Baker Furniture
The iconic American furniture factory Baker Furniture was founded in 1890 and is celebrating its 130th anniversary in 2020.
Baker was founded by a Dutchman, Seb Baker, and a Dane, Henry Cook. The humble company was originally called Cook, Baker & Co. Sieb and Henry started the business by producing window frames and doors. The partners were quite successful for the first three years. But the monotonous work did not bring them happiness until they produced a carved oak desk, which immediately became a bestseller. The partners decided not to rest on their laurels and concentrated on making handmade furniture.
In 1903, the company was renamed Baker & Co. and in 1910 Baker became a family business with his son Seab Hollis joining his father at the end of university, at first working as a salesman. In 1925, after his father's death, he became president of the company. Hollis wanted to take his company to the next level, and in the 1930s he commissioned European cabinetmakers to teach American workers the secrets of Old World furniture making. At the same time, he began a close collaboration with leading industrial designers (Joseph Urban, Kem Weber, Donald Deskey and others).
American chic - European tradition
Baker cherishes the age-old traditions of European cabinetmakers, and alongside the achievements of modernist designers, these have formed the DNA of the brand.
Hollis Baker loved antiques and had a large collection of furniture which formed the basis of the company's own museum.
Baker's early pieces bore the mark of Art Nouveau, the mainstream style at the turn of the century. In the Roaring Twenties, Art Deco reigned supreme in the United States. Since 1923 the brand began producing replicas of furniture from the Metropolitan Museum of Art, as well as copies of antique pieces of American, English and French furniture of the XVIII century.
And 1925 was marked by the first collaboration with a designer - the first was Donald Deskey. Among the most prominent designer pieces produced in the twentieth century are those by the legendary Dane Finn Juhl and the British T.H. Robsjohn-Gibbings.
All of these models are still being produced as part of the core Baker collection and remain extremely sought after by true connoisseurs of furniture craftsmanship. This is a true timeless classic, something that Americans like to call the word timeless.
Buying Baker furniture is a good investment: you will receive a unique, subtle, sophisticated interior for all time. With the proper care, it will last for decades and will never fail to delight your children and grandchildren.
Baker today
All of Baker's furniture is handmade from solid Canadian maple, mahogany, cherry, oak, ash and other precious woods. Machines are used exclusively to create the blanks.
The brand is justly proud of the meticulous craftsmanship of its craftsmen: wood carving, veneer inlaying (intarsia, marquetry), chinoiserie painting and patination. A large selection of finishes is available for each piece.
Baker Furniture's main production is in North Carolina, a state where the leading American furniture and décor manufacturers have historically concentrated. Murano glass fixtures and furniture fittings are created specifically for Baker by workshops and small factories in Italy.
For many years the company has been working with the leading designers of our time. Baker's portfolio includes only star names - Barbara Barry, Thomas Pheasant, Jean-Louis Deniot, Jacques Garcia, Laura Kirar, Bill Sofield and other distinguished individuals.
They are all different, but they have one thing in common - an impeccable sense of style. The beautiful collections of furniture and accessories designed especially for Baker reflect the "modest charm of the bourgeoisie". Baker carries timeless values and yet remains the epitome of discreet intellectual luxury; no wonder the brand is adored by Hollywood stars. Twice in recent history it has had the honour of decorating the Green Room for the Academy Awards - in 2011 and 2013. In 2015, the White House Dining Room, the official residence of the US president, was furnished with the company's furniture. In addition, for three years in a row, Baker furniture has graced the VIP area at Mercedes Benz Fashion Weeks.
Baker Originals collection
The company's own line of cabinet and upholstered furniture Baker Originals was created to please clients, who flooded the company with requests to change the parameters of their furniture. It was conceived in a way that strikes a compromise between design and comfort. The shapes of the pieces in this range change over time in line with current trends.
Baker Originals' modern collection is influenced by mid-century modernism. The emphasis in mid-century is on comfort and functionality. Furniture in this style is characterized by soft curved volumes, laconicism, predominantly covered with velour or leather and thin wooden or metal legs. Light and pastel shades come to the fore, decorative excesses are kept to a minimum and corners are smoothed out.
This is an intelligent and intelligent design with nothing flagrant, which does not urge you on, but invites you to relax and unwind: you are at home! ⠀
The Stately Homes programme
Baker's Stately Homes collection was launched in 1980 by the English baronet Sir Humphrey Wakefield, a major specialist in antiques.
A regular consultant to Baker, he collected furniture masterpieces from castles, palaces and museums around the world. Within the Stately Homes collection, exact replicas of the rarest and most valuable pieces are created. ⠀
Replicas of masterpieces, once used to decorate the homes of aristocrats, fit into contemporary interiors with amazing ease. At least 50 pieces are created for each piece, in some cases as many as a hundred. This furniture is not only something to be proud of, but can also be safely used every day.
