John Van Koert, Side Table, Walnut, Ceramic, USA, 1950s

John Van Koert was integral to the rise in popularity of Scandinavian modern furniture during the mid-20th century all over the United States. The Canadian-born designer’s spare walnut coffee tables and elegant armchairs, for example — particularly those that he created for North Carolina’s Drexel Furniture — reflected the influence of the era’s alluring Danish design and were prominently featured in the modern interiors of postwar American homes.

Originally from Manitoba, Van Koert moved to Milwaukee, Wisconsin, to attend the University of Wisconsin. There he studied sculpture and trained in metalwork. Van Koert later taught design in the school’s art department. After World War II, Van Koert settled in New York City. He created jewelry for Harry Winston before shifting his focus to flatware and furniture design. 

Van Koert found quick success with his flatware designs for Towle Silversmiths. His Contour set was part of the “Knife, Fork and Spoon” exhibition organized by the Walker Art Center in Minneapolis in the early 1950s. In 1954, he served as design director for the “Design in Scandinavia” exhibition, which toured Canada as well as the United States and featured hundreds of designs created in Finland, Denmark, Norway and Sweden by the likes of Kaj Franck, Ilmari Tapiovaara, Finn Juhl and others.

Van Koert kept busy over the years. Drexel embraced the clean lines of mid-century modernism during the postwar era with the Declaration collection designed by Stewart MacDougall and Kipp Stewart that featured elegant credenzas and more made in walnut, and the Profile, Casa Del Sol and Projection collections designed with sculptural shapes by Van Koert.

In the early 1960s, Van Koert created a contemporary line for Richardson-Nemschoff, a furniture manufacturer based in the designer’s former stomping grounds of Wisconsin. During the early 1970s, he partnered with Sarreid Ltd., a brand that got its start sourcing materials from Spain and Italy and bringing the exceptional talents of European wood carvers, sculptors and painters to the forefront of American home decor.

On 1stDibs, find vintage John Van Koert seating, tables and storage pieces.

Established in Indiana, Marshall Studios produced an eclectic array of home furnishings, textiles and even technology. In the early years, the company’s main emphasis, however, remained on lighting fixtures — primarily handcrafted, eye-catching table lamps.

Jessie Talbott Marshall set up Marshall Studios in Indianapolis, in 1922, producing hand-painted parchment lampshades. Her son Nicholas joined the company a few years later, and began production of hand-turned wooden lamp bases. After Marshall's passing in 1932, Nicholas took over company operations. At the start of the Second World War, the company moved to Veedersburg, Indiana. Though the Marshall Studios continued to produce lamps and shades, the company also created a film densitometer, selling several units under a military contract.

In 1951, Nicholas's daughter Jane Marshall Martz and her husband Gordon Martz moved to Veedersburg and joined the company. Gordon and Jane, both graduates of New York State College of Ceramics at Alfred University, reshaped the face of Marshall Studios. Their vintage mid-century modern designs for table lamps, floor lamps, chandeliers and pendants became immediately popular with new homeowners of the era. Under the couple’s leadership, the company enjoyed its greatest success. The Marshall Studios M101 lamp was featured in the Museum of Modern Art’s “Good Design” exhibit in 1953, which also featured the work of other mid-century luminaries such as Jens Risom, Paul McCobb, George Nelson and more. 

For approximately the next 40 years, Marshall Studios created hundreds of unique lamp bases, lamp shades and many other decorative objects. In 1989, Jane and Gordon sold their stake in the company and retired to Fayetteville, Arkansas. 

Find vintage Marshall Studio lighting, tables and decorative objects on 1stDibs.