Jonathan Adler, who began his career making pottery in Rhode Island, has gone on to become one of America’s most talented and inventive purveyors of hip, colorful housewares. His cheerful designs encompass a wide range of home products and accessories from bold-hued rugs, wallpapers, and bed and bath linens to funky, retro-inspired collections of lamps, ceramics, pillows, and other decorative objects. Recently he debuted Bespoke Oak, a collection of chic, artisan-crafted furniture made from the ever-popular hardwood. Here are three of my favorite pieces.

Voltaire Lounge Chair

Featuring a solid turned oak frame and outfitted with super-comfortable back and seat cushions covered with oatmeal bouclé, the Voltaire lounge chair takes an all-American classic—the Windsor chair—and blends it with elements from French fifties furniture, Italian midcentury-modern design, and timeless Scandinavian cool. The result is a jaunty yet elegant piece that would look at home in a variety of settings. Wire-brushing exposes the natural wood grain, which is further accentuated with a limed satin-matte finish.

Brussels Dining Table

The Brussels dining table is an upbeat  take on another classic: the circular table, perfect for intimate meals, that expands lengthwise to accommodate a banquet for up to 10 people. The cylindrical base—a hefty pedestal encircled by bands of beading and brass—splits to allow the insertion of up to two extra leaves in the tabletop. The blond good looks of the wire-brushed limed-oak table emphasize its roots in Hollywood Regency, the glamorous style of interior decoration favored by movie stars in Tinseltown’s golden age.

Brussels Buffet

Hollywood Regency style also pervades the Brussels buffet, a simple yet commanding piece with turned oak handles and plush velvet-lined drawers perched on a delightfully sinuous brushed-brass base. Despite its generous proportions—68.5 inches wide by 20 inches deep by 36 inches high—thanks to the wire-brushed limed satin-matte finish, the handsome form has something of the lightness and grace we associate with Scandinavian furniture. And with two interior silverware drawers and two adjustable interior shelves, it’s as practical  as it is aesthetically pleasing.

Jonathan Adler
jonathanadler.com