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| John Kapel |
After working for George Nelson for two years, Kapel moved to California. He had no tools of his own, so his friend and fellow craftsman Sam Maloof took him to an auction, where he bought a lot of five work benches from a school. Within a month, he had sold four of them and had enough money to start a business making furniture.
Unlike many of his contemporaries, Kapel both created one-of-a-kind studio pieces in his workshop and also designed for furniture companies. From his years with George Nelson & Associates, he had seen Nelson earn royalties off his popular designs. That sounded attractive to Kapel, who explained his decision by saying, "My fellow craftsmen...thought I was a sell-out. I didn't care. I wanted a nice house and designing for a manufacturer allowed me to do that."
So Kapel made some prototypes, loaded them in his station wagon and began working for Glenn of California and Brown Saltman, while continuing to create one-offs in his studio.
While Kapel insists he's not famous, his work is nevertheless exhibited at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art and fetches impressive prices in upscale vintage stores today.
From C California Style magazine, October 2010
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| Walnut chest 1stdibs.com |
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| Night stands 1stdibs.com |
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| Gentleman's chest 1stdibs.com |
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| Bench reformgallery.1stdibs.com |
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| Credenza 1stdibs.com |
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| Lounge chairs 1stdibs.com |
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| Walnut and leather chair lacma.org |
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| Low chair lacma.org |
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| Desk chair lacma.org |
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| Workspace in Kapel's home with double pedestal desk and three-legged chair latimes.com |
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| Kapel's workshop lesliewilliamson.com |
John Kapel: California Design
youtube.com
Uploaded by lacmavideo on Dec. 20, 2011
Oh, what a great designer! I love the simplicity and clean lines. His home looks amazing too! Thanks for this feature, Dana:-)
ReplyDeleteIt would be wonderful to be so creative and to be able to live surrounded by beautiful things you had made with your own hands.
DeleteDana, Loved this history. Always wonderful to hear how people become famous when starting so small. Love, love that leather chair!
ReplyDeletehugs,
Jann
I admire the fact that he was so up front about what some of his peers considered selling out. He knew he wanted a nice home for his family, and he provided that. I know some artists and craftsmen think it should be "all about the art," but I tend to think that taking care of your family is a worthy endeavor too.
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