Plus: We get a terrific history lesson
in classic midcentury Brown Jordan patio furniture
Here’s a delightful reminder that it’s really spring: Celebrating 70 years of iconic design, Brown Jordan last fall reissued two of its popular midcentury patio furniture styles — Tamiami and Kantan. The collections of chairs, tables and loungers come in twelve vividly happy colors: Red, Orange, Yellow, Bright Green, Dark Green, Bright Blue, Marine, Hot Pink, White Lite, Coffee, Mica and Night. Plus it gets better — both chair styles can be customized by mixing and matching aluminum frame and vinyl strap colors to create a whole new rainbow of options. Sounds like fun to me!
From the press release when the collection was issued in September:
BROWN JORDAN CELEBRATES 70 YEARS OF ICONIC DESIGN
Industry leader commemorates Platinum Anniversary with limited editions that exemplify a legacy of timeless design and innovation
Brown Jordan, the distinguished legacy brand, celebrates 70 years of pioneering design in the luxury casual furniture market. Established in 1945 by Robert Brown and Hubert Jordan in Pasadena, California, the company’s founders had a singular vision—to develop original designs that would set the standard for quality, craftsmanship and design. Ultimately, Brown and Jordan would create a new furniture category and beget the new outdoor furniture industry.
An industrial designer by profession, Robert Brown manufactured and sold high-end custom furniture to interior designers and architects in the Los Angeles area. Inspired by the success of Brown’s designs, the two partners decided to offer the “Morning Glory” collection to Bullock’s Wilshire, a legendary department store frequented by the wellheeled residents of Hollywood and Beverly Hills. Bullock’s ordered the Morning Glory breakfast set and ran a weekend newspaper ad to advertise its new product. On Saturday morning, the line outside Bullock’s stretched around the block and by end of day, Brown Jordan’s graceful wrought-iron breakfast set had sold out.
Although still a fledgling enterprise, Brown Jordan’s success at Bullock’s created a circle of devotees and stimulated new creativity and invention. In 1948, Brown Jordan introduced “Leisure,” a collection constructed of lightweight tubular aluminum and vinyl lace and meant expressly for full-time outdoor use. The collection marked the birth of true outdoor furniture. Designed for comfort and practicality, Leisure was offered in cheerful Jonquil and Parrot Green—colors that matched the relaxed California lifestyle.
“Brown Jordan’s origin in Pasadena is fundamental to its identity,” said Stephen F. Elton, Chief Brand Officer for Brown Jordan. “The mid-century years in Los Angeles were a period of extraordinary creativity nurturing designers and architects like Charles Eames, Richard Neutra and John Lautner, while a mild climate allowed people to redefine concepts of architecture and lifestyle. Entertaining on the patio or lounging by the pool became a way of life. And Brown Jordan became synonymous with outdoor furniture of timeless design and enduring quality.”
The Walter Lamb Bronze collection is among the early and notable Brown Jordan collections still in production today. Introduced in the 1940s and made using cotton cording and copper pipe salvaged from naval ships that had sunk in Pearl Harbor, the Bronze collection was popular through the 1960s and reintroduced in 2008, with a brass frame and UV-resistant nylon cording. It remains one of Brown Jordan’s most admired collections, and to this day it is highly sought after by collectors and design enthusiasts.
The introduction and popularity of Tamiami, designed in the 1950’s by Hall Bradley, extended Brown Jordan’s presence well beyond California and soon the company’s “sun fashions” graced gardens and patios on the East Coast and across the U.S.
The iconic Tamiami chair, distinguished by its striking structural beauty, was fashioned with an aluminum frame and vinyl straps laced in a diagonal pattern. Originally offered in two colors, demand for the collection inspired a palette of 11 “fashion colors du jour,” a precedent for Brown Jordan’s trend-setting use of color.
Similarly, Brown Jordan introduced the Kantan Lounge Chair, created by Tadao E. Inouye in 1956. Kantan was chosen by the Department of Commerce to be a part of the U.S. exhibit at the 1959 Industrial Worlds Fair held in Tokyo and in 1968, was incorporated into the “Please Be Seated” show sponsored by the Cooper-Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum.
In 2013, Brown Jordan re-introduced the Kantan Lounge Chair, an elegant update of the classic mid-century design, executed in natural brass paired with Suncloth straps. Kantan was warmly received by the design community and has won several awards, including an IFCA Design Excellence Award. Both Tamiami and Kantan have remained in production for over half a century and collections from every decade have proven to be truly timeless, including Sol y Luna, adapted from Dan Johnson’s 1954 Gazelle Collection by renowned designer John Caldwell. Calcutta II updates Hall Bradley’s original 1967 design and Venetian, designed by Richard Frinier and introduced in 1987, remains a popular Neo-Classical collection. Quantum, Fusion, Wave and Elements, also designed by Richard Frinier for Brown Jordan, have remained in continuous production since being introduced.
To commemorate its 70th “Platinum” Anniversary, Brown Jordan has created timelimited editions of the Kantan and Tamiami Lounge Chair. Producing just 70 pieces, these luxurious special editions of Kantan and Tamiami feature a glowing Platinum finish and straps crafted of supple, top grain leather in a rich shade of brown.
Paying tribute to the colorful 1948 Leisure collection, Kantan and Tamiami will also be available in a paint box of twelve new frame and strap colors to mix and match. Featuring powder coated aluminum frames and vinyl straps, the classic lounge chairs are offered in a selection of neutral and bold hues: White Lite, Night, Coffee, Mica, Red, Orange, Hot Pink, Yellow, Green, Blue, Marine, and Forest Green. “The fact that award-winning designs from every decade remain in production is testament to the timelessness that is a hallmark of the Brown Jordan brand,” adds Stephen Elton. “Today, our portfolio comprises 30 diverse collections, many of which are installed in notable environments, including the White House, the gardens of the Smithsonian Institution and The National Arboretum in Washington, D.C.; the historic New York Athletic Club and top-tier hotels, including Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts around the world.”
Wow! What a wonderful news release — we LOVE getting all this history of Brown Jordan — and we love the gorgeous, classic patio furniture! Thank you, Brown Jordan, for all your help with this story!
Design your own colorful Tamiami chair on the Brown Jordan website
Shop the Kantan collection
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