- Mid-Century Chest by Salvatore BevelacquaBy Salvatore BevelacquaLocated in Atlanta, GAMid-Century chest by Salvatore Bevelacqua, American, circa 1950s.Category
Vintage 1950s American Mid-Century Modern Commodes and Chests of Drawers
MaterialsBrass
$3,500 Sale Price22% Off - T.H. Robsjohn Gibbings Chest or Dresser Pair AvailableBy Widdicomb Furniture Co., T.H. Robsjohn-GibbingsLocated in Atlanta, GAElegant Modern chest or dresser, designed by T.H. Robsjohn Gibbings for Widdicomb, American, circa 1950s. This chest is currently being refinished and can be completed in your choice...Category
Vintage 1950s American Mid-Century Modern Commodes and Chests of Drawers
MaterialsMetal
$2,800 / item - Selection of Distressed Ivory Color Chests by Baker Milling RoadBy Baker Furniture CompanyLocated in Atlanta, GASelection of Distressed Ivory Color Chests, designed for The Milling Road Collection for Baker, American, circa 1980s. They are priced at $2600 each o...Category
Vintage 1980s American Hollywood Regency Commodes and Chests of Drawers
MaterialsMetal
- Eliel Saarinen Designed Tall Dresser by the Johnson Furniture Co.By Johnson Furniture Co., Eliel SaarinenLocated in Palm Springs, CAChest of drawers designed by Eliel Saarinen for the Johnson Furniture Company in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Its design was part of the Flexible Home Arrangements (FHA) furniture colle...Category
Vintage 1940s American Mid-Century Modern Dressers
MaterialsAluminum
- Eliel Saarinen, Dresser, Mahogany, Birch, USA, 1940sBy Eliel SaarinenLocated in High Point, NCA mahogany and birch chest of drawers designed by Eliel Saarinen and produced by Rway, USA, 1940s.Category
Vintage 1940s American Mid-Century Modern Dressers
MaterialsBirch, Mahogany
- Eliel Saarinen for Johnson 1940s Chests of DrawersBy Eliel Saarinen, Johnson Furniture CompanyLocated in Phoenix, AZEliel Saarinen for Johnson Furniture Company chests of drawers circa 1948. These seldom seen examples have sculptural S-shaped legs, formed aluminum handles and beautifully grained b...Category
Vintage 1940s American Mid-Century Modern Dressers
MaterialsAluminum
$5,800 / item - 1939 Eliel Saarinen & Pipsan Saarinen Swanson Johnson Four Drawer DresserBy Johnson Furniture Co., Eliel SaarinenLocated in Philadelphia, PAListed for sale is a gorgeous and beautifully restored Eliel Saarinen, J. Robert Swanson, and Pipsan Saarinen Swanson 4-drawer dresser, produced by Johnson Furniture Co. circa 1939. ...Category
Vintage 1930s American Modern Dressers
MaterialsMetal
- Eliel Saarinen faux Alligator ChestBy Eliel SaarinenLocated in West Palm Beach, FLEliel Saarinen chest of drawers with painted faux alligator finish.
Mahogany and brass on the handles
Can be used as a nightstandCategory20th Century American Commodes and Chests of Drawers
MaterialsMahogany
- Eliel Saarinen Dresser in Birch for Johnson, USA - 1950sBy Eliel Saarinen, Johnson Furniture CompanyLocated in Berlin, DEEliel Saarinen Dresser for Johnson Furniture in Birch, USA - 1960s. Labeled and in Good Condition.Category
Vintage 1950s American Mid-Century Modern Dressers
MaterialsBirch