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Monday, July 1, 2013

Johnson Furniture Company

Johnson Furniture Company was founded in 1908 by three brothers...Carl, Hjalmar and Axel Johnson...who had immigrated to the United States from Sweden.  Before coming here, Carl had received a medal for his cabinetmaking skills from the king of Sweden. Tom Handley, who got his start at the prestigious London company of Waring and Gillow, became their in-house designer in 1908 and joined them as an officer in 1922. Handley established the company as a major producer of high-quality period revival residential furniture.

Upon Handley's death in 1926, David Robertson Smith took over as designer. Smith had worked for the famous Stickley Brothers Furniture Company, producing Arts and Crafts lines. In 1928 he led Johnson Furniture Company into the production of Art Deco and modern pieces. The company would later claim that they produced the first complete line of modern furniture in the United States.

Lorenzo (Renzo) Rutili was made head designer in 1933 and served in that capacity into the 1960s. He personally designed groups of modern furniture for the company, and he oversaw the contracted design of such famous modernists as Paul Frankl, Eliel Saarinen, Eva Lisa (Pipsan) Saarinen Swanson and J. Robert F. Swanson.
Under Rutili,, Johnson introduced a modular system for the home known as Flexible Home Arrangement (FHA), which was designed in 1939 by Saarinen and the two Swansons of the Cranbrook Institute. In the early 1950s Johnson produced several lines by Paul Frankl, such as the Contemporary line, made from pearwood with bleached cork countertops aand chairs with "plunging necklines," cutout backs that resembled the women's fashions of the day. Also in the 1950s, lines such as Country Directoire, Mediterranean and Riviera were designed by John Wisner.

In 1963 the last member of the Johnson family retired and sold the company to a group of investors under the leadership of James Van Oosten. Johnson Furniture was owned by Holiday Inns, Inc., between 1968 and 1975 and then returned to the ownership of Van Oosten. In 1983 the company merged with Rose Manufacturing Company to become RoseJohnson, Inc.

The company used a logo consisting of three teardrops spiraling around a common center, a sort of three-part yin and yang. This symbol commonly appears as a metal tag inside the right-hand drawer of case pieces, or on a paper label affixed to the back of a case piece or under the seat of a chair. Some paper labels between 1908 and circa 1930 also include a box with the printed signature “T.S. Handley”. In the 1960s the company name was printed in uppercase serif letters, with a crown resting on the “J”. During the late 1960s and early 1970s the trademark was a bold “J” over a small red dot.

From historygrandrapids.org


Cork and mahogany table with Plunging Neckline chairs by Paul Frankl
1stdibs.com

Paul Frankl lacquered cork coffee table
liveauctioneers.com

Chest by Eliel Saarinen and Pipsan Saarinen Swanson
treadwaygallery.com

White enamel chest by Eliel Saarinen and Pipsan Saarinen Swanson
1stdibs.com

Eliel Saarinen desk
pinterest.com

Renzo Rutili dining table
1stdibs.com

Renzo Rutili cabinet
1stdibs.com

Renzo Rutili cabinet
1stdibs

Johnson Furniture Company marks
historygrandrapids.org

17 comments:

  1. oh my goodness....that 2nd last cabinet!....I have the perfect spot for it! x

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    1. Isn't that gorgeous? I wish I had a spot for something like that.

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  2. Replies
    1. If you like the Rutili, stay tuned tomorrow for the pieces we just got at the shop.

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  3. Interesting to read about this company. The use of cork like that back then is just wild. Very cool. xx

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    1. I thought the cork was very cool too. I never would have thought it would hold up that well after so long.

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  4. Love the Plunging Neckline chairs Dana.

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    1. I think those are really cool too. I'd never seen them before I researched this piece.

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  5. The US Dept. of Transportation is now using the 3 teardrop symbol.

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    1. I wonder why. That seems an odd sort of logo for the DOT.

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  6. I think it stands for air, land and sea.

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    1. That's even weirder, since they look like drops of sea, sea and sea. I'm sure a lot of thought went into their branding process, but I can't seem to get on their wavelength. Of course, how that logo was pertinent to Johnson Furniture Company escapes me too.

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  7. I found a lot of interesting information in your blog. From the volume of comments on your posts, I guess I am not the only one! keep up the good work.

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    1. I really try to make my blog informative as well as entertaining. I'm glad you find it helpful!

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  8. Hello , my nam is Eric, I was wondering if you have any suggestion as to where I could find out the value of my JHJ antique drop front secretary desk ? Or if anyone would know where to find there old catalogs online? Pretty neat looking thru this company's history! I love history and old furniture and currency! Thanks

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    1. I would suggest contacting a local antique dealer, since JHJ looks to have been the company name in the 1920s.

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  9. Hi, I recently acquired a Frankl cork top dining table. The cork will need restoration. In your opinion is it best to restore this back to the white lacquered finish that is original, or in today's world would it be best to go for the natural cork finish? I intend to sell the table when finished. Any info is much appreciated! Great blog btw :)
    Josh

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