Baker Furniture Company Desks and Writing Tables
Within a few decades of its launch, Baker Furniture Company evolved into one of the largest and most important furniture manufacturers in the United States, and became known for its high-quality production standards.
Siebe Baker and business partner Henry Cook founded the original iteration of Baker Furniture Company in 1890 in Allegan, Michigan, after immigrating to the United States from the Netherlands. Allegan is a small town west of Grand Rapids, which, at that time was home to Widdicomb Furniture Co. and more and was known as America’s furniture capital. The company manufactured doors and interior moldings, and introduced a combination desk and bookcase in 1893. In the early 1900s, Siebe became sole owner of the business.
Collaborations with many leading designers and artists of the time has made vintage Baker furniture one of the most consistently sought after heritage brands today. Among others, stage designer Joseph Urban and modernist designer Kem Weber contributed designs in the 1920s. In 1932, under the leadership of Siebe’s son, Hollis, who started at the company as a salesman but took the reins when his father passed in 1925, Baker Furniture introduced bedroom pieces and debuted its Manor House collection, which made reproductions of European furnishings available to the American market. (Hollis was an avid traveler and procured antiques overseas for the company to reproduce in the United States.) Soon, Baker Furniture Company moved to Holland, Michigan, and eventually opened showrooms in Grand Rapids and elsewhere.
Pioneering Scandinavian designer Finn Juhl created a Danish modern line for Baker in 1951, and the company produced his award-winning Chieftain chair for a short time. In the late 1950s, Baker introduced the Milling Road label to reach a younger audience with stylish but less costly furnishings like console tables, walnut dining chairs and more, and in 1961, British furniture designer T.H. Robsjohn-Gibbings introduced a modern neoclassical line at Baker.
The 1960s and ’70s saw the introduction of historic reproduction furniture lines such as Woburn Abbey and the Historic Charleston collection, which remain very popular to this day. In 1990, Baker was licensed to produce a furniture line from Colonial Williamsburg. That same year, the Smithsonian Museum introduced Baker’s Chippendale chair into its permanent collection and the Grand Rapids Art Museum dedicated an exhibition to Baker’s 100-year anniversary, a showcase that included 150 pieces of furniture Siebe Baker had collected as part of a larger assortment that had served as inspiration for his designs.
Today, vintage Baker furniture, such as its elegant mahogany nightstands and teak credenzas crafted by Finn Juhl, sees high demand online and elsewhere. The company continues to produce contemporary collections with well-known designers such as Bill Sofield, Barbara Barry and Kara Mann and remains on par with some of the highest quality furniture in the industry.
Browse vintage armchairs, dining tables and more from the vast inventory of Baker Furniture at 1stDibs.
1960s American Campaign Vintage Baker Furniture Company Desks and Writing Tables
Walnut
Late 20th Century Italian Neoclassical Baker Furniture Company Desks and Writing Tables
Brass
1970s American Regency Vintage Baker Furniture Company Desks and Writing Tables
Brass
1960s American Louis XVI Vintage Baker Furniture Company Desks and Writing Tables
Walnut
Mid-20th Century American Baker Furniture Company Desks and Writing Tables
Brass
1990s American Modern Baker Furniture Company Desks and Writing Tables
Mahogany
Late 20th Century American Louis XV Baker Furniture Company Desks and Writing Tables
Brass
Late 20th Century American Chippendale Baker Furniture Company Desks and Writing Tables
Brass
1990s American British Colonial Baker Furniture Company Desks and Writing Tables
Mahogany, Lacquer
1980s American Vintage Baker Furniture Company Desks and Writing Tables
Birdseye Maple, Walnut
Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Baker Furniture Company Desks and Writing Tables
Brass
1980s American Art Deco Vintage Baker Furniture Company Desks and Writing Tables
Leather, Maple, Walnut
20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Baker Furniture Company Desks and Writing Tables
Leather, Hardwood
1980s American Art Deco Vintage Baker Furniture Company Desks and Writing Tables
Leather, Mahogany
2010s American Mid-Century Modern Baker Furniture Company Desks and Writing Tables
Metal
20th Century English Georgian Baker Furniture Company Desks and Writing Tables
Leather, Mahogany
1980s American Art Deco Vintage Baker Furniture Company Desks and Writing Tables
Birdseye Maple, Walnut
Mid-20th Century American Regency Baker Furniture Company Desks and Writing Tables
Brass
1980s American Regency Vintage Baker Furniture Company Desks and Writing Tables
Birdseye Maple
1980s American Art Deco Vintage Baker Furniture Company Desks and Writing Tables
Brass
20th Century American Chinese Chippendale Baker Furniture Company Desks and Writing Tables
Leather, Wood
1980s Italian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Baker Furniture Company Desks and Writing Tables
Hardwood, Leather
1980s American Vintage Baker Furniture Company Desks and Writing Tables
Birdseye Maple, Walnut
1950s American Scandinavian Modern Vintage Baker Furniture Company Desks and Writing Tables
Walnut
1960s American Mid-Century Modern Vintage Baker Furniture Company Desks and Writing Tables
Brass
1840s English Regency Antique Baker Furniture Company Desks and Writing Tables
Brass, Rosewood
1920s Russian Empire Revival Vintage Baker Furniture Company Desks and Writing Tables
Walnut
1930s French Louis XVI Vintage Baker Furniture Company Desks and Writing Tables
Walnut
1920s English Adam Style Vintage Baker Furniture Company Desks and Writing Tables
Mahogany
Early 2000s Unknown Adam Style Baker Furniture Company Desks and Writing Tables
Walnut
Early 2000s Philippine Baker Furniture Company Desks and Writing Tables
Walnut
1940s American Directoire Vintage Baker Furniture Company Desks and Writing Tables
Mahogany
1940s French Directoire Vintage Baker Furniture Company Desks and Writing Tables
Walnut
Early 20th Century French Regency Baker Furniture Company Desks and Writing Tables
Wood
1940s North American Vintage Baker Furniture Company Desks and Writing Tables
Brass, Mahogany
1990s Philippine Regency Revival Baker Furniture Company Desks and Writing Tables
Rosewood
1950s French Louis XVI Vintage Baker Furniture Company Desks and Writing Tables
Leather, Walnut
Late 20th Century Baker Furniture Company Desks and Writing Tables
1960s American Neoclassical Vintage Baker Furniture Company Desks and Writing Tables
Brass
20th Century American Chinoiserie Baker Furniture Company Desks and Writing Tables
Brass
1960s Modern Vintage Baker Furniture Company Desks and Writing Tables
Brass
1960s American Hollywood Regency Vintage Baker Furniture Company Desks and Writing Tables
Burl
1950s Danish Scandinavian Modern Vintage Baker Furniture Company Desks and Writing Tables
Brass
20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Baker Furniture Company Desks and Writing Tables
Leather, Fruitwood
Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Baker Furniture Company Desks and Writing Tables
Mahogany, Burl
1970s Queen Anne Vintage Baker Furniture Company Desks and Writing Tables
Cherry
Late 20th Century American Federal Baker Furniture Company Desks and Writing Tables
Brass
20th Century North American Baker Furniture Company Desks and Writing Tables
Leather, Mahogany
Late 20th Century Chinoiserie Baker Furniture Company Desks and Writing Tables
Hardwood, Lacquer