There's a fine line between being amusing and being eccentric.
John Dickinson (1920 - 1982)
John Dickinson, the late San Francisco designer, was a disciplined perfectionist who described himself as a draftsman first, a decorator second. He reduced his designs to "line, proportion and shape" to create understated elegance, which he emphasized with a palette of "subdued colors." Despite his focus on logic, he valued wit. "I take what I do very seriously, " said Dickinson. "But I don't like design to be too serious. . . . I just like to have a little fun with the work I do." His sense of humor can be seen in his iconic 1970s three-legged painted plaster side table, which sold at Christie's in 2011 for $30,000.
This piece calls to mind African art, the Flintstones cartoon and ancient Egyptian statues. Primitive, it is elegant in its simplicity.
As much sculpture as furniture, Dickinson's work in plaster has the edginess of contemporary art. So it should come as no surprise that when he is rediscovered by a new generation of dealers, writers, auction house experts and curators, the first responders were collectors, not designers.
Designer Smith Hanes "turned a negative into a fresh, beautiful positive: he broke up the long hallway leading to the master suite by adding a row of ethereal white portieres. Bedside tables are vintage John Dickinson."
Interior design by Marie Nygren and Smith Hanes.
Interview by Mimi Read.
Photographs by Amy Neunsinger.
"The New Utopia"
House Beautiful (December - January 2011).
"In the master bedroom, crystal drops by sculptor Rob Wynne are mounted above a 1940s vanity and a Samuel Marx mirror; the plaster stool is by John Dickinson,
and the curtains are of a Lee Jofa silk."
London duplex.
Interior design by Alex Papachristidis.
Text by Nancy Hass.
Photography by Simon Upton.
"Master Class" produced by Anita Sarsidi.
"A chair by John Dickinson is covered in a Highland Court animal print, the mahogany commode is vintage, the painting is by Bernard Frize"
London duplex.
Interior design by Alex Papachristidis.
Text by Nancy Hass.
Photography by Simon Upton.
"Master Class" produced by Anita Sarsidi.
Elle Decor (December 2010 - January 2011).
The screened-in porch features a plaster side table by John Dickinson, pillows upholstered in African textiles and a stained concrete floor.
A circa-1883 factory converted by San Antonio designer Gwynn Griffith
as her personal home.
Text by Rob Brinkley.
Photography by William Waldron.
"Texas Treasure" produced by Anita Sarsidi.
Elle Decor (September 2011).
"The living room . . . features a John Dickinson plaster table, a wicker tub chair covered with a shearling throw, a French chandelier, and a Spanish cabinet; the wall of artwork includes paintings by [homeowner and decorator Gwynn Griffith]"
A circa-1883 factory converted by San Antonio designer Gwynn Griffith
as her personal home.
Text by Rob Brinkley.
Photography by William Waldron.
"Texas Treasure" produced by Anita Sarsidi.
Elle Decor (September 2011).
"The circa-1970 faux-bois plaster table is by John Dickinson."
Text by Mayer Rus.
Photography by Simon Watson.
"Inez Van Lamsweerde and Vinoodh Matadin's Manhattan Apartment"
Produced by Michael Reynolds.
Architectural Digest (October 2011).
"John Dickinson lamps flank a geological specimen atop an Aldo Tura console."
Beverly Hills home of architect and designer Daniel Romualdez.
Text by Peter Haldeman.
Photography by Roger Davies.
Styled by Robert Rufino.
"Breaking Away" produced by Carolina Irving.
"A Piero Fornasetti cabinet in the living area with a Diego Giacometti sculpture and a prehistoric stone object; the galvanized tin console is by John Dickinson."
San Francisco apartment of designer Steven Volpe.
Text by Ingrid Abramovitch.
Photography by William Abranowicz.
"Rare Form" produced by Anita Sarsidi.
Elle Decor (September 2011).
David Sutherland sells pieces that are cast from John Dickinson's original works and molds. These pieces are made of glass fiber reinforced concrete and can be used indoors or out. Buyers looking for original John Dickinson items can purchase from 1st Dibs, which currently is offering plaster pieces and a pair of custom "Etruscan" chairs somewhat similar to the gold chair pictured above in the apartment designed by Alex Papachristidis.
Dickinson's work has influenced numerous other designers including Orlando Diaz-Azcuy, who recounts his relationship with him in Designers on Designers by Susan Gray, which is the source for some of the quotes in this piece.
Elegance is self-assurance in one sense and nothing is as easily spotted as false elegance. Elegance requires leisure and thought and the ability to carry it out.
A modest small thing can be elegant.
A modest small thing can be elegant.
John Dickinson, 1971
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