Thayer Coggin

Thayer Coggin is one of the most revered names in the home furnishing world. A name that has long been associated with mid century modern design, Thayer Coggin was a man who developed an unwavering commitment to both quality and simplistic design. We recently visited the Thayer Coggin headquarters in High Point, North Carolina—the furniture capital of the world—and sat down with Phil Miller, VP of Sales and Marketing, to learn more about Thayer Coggin’s journey into the design world. Growing up in Denton, North Carolina, and later moving to High Point, Coggin always had a fond love for building and creating. Shop class was his favorite in high school and it is there where he began constructing pieces of furniture—he even won an award for a rocking chair he built in 1939. After serving as a medic in World War II for four years, Coggin came back to the states to start his own furniture company—James Manufacturing. Focusing primarily on basic sofas and chairs, Sears became one of Coggin’s biggest customers. After a few years of manufacturing, Coggin felt the need to develop more as designer. Having discovered many Danish Modern design books during his time serving overseas, Coggin decided to venture to Denmark to explore furniture design in more depth. It was in Denmark that his passion for modern furniture strengthened. According to Coggin, “The simple clean lines appealed to my sense of beauty…(their impression) hit me like a ton of bricks.” Upon his return from Denmark, Coggin realized he possessed the engineering background to manufacture modern furniture, but he would need to find the right designer to partner with. It was around this time that Milo Baughman, a furniture designer from California showed up in High Point, North Carolina. Baughman, an Air Force veteran, studied design in California at the Art Center School of Los Angeles and the Chouinard Art Institute. He came to North Carolina with the intention of getting furniture manufacturers on board with his modern designs. He met with Coggin in 1953 where the two men decided to become partners with nothing more than a firm handshake. This meeting is now recognized as marking an important inflection point in the history of the American furniture industry. Thayer Coggin Inc. comments, “The unique and creative genius of one, combined with the inventive engineering and manufacturing expertise of the other manifested into the formation of Thayer Coggin Inc.” From 1953 to 2003, Thayer Coggin and Milo Baughman collaborated on designing and developing mid century modern furniture that nobody else had. Their designs have become the standard for modern furniture. Coggin and Baughman were always committed to high quality design, truly bench-made American manufacturing and premium materials. To this day, the company is owned and managed by Thayer's daughter, Royale Coggin Wiggin, in High Point, NC. With a firm dedication to modern design and truly bench-made furniture, Thayer Coggin has developed some of the most iconic mid century designs in the world. Recently, Restoration Hardware made a big move to carry some of the original Milo Baughman designs in their RH Modern stores across the country. Continuing to be on the upswing, Thayer Coggin is striving to develop and design products using premium grade materials and the highest quality craftmenship. "Quality First - Production Second" is plastered on a sign that dangles in the manufacturing warehouse - a telling reminder of the company's commitment to producing the some of the best furniture in the world. Here are some images from our visit: