Donald Deskey (1894 – 1989) an American Industrial, Furniture and Interior Designer

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Donald Deskey was an American industrial, furniture, and interior designer. He was born in Blue Earth, Minnesota, and later worked mainly in New York. While he lacked the European training of his friend Paul Frankl, he developed a distinctly American modern style. In particular, his work blended streamlined forms with elements of French Art Deco.

Education

Deskey studied architecture at the University of California, Berkeley. He also trained as a painter at the Art Students’ League in New York. In addition, he attended the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. Later, he continued his studies at the École de la Grande Chaumière in Paris.

Biography

Alongside Raymond Loewy, Norman Bel Geddes, and Henry Dreyfuss, Deskey became one of the earliest consultant designers in the United States. In 1920, he began his career as a graphic designer at an advertising agency in Chicago.

Soon after, a visit to the 1925 Paris Exposition Internationale des Arts Décoratifs et Industriels Modernes had a lasting impact on his work. As a result, Art Deco ideas strongly shaped his approach to design.

Early Interior Design Work

By 1926, Deskey was active as an interior designer in New York. His first major commissions included modern display windows for Saks Fifth Avenue and Franklin Simon. At the same time, he produced hand-painted screens for Paul Frankl’s gallery.

In addition, Deskey designed apartment interiors for prominent clients, including Adam Gimbel. Through these projects, he gained recognition for his refined yet modern aesthetic.

Partnerships and Major Commissions

In 1927, Deskey formed a partnership with Phillip Vollmer. Together, they established Deskey-Vollmer, a firm focused on lighting and furnishings. This collaboration continued into the early 1930s.

Later, in 1932–33, the firm won the competition to design the furniture and interiors for Radio City Music Hall. This project became a landmark of American Modernism. Moreover, it featured murals by Witold Gordon, paintings by Stuart Davis, and fabrics by Ruth Reeves.

Materials, Manufacturing, and Later Career

During the late 1920s, Deskey created custom designs for wealthy clients. However, in the 1930s, he increasingly worked with mass manufacturers such as the Widdicomb Furniture Company.

At the same time, his work showed a strong interest in new materials. He experimented with aluminium, cork, linoleum, and bakelite. Consequently, his furniture developed a bold and distinctive look.

Beyond furniture, Deskey designed interiors, lighting, exhibitions, products, and packaging. In the late 1920s, he also invented Weldtex, a stained-wood laminate. He remained active in industrial design until 1970.

Even today, his influence continues. For example, a lighting fixture he designed is still produced by Écart International. 

Exhibitions

His work appeared, alongside designers such as Walter von Nessen and Paul Frankl, in the 1929 exhibition Modern American Design in Metal at the Newark Museum.

In 1935, a dining room he designed was installed in the exhibition Contemporary American Industrial Art at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York.

Collections in Museums

Donald Deskey’s work is represented in several major museum collections in the United States, confirming his importance in twentieth-century American industrial and interior design. His designs can be viewed through the following institutional collections:

• The Metropolitan Museum of Art (New York)
  https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search?q=donald+deskey
• Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum (New York)
  https://www.cooperhewitt.org/tag/donald-deskey/
• Smithsonian Institution – Cooper Hewitt Collection
  https://www.si.edu/object/chndm_1975-11-77
• Art Institute of Chicago
  https://www.artic.edu/artists/6591/donald-deskey
• Museum of Fine Arts, Houston (Design Council Collection)
  https://emuseum.mfah.org/people/18960/donald-deskey/objects?filter=collections%3ADesign%20Council%20Collection

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Market and Reference Platforms

In addition to public museum collections, Donald Deskey’s furniture and design objects regularly appear in the design and auction market. These platforms provide further documentation of his work and its continued relevance:

Invaluable (auction results and price history)
https://www.invaluable.com/artist/deskey-donald-srz1by6iap/sold-at-auction-prices/

Incollect (dealer and gallery listings)
https://www.incollect.com/artists/donald-deskey-furniture

Sources

Byars, M., & Riley, T. (2004). The design encyclopedia. Laurence King Publishing.

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