Kling Furniture Company
a brief history of the Kling Furniture Company, an iconic and now vintage furniture brand.
Kling Furniture company was created as a collection of furniture companies in New York State. John Alexander Kling, an immigrant from Sweden, purchased several struggling furniture companies, starting with the Chautauqua Spring Bed & Lounge Company in Mayville, New York in 1911.
He bought three other plants and eventually his enterprise operated under the name “Kling Factories.” Each plant focused on one style of bedroom furniture and within 17 years, Kling became one of the largest volume producers of furniture in the US.
The depression years of the late 1920s and 30s were tough on Kling, but John’s sons were able to manage and pull through as many other furniture companies caved. Aiming to continue to provide heavy, solid wood furniture of great quality remained in the company’s mission.
Quality Furniture Maker
The 1940s through 1960s became the peak production time for Kling and this is generally the period of greatest quality. More advertising opportunities in magazines such as “Better Homes and Garden” and “House Beautiful” helped solidify the company’s reputation as a quality furniture maker.
Kling
Kling was eventually purchased by Ethan Allen in 1962. Sometimes we see a piece which is marked “Kling Colonial” which signifies the joining of Kling with Ethan Allen. Ethan Allen dropped the name later.
We love Kling furniture here at Bohemian’s. To us, Kling furniture has extreme beauty, durability and history. Frequently we are lucky enough to find Kling Mahogany Furniture. Using genuine mahogany on all exposed parts AND all secondary woods (drawer bottoms and sides, inside cabinets), Kling bedroom furniture in mahogany is especially desirable and long lasting. Refinishing this vintage furniture brings back the beauty of distressed Kling pieces and we seem to never tire of it.
Kling furniture
The style of Kling furniture can vary. Often we see echoes of Chippendale Styles: shells, fluted columns and bracket feet are common among vintage Kling styles. Solid brass hardware can either be left with patina or shined to original glory. (The years of WWII left Kling, like every furniture company, not being able to use solid brass and instead using a faux proximity. If you find a piece with plated or aluminum hardware, you can date it to the war years.) We like to clean the hardware to get that sparkle and contrast on a vintage piece.
Indeed, the beauty of Kling and it’s prominence as a true American Furniture Company has not been forgotten. Certainly, we see Ethan Allen looking to its roots for furniture design with Kling. Often, the two brands are indistinguishable. Simple, classic design and high quality materials make Kling one of our go-to brands for vintage furniture. We hope that you too will enjoy this superb furniture maker.
Kling Furniture Stamp
Kling Furniture Stamp is a mark of quality furniture that originated in New York in the early 20th century. The company is known for producing solid wood furniture that is both durable and stylish. The Kling Furniture Stamp is a guarantee that the piece was crafted with care and attention to detail. Today, Kling Furniture is highly sought after by collectors and homeowners alike, with many pieces retaining their value for decades. If you’re looking for furniture that will stand the test of time, look for the Kling Furniture Stamp.
The following is a Kling Colonial Furniture Stamp, this stamp was used after Ethan Allen furniture bought the company at around 1970. The Kling Colonial stamp was used for about 2 to 3 years.
The following is the older tin badge used from the 1940’s thru the 1950’s. Kling Furniture Stamp.
Thank you for inviting us into your vintage home!
Rachel La Bohème
Bohemians Fine Furniture Store
Its what ever price you can get, if the market said $35 than thats the correct price so do not fret, be happy.
😭😭 I just sold my Kling Colonial solid cherry for $35
Now I want to kick myself
Dear Cece,
Your set sounds lovely and seems to come from a very cherished home. 🙂 There are a number of ways and methods you could go about selling it. Please check out our blog on how to sell your furniture (LINK HERE: https://www.ebohemians.com/sell-furniture/) for some ideas on where to sell. A reasonable price in our area would be around 300-400 on the china cabinet, 200-300 on the server and between 400-800 on the table and chairs. That is, if it all is in like new condition. That said, prices could be higher or lower in your region. Remember, these are “retail” prices so expect to get around 20-60% of these total amounts if you go the consignment or auction route. Hope that gives you a good starting point. Best of luck with it and enjoy your new home!
13th of June 2018
I was VERY surprised to find out this afternoon that Kling Furniture is no longer in business; that Ethan Allen purchased the company in the mid-1960’s. For weeks I’ve been searching on the internet for a Kling dining room set (china cabinet, table with chairs, and server), and have NOT found any! ! It also puzzled me on why no company ph # would come up. Now I know; rather sad.
Around 1974 or 1975, my husband surprised me with a BRAND NEW Kling Dining Room set:
The China cabinet top has 4 glass doors, 3 shelves, and 3 drawers at the bottom; measures 59″Lx45″Hx13″deep. The base has 2 center drawers, 2 end drawers, and 4 doors. Measures 62″Lx32″Hx20″deep. All brass handles. The set is dark brown (Is it cherry ? ?)
The dining room table, with the 2-18″ leaves, is 102″Lx44″Wx29″H, has custom-made padded protectors, 5 chairs, and a Captain’s chair.
The server has 2 fold-down 11″x19″ leaves, 2 center shelves, a 36″Lx4.5″Hx15″deep top drawer, two side doors, and solid brass handles. It is 40″Lx30″Hx19″deep; with leaves extended, it is 58″ long.
My husband was hoping to keep it in the family, for 2 or 3 generations. Guess we waited TOO long (we’ve been married 50 years). All our children are all grown, married many years ago, and have their own furniture. My husband and I need to move to a smaller home; won’t have room for this beautiful, elegant dining room set. We’ll need the money for the move and purchase of the next house. Where would you recommend we advertise selling our dining room set? And what would be a reasonable price (the set is almost like new; a few nicks or minor scratches; some repairs for the Captain’s chair). Will look forward to your reply.
It;s great vintage furniture and i wish more people actually knew just how good and at times the supreme value dollar to dollar these pieces of furniture are. Remember many were made from old growth American timber that no longer exists in this country. Everything today is new fast growth wood if wood at all.
Yes it is pre Ethan Allen days meaning earlier than say 1970. Usually the solid maple we have seen is from the early 1950’s, very good furniture indeed. So well built many of it does not look as old as it is for sure. We have a solid maple night stand in our home as a plant stand and holds a ton of decorating magazines. Many of the metal plates in the drawer do date the furniture at times to the later 1940’s. No brass hardware or plates during ww2 because of the war effort.
I just commented above. I forgot to add this is solid Maple. Thank you again.
Hello, I just purchased a Kling with 4 full size drawers and two smaller on top, making 6. There is a green and yellow sticker that states “all exposed parts guaranteed, solid genuine hard maple, Kling means solid. Cherry, maple, mahogany, Kling Factories, Mayville, NY.”. On the right side of the samel drawer is a brass looking plate that says “KLING”, Mayville, NY. I believe this to be “pre Ethan Allen purchase” since there is no mention of colonial, etc. As I assuming correctly. thank you.
Congrats on your new bedroom suit Richard! It sounds lovely. 🙂 Kling Colonial brand came at the tail end of Kling’s history as a company, circa 1960-1970. This was right during the period that Kling was being purchased by Ethan Allen.
Of course, the value is always in the eye of the beholder, and it depends whether the set is cherry, maple or mahogany. Please consider yourself as the owner of great vintage quality furniture! They just don’t make it that way anymore! 🙂 You only have to walk in to (INSERT BOX NAME STORE HERE) to feel and see the difference in the quality. Hope you enjoy it for many more years. Thank you for commenting.
I just purchased a Kling Colonial Bed Room suit, Bed , Chest, Dresser & End Table & was trying to find more about it.It’s beautiful & in great condition & was wondering about it’s Value