Bradley: A Heritage Reimagined for Today

In post-war America of the 1950s, a new interior design language was emerging, shaped in part by the furniture company Selig. Founded in 1931 by Mendell Selig and Samuel Wexler in Gardner, Massachusetts, the company specialised in producing high-quality furniture in Denmark and other Scandinavian countries.

Its collections embodied the spirit of post-war Danish design: defined by clean lines, elegant proportions and visual lightness that came to symbolise a new aesthetic.

One of Selig’s most significant partnerships was with American designer Dan Johnson (1918–1979). While many California designers of the time were focused on the future, experimenting with biomorphic and parabolic forms, Johnson looked to the past for inspiration.

Roman antiquity played a key role in his work. Johnson described his approach as “applying modern thinking to ancient Roman objects.” From this dialogue between eras emerged designs where functionality met sculptural expression — among them, the Viscount chair.

The chair’s identity was defined by its striking curved form. A single brass element shaped both the backrest and the flowing armrests, which connected seamlessly to tapered beechwood legs finished in a walnut tone. The design was completed with original cream-coloured Naugahyde upholstery — a material characteristic of the period.

The chair’s success quickly led to confusion around its authorship. In the 1956 book “Modern Furniture for the Home”, the model was mistakenly attributed to Danish designer Ib Kofod-Larsen. The matter was later clarified by Selig itself, which published a catalogue in the late 1950s clearly crediting Dan Johnson as the designer of the Viscount chair.

An equally notable episode involved the American company Kodawood, which achieved remarkable commercial success by producing 125,000 replicas of the Viscount — a clear indication of the design’s magnetic appeal.

These events serve as strong evidence of the power of Johnson’s original concept. The design carried such expressive force that various market players competed to reproduce or appropriate it.

At Dantone Home, fully aware of the responsibility that comes with historical references, our goal was not to recreate the original piece exactly, but to enter into a dialogue with its legacy, making it a natural part of contemporary living.

This approach led to the creation of the Bradley chair. We carefully rethought the construction, optimising elements that were originally dictated by the limitations of mid-century small-batch production. This allowed us to preserve the sculptural character of the design while ensuring reliability and stability suited to everyday use.

Materials were adapted to modern standards, with practical and low-maintenance solutions chosen without compromising visual coherence.

As a result, Bradley inherits the expressive silhouette and artistic integrity of the original, making a timeless design accessible to a new generation. Its story is no longer confined to museum archives — it can now become part of your interior.

Bradley is an accent that reshapes the space around it. Its versatility lies in its ability to feel equally appropriate in a living room, kitchen or bedroom.