Pair of 1940s Kittinger Mandarin Greek Key Chests, Regency Modern
View Similar Items
Pair of 1940s Kittinger Mandarin Greek Key Chests, Regency Modern
About the Item
- Creator:Kittinger (Cabinetmaker)
- Similar to:James Mont (Designer)
- Dimensions:Height: 33 in (83.82 cm)Width: 39 in (99.06 cm)Depth: 21 in (53.34 cm)
- Sold As:Set of 2
- Style:Hollywood Regency (Of the Period)
- Materials and Techniques:Wood,Lacquered
- Place of Origin:
- Period:
- Date of Manufacture:1940s
- Condition:Wear consistent with age and use. Retains original finish,, minor veneer loss and staining to top.
- Seller Location:Buffalo, NY
- Reference Number:1stDibs: LU1062416451001
Kittinger
Before it became a legendary American manufacturer of traditional furniture, Kittinger Furniture was a paper company called Thompson, Colie & Company (later to become Colie & Son), after its founders, Oliver and George Colie. The father-son entrepreneurs started a small business in 1866 manufacturing paper products and, subsequently, upholstered furniture in Buffalo, New York. Business for the latter was so successful that in order to keep up with demand, the Colies opened a second factory in 1885 that focused on handcrafted furniture designed in 18th-century styles.
Later, George Colie decided to sell his beloved company to his son-in-law, Irvine J. Kittinger Sr., and his brother, Ralph. They changed the name to the Kittinger Furniture Company in 1913. In 1929, the company’s sales exceeded $1 million, which allowed the brothers to expand far beyond Buffalo, opening showrooms in Chicago, Dallas and other cities across the United States, where they could present their expert reproductions of popular historic furniture styles for the home and office.
In 1937, Kittinger was granted an exclusive license to reproduce antique custom furniture for the Colonial Williamsburg Foundation. The company manufactured Hepplewhite-style chests of drawers, mahogany Chippendale dressers, Asian-influenced mid-century modern marble-top coffee tables of ebonized wood and a variety of other pieces. The brand’s revered Mandarin line, a Hollywood Regency–style collection that debuted in the 1940s, included bedroom furnishings such as lacquered wood vanities, nightstands and more, each featuring prominent Greek key drawer pulls and decorative black trim.
Between the mid-1970s and 1990s, Kittinger Furniture changed hands frequently and even went out of business. In 1996, Raymond Bialkowski, a former master cabinetmaker for the company, and his wife, Karen, purchased the company and, along with some other former Kittinger craftsmen, began creating furniture under its name once again in north Buffalo. Over the years, Kittinger has produced furniture for the White House, including a handcrafted conference table and chairs for the Cabinet Room during President Nixon’s administration and chairs for the Roosevelt Room in 2016.
Today, the award-winning Kittinger Furniture continues to make historical and new custom handcrafted pieces of high quality.
Find a range of Kittinger Furniture on 1stDibs.
More From This Seller
View AllVintage 1940s American Mid-Century Modern Commodes and Chests of Drawers
Wood
Vintage 1940s American Mid-Century Modern Commodes and Chests of Drawers
Wood
Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Night Stands
Wood
Vintage 1950s American Hollywood Regency End Tables
Brass
Mid-20th Century Danish Scandinavian Modern Dressers
Teak
20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Beds and Bed Frames
Wood, Burl
You May Also Like
Vintage 1940s American Mid-Century Modern Night Stands
Wood
Vintage 1940s American Mid-Century Modern Beds and Bed Frames
Wood, Lacquer
Early 2000s American Mid-Century Modern Night Stands
Wood, Giltwood
Mid-20th Century American Hollywood Regency Night Stands
Wood
Vintage 1940s American Mid-Century Modern Night Stands
Wood
Vintage 1970s American Mid-Century Modern Dressers
Rattan, Laminate
